During this year's regular session of the Arkansas Legislature, Chad Griffin, president of Human Rights Campaign, reported spending the most of the state's registered lobbyists and lobbying firms.
The Human Rights Campaign describes itself as the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil-rights organization.
It helped organize opposition to the proposed Religious Freedom Restoration Acts, saying they would encourage discrimination against gays and others.
Griffin reported spending $93,470.53 during this year's regular session, all of it in March.
Griffin's expenses included $43,802.07 for advertising, $36,270.14 on telephone, $7,142.86 for travel, $4,242.41 for rally costs and $2,013.05 for printing, according to Griffin's lobbyist report.
Griffin could not be reached for comment by telephone last week.
But Kendra R. Johnson, director of the Human Rights Campaign in Arkansas, said Friday that "while Chad was certainly involved in these efforts, and traveled to Arkansas to make the case himself, the reported expenses actually reflect the commitment and engagement of HRC Arkansas, as well as its thousands of members and supporters, in standing up and fighting for equality in the Natural State.
"And if the Legislature once again considers discriminatory anti-LGBT legislation in future sessions, HRC Arkansas absolutely will do whatever it can to stop it in its tracks," Johnson said in a written statement.
After the Legislature heeded Gov. Asa Hutchinson's request to send him a bill that mirrors the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and sidetracked an earlier version that spurred protests at the state Capitol, Hutchinson signed it into law to grant a legal defense against government laws, ordinances, regulations or policies that run afoul of people's religious beliefs.
The Mullenix & Associates lobbying firm reported spending the second-most, $33,941.
That includes $21,144 for the Arkansas Realtors Association legislative reception on Feb. 11 at the Capital Hotel.
In the last week of February alone, Mullenix & Associates reported spending $1,173 for a Feb. 23 House Rules Committee dinner at Cache restaurant; $734 for a Feb. 24 Joint Senate and House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee dinner at Brave New Restaurant; $1,301 for a Feb. 25 Joint House and Senate Education Committee dinner at Cache restaurant; and $1,212 for a Feb. 26 House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee dinner at Samantha's Taproom and Wood Grill in Little Rock.
Act 1280 -- enacted at the end of this year's session -- limits a lobbyist to paying for food or drink at one planned activity for officials during a seven-day period.
Sen. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, who sponsored the measure, said the provision wasn't targeted at any particular lobbyist.
Julie Mullenix, who is a partner in the lobbying firm with her husband former Rep. Ted Mullenix, R-Hot Springs, said the firm didn't include its $5,000 contribution to the state Republican Party for the House speaker's ball and Senate president pro tempore's dinner on its lobbying expense report because the contribution is to a political party, and she doesn't believe state law requires such contributions to be reported on lobbyist expense reports.
Two years ago, the firm reported lobbying expenses totaling $71,918 during the 2013 legislative session. That was before voters approved Amendment 94 in November, imposing some limits on lobbyists' spending on state lawmakers.
Kenny Henderson of Little Rock, a lobbyist for CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp., reported lobby expenses of $27,713, the third-most spent during the 2015 regular session.
Henderson amended his reports to show a $25,000 sponsorship for the governor's ball in January and a $2,500 sponsorship in February for the speaker's ball and pro tempore's dinner, after the Democrat-Gazette asked why that contribution hadn't been listed.
He said he amended his reports in what he described as "an abundance of caution."
Arkansas Farm Bureau lobbyist Stanley Hill's $25,899 in lobbying expenses, the fourth-most during the session.
That included more than $16,000 in printing and postage costs, and a $2,500 contribution to the House speaker's ball and Senate pro tempore's dinner, according to his reports.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. lobbyist Michael Lindsey's $24,707 in lobbying expenses were the fifth-most spent. They included a March 10 $18,131 expense at Next Level Events for Wal-Mart Day at the state Capitol, according to his report.
Next Level Events has space in the old Union Station building where legislative receptions are frequently held.
SundayMonday on 06/07/2015