2023/03/12
The New Jersey Statehouse dome in Trenton
The current median cost of a home in Trenton is $175,000, according to Realtor.com. For that price, the top 25 lobbying spenders and special interest groups could have bought up more than 1,628 houses in New Jersey’s capital city with all the money they’ve shelled out to influence state lawmakers since the turn of the 21st century.
The top spenders invested $284.7 million to lobby lawmakers and the governor’s office from 2000 through last year, according to a new report from the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.
It includes the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union — a longtime powerhouse that dwarfs them all. There are companies with household Jersey names such as Verizon and PSE&G. And there’s the AARP, the huge lobby whose members are 50 years old and up.
“These 25 groups were responsible for one-fifth of all lobbying expenditures during that 23-year period,” Jeff Brindle, ELEC’s executive director, said in a statement. “Most of these are large organizations with big financial stakes in New Jersey. Policies they support or oppose can have a significant impact on these organizations and the lives of New Jersey citizens.”
The group that dug deepest into its pockets by far was the NJEA, which represents nearly 200,000 teachers. It spent more than $52.5 million during that period.
According to the report, that includes $11,259,886 spent in 2011 and $6,869,256 in 2010. That was around the time then0Gov. Chris Christie and then-state Senate President Stephen Sweeney teamed up to overhaul the state’s pension and health benefits plan, which Christie ultimately signed into law in 2011.
The NJEA spent $10,348,911 in 2015, the same year it launched a major TV ad campaign that called into question the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, testing. It funded another ad campaign that year that urged lawmakers to fully fund the state’s pension system.
It also spent $6,240,028 in 2019, the same year it gave money to New Direction NJ, a pro-Murphy group that amassed millions of dollars and was used to promote Gov. Phil Murphy’s legislative agenda. The NJEA spent $6,255,530 in 2020 — the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.
The next largest spending was from AARP, which invested $16.6 million into its causes over the years.
Among other things, it’s lobbied for the past decade to pass the Caregiver’s Assistance Act, which would provide a $675 tax credit for families who take on caregiving expenses. The group has ratcheted up the campaign in recent years.
Verizon spent $16.4 million since 2000, including a $4,717,250 outlay in 2006. At the time, there was an epic battle in Trenton over cable television legislation. Verizon was ultimately successful in its effort to get new legislation that would make it easier for the company to get into the cable business.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, New Jersey’s largest health insurer, invested $16.3 million in its causes. It spent $2,524,921 in 2017, the year Christie proposed reforms to the company’s board and wanted to take $300 million of Horizon’s reserves to help pay for a program to prevent the abuse of opioids.
The battle on the issue between Christie and lawmakers got so contentious it led to New Jersey’s first state government shutdown in more than a decade. The shutdown gained international attention after NJ Advance Media published photos of Christie lounging on a beach that was closed to the public because it’s part of a state park. Christie was there with his family because governors has access to a beach house located in Island Beach State Park.
Public Service Enterprise Group, commonly known as PSE&G, spent $15.9 million since 2000. In 2019, New Jersey utility customers committed to paying $300 million each year for the next three years to keep the state’s three remaining nuclear reactors open. It was a controversial measure that was hotly debated in Trenton.
ELEC’s report was released alongside data that showed New Jersey lobbyists shelled out $95 million last year.
It was a little less than what lobbyists spent in 2021 and short of the $106.8 million they shelled tout in 2020. ELEC says it’s a sign lobbying is returning to normal after spending went up after the coronavirus pandemic, which spurred emergency legislation that dealt with hospitals and businesses.
The current median cost of a home in Trenton is $175,000, according to Realtor.com. For that price, the top 25 lobbying spenders and special interest groups could have bought up more than 1,628 houses in New Jersey’s capital city with all the money they’ve shelled out to influence state lawmakers since the turn of the 21st century.
The top spenders invested $284.7 million to lobby lawmakers and the governor’s office from 2000 through last year, according to a new report from the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.
It includes the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union — a longtime powerhouse that dwarfs them all. There are companies with household Jersey names such as Verizon and PSE&G. And there’s the AARP, the huge lobby whose members are 50 years old and up.
“These 25 groups were responsible for one-fifth of all lobbying expenditures during that 23-year period,” Jeff Brindle, ELEC’s executive director, said in a statement. “Most of these are large organizations with big financial stakes in New Jersey. Policies they support or oppose can have a significant impact on these organizations and the lives of New Jersey citizens.”
The group that dug deepest into its pockets by far was the NJEA, which represents nearly 200,000 teachers. It spent more than $52.5 million during that period.
According to the report, that includes $11,259,886 spent in 2011 and $6,869,256 in 2010. That was around the time then0Gov. Chris Christie and then-state Senate President Stephen Sweeney teamed up to overhaul the state’s pension and health benefits plan, which Christie ultimately signed into law in 2011.
The NJEA spent $10,348,911 in 2015, the same year it launched a major TV ad campaign that called into question the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, testing. It funded another ad campaign that year that urged lawmakers to fully fund the state’s pension system.
It also spent $6,240,028 in 2019, the same year it gave money to New Direction NJ, a pro-Murphy group that amassed millions of dollars and was used to promote Gov. Phil Murphy’s legislative agenda. The NJEA spent $6,255,530 in 2020 — the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.
The next largest spending was from AARP, which invested $16.6 million into its causes over the years.
Among other things, it’s lobbied for the past decade to pass the Caregiver’s Assistance Act, which would provide a $675 tax credit for families who take on caregiving expenses. The group has ratcheted up the campaign in recent years.
Verizon spent $16.4 million since 2000, including a $4,717,250 outlay in 2006. At the time, there was an epic battle in Trenton over cable television legislation. Verizon was ultimately successful in its effort to get new legislation that would make it easier for the company to get into the cable business.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, New Jersey’s largest health insurer, invested $16.3 million in its causes. It spent $2,524,921 in 2017, the year Christie proposed reforms to the company’s board and wanted to take $300 million of Horizon’s reserves to help pay for a program to prevent the abuse of opioids.
The battle on the issue between Christie and lawmakers got so contentious it led to New Jersey’s first state government shutdown in more than a decade. The shutdown gained international attention after NJ Advance Media published photos of Christie lounging on a beach that was closed to the public because it’s part of a state park. Christie was there with his family because governors has access to a beach house located in Island Beach State Park.
Public Service Enterprise Group, commonly known as PSE&G, spent $15.9 million since 2000. In 2019, New Jersey utility customers committed to paying $300 million each year for the next three years to keep the state’s three remaining nuclear reactors open. It was a controversial measure that was hotly debated in Trenton.
ELEC’s report was released alongside data that showed New Jersey lobbyists shelled out $95 million last year.
It was a little less than what lobbyists spent in 2021 and short of the $106.8 million they shelled tout in 2020. ELEC says it’s a sign lobbying is returning to normal after spending went up after the coronavirus pandemic, which spurred emergency legislation that dealt with hospitals and businesses.
NJ Advance Media staff writers Brent Johnson and Susan K. Livio contributed to this report.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
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