The Auditor noticed that lobbyists last year spent about $70 million to sway public officials and public opinion - the second highest amount in state history.
But precious little of that money went toward wining, dining and entertaining state bigwigs. Lobbyists paid only $2,439 in 2015 on meals, trips and entertainment in 2015. And officials wrote a check and paid lobbyists back for nearly $500 of these funds.
Before 2004, many lobbyists plied their trade by offering transportation to and accommodations in Washington D.C., Atlantic City, and sunny locales like Bermuda. Lawmakers were regularly treated to major league baseball games and free meals. It's how lobbyists could be assured they could have some quality time with the state government class.
In 1992, "benefit passing" perks totaled $163,375, a state record.
As the media started to shine a light on the spending and the cozy relationships these gifts suggested, lawmakers gradually started to decline these offers, said Jeff Brindle, executive director of the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.
"That caused people to really think about taking those benefits. They wanted to do the ethical thing, the right thing, and not be exposed in the papers for taking these benefits," Brindle said.
It took a change in the law in 2004 really stanched the flow of goodies.
Among other things, the law barred members of the executive and legislative branches and their immediate families from accepting anything worth more than $250 from a lobbying firm in a calendar year.
The following year, the amount of free travel, dinner and outings lawmakers took from lobbyists dropped to $62,931.
Lobbyists adapted and found "much more sophisticated" ways of getting their message out, Brindle said.
Lobbyists started spending a lot more on public relations, polling, research, and expert testimony at hearings or to meet with lawmakers and policy makers, Brindle said. Lobbyists spent $14.8 million on these "issue advocacy" activities in 2015.
In ELEC's annual lobbying report for 2015, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), his wife and daughter are each listed as recipients of $110 meals at the Capital Grill Washington D.C. in February 2015 following the annual Chamber of Commerce "Walk to Washington" trip.
Wisniewski said he has no apologies about that because he said he can't be bought by a meal.
He said changes in the law successfully curbed the all-expenses paid Bahamas conventions but lamented that it also "limited the ability to sit down and discuss an issue and have a meal. If each of us were to be perfectly candid, very few of us are subject matter experts on the issues we are expected to render an opinion."
When The Auditor asked whether lawmakers use their campaign funds for these sit-downs, Wisniewski said they could. Ironically, he said, the campaign war chest funds are just as likely to come from the lobbyist sitting down to dinner.