Follow the Money
Great post on the HoCo Rising blog. Sen. Joan Carter Conway’s fundraising reports are dissected and attribution is placed on the portion from the alcohol lobby (at least the ones that can figured out).
Couple this with the informative article from the Washington Post.
“The industry’s network of political action committees, 120,000 employees, and powerful distributors and wholesalers have contributed more than $1.3 million to state lawmakers since 2000, according to campaign finance reports.
They have also spent nearly $900,000 in the past five years to maintain a stable of lobbyists and lawyers in Annapolis whose firms have represented the industry for more than three decades, according to state ethics reports.
General Assembly sessions are kicked off with a roughly $16,000-open-bar reception for lawmakers and their families, and the industry’s wining and dining usually continues, such as with a $2,500 steak dinner Feb. 3 at Lewnes Steakhouse, an Annapolis institution. “
If you are still wondering why the Direct Wine Shipping Bill isn’t going to pass anytime soon, look no further.
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