Tag: lobbying

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There was a lot of money behind last year’s push to raise N.J.’s gas tax

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By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 02, 2017 at 7:02 PM, updated March 02, 2017 at 7:57 PM

TRENTON — One of the state’s leading proponents in last year’s fight to raise the gas tax for the Transportation Trust Fund spent nearly $4.4 million lobbying last year, according to an Election Law Enforcement Commission analysis.

The Engineers Labor Employer Cooperative more than quadrupled its spending over 2015, making it the highest-spending special interest organization in 2016.

Total lobbying in the state last year reached $68.3 million, a slight drop from the year prior, but still one of the most expensive years on record, the commission said.

The engineers cooperative, embarked on an ad campaign pushing both the 23 cent gasoline tax hike and a constitutional amendment dedicating all tax revenues to the Transportation Trust Fund, beat out even the deep pockets of the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s prominent teachers union.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/03/nj_groups_spent_5m_to_promote_gas_tax_hike_last_ye.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

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Politics, lobbying canceled out early support for medical-billing reform in Trenton

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JUNE 14, 2015, 11:24 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015, 11:32 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

To the Democratic lawmakers who worked for months on a measure to protect patients from surprise medical bills and solve the problem of New Jersey’s uncontrolled out-of-network health care costs, it looked like momentum and public support were building.

They’d heard from all sides — hospitals, physicians, insurers and consumers — starting last fall at three public hearings. They worked over the winter with health-policy experts to produce a bill. After its introduction last month, they listened to feedback for eight hours on the day before a holiday weekend. They revised the measure in an effort to address concerns.

But last week, the Democratic sponsors couldn’t even get their bill voted out of committee in the state Senate when they failed to get the support of members of their own party. A hearing scheduled for today before an Assembly committee has been scuttled. Any action before fall is unlikely.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/politics-lobbying-canceled-out-early-support-for-medical-billing-reform-in-trenton-1.1355764

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Top 25 NJ special interest groups spent $311 million on campaign contributions, lobbying and independent spending over 15 years

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ELEC Analysis: top 25 NJ special interest groups spent $311 million on campaign contributions, lobbying and independent spending over 15 years

The top 25 special interest groups during the past 15 years spent a combined $311 million on campaign contributions, lobbying and independent spending, according to an analysis by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). (Politicker Staff)

https://www.politickernj.com/80871/elec-analysis-top-25-nj-special-interest-groups-spent-311-million-campaign-contributions-lobby