For the second year in a row, groups spent less money trying to influence state government than the prior year, with pandemic-related lobbying waning and no major statewide issues driving spending.
The annual report on lobbying from the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) found groups and lobbying firms spent almost $95.1 million last year. That is roughly 1% less than in 2021 and some 11% lower than the all-time high of nearly $107 million spent in 2020. COVID-19 first hit New Jersey in March of that year, prompting lawmakers to advance a raft of emergency measures in such areas as health care, schools and business.
A number of other big issues have influenced spending in recent years, including the approval of a subsidy to keep PSEG’s nuclear power plants operating, the restructuring of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the legalization of marijuana.
“The last five years have been a relatively tumultuous time for the state and lobbyists,” said Jeff Brindle, executive director of ELEC. “Things seem to be settling down somewhat.”
Another indication of that settling down is that no single organization spent more than $1 million on lobbying in the last year, the first time that has happened in a decade. In 2021, four groups exceeded $1 million in spending. PSEG was the biggest spender over the last two years, laying out $846,112 in 2022 and almost $2.7 million in 2021, the year in which it successfully sought another three years of nuclear-plant subsidies.
The ELEC report also looked at lobbying since the start of the century. While PSEG ranked in the top 10, no other group came close in spending to the state’s largest teachers union. The New Jersey Education Association spent nearly $53 million on lobbying between 2000 and 2022, more than three times the second-ranking AARP. The 25 top spenders laid out close to $285 million so far this century, accounting for one-fifth of all lobbying expenditures during the 23-year period. [Full disclosure: The NJEA is an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News.]
“Most of these are large organizations with big financial stakes in New Jersey,” Brindle said. “Policies they support or oppose can have a significant impact on these organizations and the lives of New Jersey citizens.”
