{"id":4976,"date":"2015-02-12T09:35:47","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=4976"},"modified":"2020-06-02T10:25:47","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T17:25:47","slug":"lobbyist-events-fill-nm-legislatures-social-calendar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/lobbyist-events-fill-nm-legislatures-social-calendar\/","title":{"rendered":"Lobbyist Events fill NM Legislature’s Social Calendar"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Credit:<\/a>

Credit: Waferboard via Flickr Creative Commons<\/p><\/div>\n

By Sandra Fish
\nNew Mexico In Depth<\/span><\/p>\n

The New Mexico Legislature\u2019s social calendar this year is packed with breakfasts, dinners, receptions and more.<\/p>\n

The wining and dining of state lawmakers by individual lobbyists and organizations that have legislation before decision makers is an annual tradition in Santa Fe.<\/p>\n

Lobbyists and organizations already have spent more than $66,000 on receptions and dinners for New Mexico\u2019s public officials through the first three weeks of this year\u2019s legislative session, which ends March 21, according to an analysis of data on the New Mexico Secretary of State\u2019s website. Not captured in that figure are what individual lobbyists are spending daily on meals and other expenses for state lawmakers during the session.<\/p>\n

In fact, from 2011 through 2014, 36 nonprofit and faith groups, trade associations, oil companies, unions and businesses shared their largesse to the tune of more than $379,000, a New Mexico In Depth analysis of lobbyist spending indicates. That\u2019s in addition to the $1.6 million spent by individual lobbyists, as reported by New Mexico In Depth last week.<\/p>\n

Here is the organization spending from 2011 through 2014:<\/p>\n