Lobbyists, clients report $151,000 in spending on dinners, receptions

SANTA FE — Lobbyists and their clients reported about $151,000 in spending this session — more than $5,000 a day on dinners, receptions and other goodies for New Mexico lawmakers.

And that’s just part of the spending. More-detailed reports are due in May.

The largest expenditure reported during the 2020 session was $28,000 — a golf promotion for legislators, paid for by the New Mexico Golf Tourism Alliance. The group usually provides free golf passes.

Lawmakers didn’t go hungry, either. Members of at least three legislative committees — including Senate Finance and House Judiciary — enjoyed meals courtesy of lobbyists.

A broad range of groups also invited lawmakers to pricey receptions at hotels.

The spending is disclosed in filings with the Secretary of State’s Office. Lobbyists and their employers must report any spending that exceeds $500 during a legislative session.

Among the biggest spenders this year were Conservation Voters New Mexico, Presbyterian Health Plan, Comcast and Eastern New Mexico University — all of which held events or dinners for lawmakers.

Spending reports filed during the session show:

n Conservation Voters New Mexico spent about $17,000 for an event at the Inn & Spa at Loretto, where the group honored Rep. Georgene Louis, D-Albuquerque, with its annual Luminaria Award.

n LES, an energy company, spent about $2,200 for dinner at Inn of the Anasazi for about a dozen legislators and two Cabinet secretaries. LES is affiliated with Urenco, which built a uranium enrichment facility in southeastern New Mexico.

n Presbyterian Health Plan spent about $16,000 on dinner at the Hilton Santa Fe for legislators, Presbyterian board members and others.

n The University of New Mexico and Eastern New Mexico University each spent about $10,000 for legislative receptions or meet-and-greet events at Santa Fe hotels.

The ENMU legislative reception was $10,538.21, which Alumni Affairs Director Annamaria Short said covered food, beverages and the facility rental at Inn and Spa at Loretto. The Alumni Association and the ENMU Foundation set aside dollars for the reception each year, Short said, which is “part of a coordinated campaign to inform legislators of ENMU’s good stewardship of state appropriations and our current needs.”

The cost, Short said, is due to higher food costs in Santa Fe and a premium for locations close to the Capitol. Other legislative session outreach includes teams of students and alumni visiting each legislator’s office to speak about the college and leave information about the college and its funding requests.

Labor unions and energy companies also reported sizable spending.

The News Editor Kevin Wilson and the Albuquerque Journal contributed to this report.