Area lawmakers receive thousands of dollars in lobbyist gifts

Four area Republican lawmakers received more than $15,000 in meals and other items from lobbyists over the past several years, online records show.

Lobbyists gifts included everything from hotel expenses and Southeast Missouri State University Redhawk floor mats to University of Missouri athletic events and St. Louis Cardinals baseball games.

It has been widely reported lobbyists spend more than $750,000 annually on dinners, drinks and tickets on Missouri's lawmakers.

State Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, received more than $8,100 in lobbyist gifts over a nearly four-year period from April 11, 2012, to Dec. 17, 2015. That is more than the total amount incurred by state Reps. Kathy Swan, Donna Lichtenegger and Holly Rehder combined, records show.

All four lawmakers mostly benefited from meals and beverages, according to data from The Missouri Ethics Commission. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch made lobbyist-gift records available in a publicly searchable database. Some of the gifts were of meals associated with conferences lawmakers attended.

Rep. Kathy Swan

Lobbyists provided more than $2,900 in gifts to Rehder of Sikeston; more than $2,400 to Swan of Cape Girardeau and just over $2,000 to Lichtenegger of Jackson.

The Missouri House voted earlier this year to ban all lobbyist gifts including meals. All three local state representatives voted for the measure.

But the bill has stalled in the Senate, where many senators remain opposed to banning lobbyist gifts.

"I would give it a 50-50 chance of passing. There is a lot of resistance in the Senate," Wallingford said.

All four lawmakers said their votes can't be bought.

Rep. Holly Rehder

"Lobbyist gifts don't influence me," Wallingford said.

Swan, Lichtenegger and Rehder said they would not mind if lobbyist gifts were banned. They said they would be fine with buying their own meals.

Still, the local lawmakers questioned the proposed ban on meals.

"I think they went a little too far including food," Lichtenegger said.

Rehder said she can survive with or without food from lobbyists.

Rep. Donna Lichtenegger

"It doesn't matter to me either way," said Rehder. "I can afford to buy my own meals."

But she said she understands the public's support for banning such gifts.

"The public has such a mistrust of what is going on in politics," she said. Banning lobbyist gifts may give the public more confidence in the legislative process, she added.

Rehder, a former lobbyist for the Missouri Cable Association, said the general public has a negative perception of lobbyists. But she and other lawmakers argue lobbyists provide valuable information to lawmakers about often-complicated issues.

Rehder said it is useful to hear from lobbyists on both sides of an issue.

The lawmakers said lobbyists typically buy lunch or dinner so they have an opportunity to discuss various legislation or issues. Lobbyists also spend time discussing issues with lawmakers at sporting events, they said.

Swan said, "Regardless of the venue, time spent discussing issues and gathering valuable information is part of doing a thorough job."

Wallingford said legislators spend much of their time in committee meetings.

"I am not in the office a lot," Wallingford said. "The best time to get things done is over lunch or dinner."

Lobbyists provided more than $1,500 worth of meals for schoolchildren and Boy Scouts from Wallingford's district who visited the Capitol. Wallingford said he asked lobbyists to provide the meals as a convenience to school and Scout groups. As a result, the meals were listed as gifts for the senator.

Swan said she understands the public's concern about lawmakers receiving lobbyist gifts.

"I think it can be a problem,' she said.

Swan said some lawmakers may take advantage of the process.

"If we didn't have bad actors in this world, we wouldn't need laws," she said.

According to a recent survey of some 400 of Swan's constituents, nearly 75 percent of the respondents said Missouri law should be changed to prohibit the amount of food or gifts a legislator may accept from lobbyists.

In addition to the meals for school children, lobbyists reported paying for nearly $4,000 worth of meals and beverages for Wallingford. Non-meal gifts totaled just over $2,600 for the senator.

Non-meal gifts included a hotel stay for an October 2013 trip to Detroit to meet with Ford Motor Co. executives and a visit to the Henry Ford Museum.

Wallingford received more than $860 worth of Cardinals baseball tickets, including two seats to the Aug. 11, 2015, game valued at $586. The Missouri American Water Association provided the tickets valued at $586. He also received other baseball tickets, but they were not specifically identified as Cardinals tickets.

The senator also received more than $360 worth of Mizzou athletic tickets. Other gifts included tickets to Southeast Missouri State University Speaker Series events and a Redhawks floor mat valued at $50.36.

Wallingford received two ties as well as a coffee cup and knife. The Cape Girardeau senator said he has yet to wear the ties.

Wallingford, Swan and Lichtenegger each received two tickets from the Southeast Missouri University Foundation to attend the Redhawks football at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Sept. 21, 2013. Each ticket was valued at nearly $69, according to the lobbyist reports.

Lobbyists also gave tickets to Mizzou athletic events to Swan, Lichtenegger and Rehder as well as baseball tickets.

All four lawmakers said they believe the value of gifts reported by lobbyists is often inflated.

If they receive awards, lobbyists list the value of those awards as gifts, they said. Rehder, for example, received the Champion of Freedom Award from the Missouri Alliance for Freedom last year. The organization reported the award as a $290 "gift."

Wallingford said, "The value is what the lobbyist puts down."

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

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Gifts from lobbyists

Lobbyists gifts to state Sen. Wayne Wallingford

• Meals and beverages: $3,960
• Pizza for school groups: $1,545
• Non-meal gifts: $2,602

Total: $8,107

Lobbyist gifts to state Rep. Holly Rehder

• Meals and beverages: $2,356
• Non-meal gifts: $596

Total: $2,952

Lobbyist gifts to state Rep. Kathy Swan

• Meals and beverage: $1,645
• Non-meal gifts: $803

Total: $2,448

Lobbyist gifts to state Rep. Donna Lichtenegger

• Meals and beverages: $1,675
• Non-meal gifts: $373

Total: $2,048

Source: Online database using Missouri Ethics Commission record