State lobbying hit record numbers in 2023
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — According to COELIG—New York's Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government—spending on lobbying surged in 2023 to a new record of $360.6 million. The numbers—showing an 8.8% increase over 2022—come from the Commission’s annual report for 2023, released Tuesday morning.
“With lobbying spending continuing to surge post-pandemic, it is crucial that New Yorkers know who is seeking to influence state government and on which matters,” said COELIG Executive Director Sanford Berland. You can read it at the bottom of this story.
John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, said, "The definition of 'lobbyist' is very broad and includes anyone who gets paid to try to influence state government, whether they are trying to get funding for homeless children or reducing air pollution or getting giant corporate subsidies for Hollywood producers."
The previous all-time high for lobbying spending in 2022—$331.54 million—represents a cool $30 million difference from 2024. And COELIG said that an overall trend continued to shift the expenses toward compensating lobbyists, with salaries and wages representing 89%.
However, for the organizations representing the top 10 spenders on lobbying, compensation represented just 30% of what they spent. Check out their numbers, totaling over $26 million:
| Spenders | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1199SEIU Labor Management Initiatives, Inc. Healthcare Education Project | $8,347,211 |
| 2 | American Opportunity | $4,720,229 |
| 3 | Greater New York Hospital | $4,711,477 |
| 4 | Genting New York | $2,868,000 |
| 5 | Studentsfirst New York Advocacy | $2,647,256 |
| 6 | Tobacco-free Kids Action Fund | $2,546,648 |
| 7 | Siebert Williams Shank & Co. | $1,600,800 |
| 8 | New York State Trial Lawyers Association | $1,426,573 |
| 9 | AARP | $1,415,216 |
| 10 | Public Employees Federation | $1,302,949 |
"Today's latest lobbying report underscores the staggering spending that attempts to influence New York policies. 'Newcomer' American Opportunity's rise in spending underscores the apparent national efforts to bolster the Hochul Administration's policies," reads a statement from NYPIRG Executive Director Blair Horner. "This incredible spending reflects the power of money in policymaking. Obviously, powerful groups would not spend the money if they thought it didn't work. The public should closely monitor interest groups' spending and not get bamboozled by the high-priced media campaigns too often designed to block initiatives that benefit the public."
COELIG also reported getting 156 tips, complaints, referrals, and reports, and closing 111 investigations in 2023. Their investigations included claims into conflicts of interest, nepotism, and financial disclosure violations.
Although the report details financial disclosures and training programs for staff training, it makes no conclusions about how the state could function moving forward. "The report does not make recommendations for reducing the power of big money and big lobbyists on government decision-making. Why not?" said Reinvent Albany's John Kaehny. "Why doesn't New York State also do this? Why doesn't New York State have much tougher revolving door rules so officials have to wait, say, 10 years instead of two years before lobbying their former colleagues in government?"
In May, a court ruled that COELIG was formed unconstitutionally. The Commission appealed, and the matter has not yet been scheduled for more court proceedings. Take a look at the report below: