The Arizona Republic
The puck stops here … The Senate Elections Committee recently approved legislation that would tighten up lobbyist reporting on gifts to lawmakers. And then what happened? The committee members got invited to a hockey game, courtesy of the Glendale mayor and staff.
But there was no motive beyond a simple meet-and-greet, say event organizers. For starters, none of the senators showed for the Coyotes game against the St. Louis Blues, said Brent Stoddard, the city’s lobbyist. And the reason the committee members were tapped for the event was because they live in Maricopa County, meaning they would be in town for the Thursday night game. (Lawmakers who live outside the “state of Maricopa” usually flee the Capitol after work wraps up on Thursday afternoons.)
The same logic applied to why members of the House Insurance and Retirement Committee also got the invite, Stoddard said. “Literally, we were just trying to get people to attend,” he said.
And few did: GOP representatives Tom Forese, David Livingston, Phil Lovas and T. J. Shope.
Under the terms of Senate Bill 1332, Glendale lobbyists would have to report the tickets and hospitality extended to these lawmakers. Current law exempts them from the entertainment ban because the invite was issued to all members of a committee.
