This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
Six lobbyists made over $1 million in the six months since the 2018 election, new reports show.
Gerard E. Evans – who filed activity reports showing work for 59 clients – reporting being paid $2,434,333.32 between Nov. 1, 2018 and April 30, 2019.
Evans’ biggest client was Northeast Maglev, who paid $313,564.97, to garner support for a proposed high-speed magnetic levitation train that would shuttle commuters from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore in 15 minutes.
Evans was also paid $203,564.97 by the Law Offices of Peter Angelos, which sought to change how tens of thousands of asbestos cases are adjudicated in the state.
The figures come from semi-annual reports filed by lobbyists to the Maryland State Ethics Commission, which released aggregate earning and spending reports last week.
Bruce C. Bereano, who listed 63 clients during the reporting period, was the second highest-paid lobbyist, earning more than $1.9 million.
Other lobbyists bringing in more than $1 million were Timothy Perry, Michael V. Johansen, Lisa Harris Jones and Frank Boston III.
In total, 119 lobbyists reported earning more than $50,000 during the six-month period.
The commission also released a report on all employers spending more than $50,000 during the lobbying period.
The biggest spender was the Maryland State Education Association, which devoted substantial resources – $784,433.62 – during a legislative session that was dominated by discussion of education policy and featured an 8,500-person “March for Our Schools.”
That figure was nearly twice the amount the organization spent during the same time period last year.
The state teachers’ union, representing more than 74,000 teachers, deployed six lobbyists during the first six months of the annual reporting cycle. The largest expenditures for MSEA were $650,868 for “publications or expenses related to expressly encouraging persons to communicate with officials or employees.” The association also paid $7,329 for meals for officials or their family members.
Other big spenders during the legislative session were electric companies (Baltimore Gas and Electric spent more than $606,000 and Pepco Holdings spent more than $502,000), as lawmakers considered rate-setting and clean energy legislation.
Johns Hopkins Institutions spent the third-highest during the reporting period – more than $531,000. Johns Hopkins lobbied hard this session for a controversial bill – now law – that will allow armed private police to patrol university properties and surrounding areas.
In total, 231 companies or organizations spent more than $50,000 on lobbying efforts during the reporting period.
