LITTLE ROCK — While leading the Arkansas Senate, former Sen. Michael Lamoureux received $120,000 in consulting fees from a political nonprofit that was largely funded by some of the state's top lobbying firms and their clients, according to tax documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Lamoureux — now the governor's chief of staff — received the money through his law firm from the Arkansas Faith and Freedom Coalition in 2013. Tax documents show the group took in a total $141,000 in donations that year, and a member of its board of directors said Lamoureux was responsible for raising the money.
At the time, Lamoureux held the powerful position of the Arkansas Senate's president pro tempore and often dealt with lobbyists seeking his help. The position paid about $17,800 a year.
The Arkansas Faith and Freedom Coalition's mission statement describes the conservative group as dedicated to educating residents about their right to vote. But tax documents show that, unlike in previous years, the group spent no money on research, advertising or candidate promotion in 2013. The remaining expenditures after Lamoureux's consulting fee was about $14,000 for rent, payroll taxes, a convention fee and other small expenses.
Lamoureux declined repeated requests for comment about his work with the group, as did Marvin Parks, the former lawmaker who signed the nonprofit's tax documents. Parks, who wasn't paid by the Arkansas Faith and Freedom Coalition, said the organization was recently dissolved.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson's spokesman, J.R. Davis, said Lamoureux's association with the group "ended long before he came to work for this administration." Lamoureux resigned from the Senate in November 2014 to join Hutchinson's administration.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.