Michigan law bans pricey gifts from lobbyists, but tickets still flow in Lansing

…or Scrupulous Senator Reports Regaled Shill Stubs

State law bans lobbyists from giving officeholders gifts worth more than $76. However, lobbyists [slimy creatures that they are, tell me I’m wrong – r^2^ ] have used various strategies to circumvent the prohibition, including providing tickets to lawmakers and then privately sending them letters asking for the value of the tickets over $76 to be paid back to the lobbying firm, according to more than 10 sources with direct knowledge of the arrangements. […] Whether lawmakers ultimately hand over what they owe the lobbyist is a mystery.

Sen. Paul Wojno, D-Warren, mistakenly thought he had to disclose tickets he received from lobbyists to a Detroit Lions game, to a Detroit Red Wings game and to the North American International Detroit Auto Show’s annual Charity Preview event. The auto show tickets were worth $700, Wojno wrote in his disclosure.

Eric Doster, an Okemos attorney who advises clients on how to comply with state lobbying and campaign finance policies, said it’s become a common practice for lobbyists to ask lawmakers to reimburse them for the cost of tickets over the gift limit. Such transactions are perfectly legal, Doster said.

Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City, a first-term lawmaker who has called for greater transparency, described the strategy of lobbyists using letters to seek reimbursements after sporting events as a loophole. […] Wegela said receiving tickets from lobbyists should be banned over a certain financial threshold. […] “Certainly, it should all be reported, period,” Wegela said.

[All emphasis in the above quotations is mine – r^2^ ]

I was thinking (working without tools, I know), “what if your preferred politician isn’t a sports fan or car buff?” It’s a rhetoric question, kids.

Alt link for your convenience via archive.is

Stay sick, scratch glass, turn blue, climb walls…but don’t get caught!
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