TRENTON — Local governments that pay lobbyists to interact with state government would have to explain that choice and what they got out of it under a bill that passed a Senate committee today. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), would force towns, school boards, counties and other public entities to file annual reports about their use...
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View from above the New Jersey Senate Chamber at the Statehouse in Trenton in January.
TRENTON — Local governments that pay lobbyists to interact with state government would have to explain that choice and what they got out of it under a bill that passed a Senate committee today.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), would force towns, school boards, counties and other public entities to file annual reports about their use of lobbyists, including the reason why the same service couldn't be provided in another way. Lobbyists employed by government entities would also be subject to greater disclosure under the bill, which now heads to the full Senate. There is no Assembly version yet.
Currently, there are no requirements that governments tell the public what their lobbyists are up to.
"The taxpayers of New Jersey demand full accountability, and it’s time that they receive a full accounting of tax dollars being spent to enrich lobbyists from the public trough,” Weinberg said.
Towns and the lobbyists they hire say it is money well spent as they compete for their fair share of state funds — or to cut through Trenton's red tape. They say it can be cheaper to hire an outside expert than to pay a town employee to perform the same duties, especially when it comes to applying for grants.
