MANISTEE -- Nearly two dozen state politicians and their families enjoyed a free charter fishing excursion on Lake Michigan, an outing that exposed a gaping hole in state lobbing laws.
Legislators were treated to free meals, accommodations and a day chasing King salmon in what was billed as an event to educate lawmakers on the charter and sport fishing industries. The event's price tag weighed in at more than $5,000, not a dime of which landed on any lobbying report.
The Michigan Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus' third annual Great Lakes Charter Boat Fishing Outing in Manistee on June 24-25 was hosted by state Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau, and state Rep. David Palsrok, R-Manistee.
"In general, the feedback for it was very positive," Palsrok said.
But neither Palsrok nor McManus could name any impact on 2007 legislation that resulted from their fishing trip.
Rich Robinson, executive director of the nonpartisan and nonprofit Michigan Campaign Finance Network, said lawmakers' chartered getaway was just one example of lobbying that goes unreported in a state that has no legal mechanism to detect it.
"Our reporting scheme is woefully inadequate compared to federal reporting," Robinson said. "We are just struggling to get any attention in the Legislature for critical reform issues. Nothing has been accomplished."
Robinson accused the state Senate in particular of showing no interest in campaign or lobbying reform. McManus chairs the Senate Campaign and Election Oversight Committee.
"Essentially, 30 of the Senators are term-limited, so it is essentially a lame-duck Senate," Robinson said. "There is no accountability to voters in the (Senate) as a whole."
McManus said her committee was focused on election reform in 2007, but will be busy next year addressing campaign finance laws.
The committee will begin in February holding public hearings across the state, including a stop in Traverse City.
McManus, who took her daughter with her on the fishing excursion and posted photos of her catch on her Web site, said anyone concerned about the fishing trip can bring it up at the hearing.
The Michigan Campaign Finance Network reported that lobbyists reported spending $17.7 million in the first seven months of 2007, up four percent compared to the same period in 2006. Unlike federal law, lobbyists in Michigan are not required to disclose what bills, regulations, or budgets they are addressing with lawmakers.
There were no reporting requirements for the politicians' fishing trip because expenses were divvied up among a number of related but legally separate entities.
The trip was organized by the Manistee County Sport Fishing Association. The largest single expenditure was by the Michigan Legislative Sportsmen's Foundation, a public charity created to "educate" lawmakers.
The Foundation collected about $26,000 over the last four years to spend on Michigan's elected officials so they could shoot skeet, take charter fishing trips and hunt doves in Ohio.
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