The Milwaukee Brewers, the Koch Network, Kwik Trip and Google also spent hundreds of thousands lobbying officials in Wisconsin last year.

By Peter Cameron, THE BADGER PROJECT

The heaviest-spending lobbiers in the state last year were a lineup of the usual suspects, as big trade groups representing construction, hospitals, manufacturers, realtors and farms all spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, mostly paying their lobbyists, to try and shape legislation and other government action to their liking.

Wisconsin Infrastructure Investment Now, Inc., an organization that represents the construction, utility, telecommunications and mining industries, reported spending the most on lobbying of any organization in 2024, at about $900,000, including more than $600,000 in the last six months of the year.

The group’s chief lobbyist, John Gard, a former Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, did not respond to questions regarding what the organization is seeking.

Gard also lobbies in Wisconsin on behalf of many other organizations, including Google, Marquette University, and the Milwaukee Brewers.

The state Legislature was mostly quiet in the second half of 2024, as political campaigns were in full swing.

Other top spending lobbying organizations in 2024, include the Wisconsin Hospital Association, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the Wisconsin Realtors Association. They all reported spending more than $700,000 on lobbying in 2024.

The rest of the top-ten lobbying spenders in 2024 was rounded out by the Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Association, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, ATC Management Inc. – a transmission lines company, the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance. All of these organizations spent at least $350,000 lobbying state officials in 2024.

The Koch Network’s conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity and the Koch Government Affairs LLC each reported spending more than $150,000 in lobbying in Wisconsin in last year.

Kwik Trip and Google each reported spending more than $200,000 on lobbying in 2024.

Marquette University reported more than $170,000 in lobbying last year.

The Coalition for Community Solar Access and Madison Gas & Electric each reported spending more than $150,000 on lobbying in 2024.

Not even a cup of coffee

The state of Wisconsin has very strict lobbying rules, perhaps the toughest in the country. 

All lobbyists must be registered with the state. And they cannot give state officials and political candidates anything of monetary value, like meals, transportation or lodging, unless that gift is also available to the public. Not even a cup of coffee.

All organizations that lobby must report to the state, for public viewing, their hours and dollars spent lobbying, which means communicating with state officials or legislative employees in an attempt to influence legislation or administrative rules on behalf of an organization that pays them.

Lobbying organizations must also report, for public viewing, which bills they are lobbying, and whether they support or oppose each.

Lobbyists can make campaign donations to political candidates, but only between the start of a campaign and the election. A person who is not a lobbyist can make a campaign donation to any candidate or politician at any time.

The Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers were one of the heaviest-spending lobbiers in 2023, as the ballclub worked to secure nearly $370 million in state funds to pay for updates and repairs to American Family Stadium, of which the club owns about a third. The other two-thirds of the stadium are publicly owned.

In exchange for that cash, the team agreed to remain in Milwaukee until at least 2050.

The baseball franchise spent nearly $800,000 lobbying in 2023 as it hustled to close the deal with the state Legislature, then reported spending about $330,000 on lobbying in 2024.

The government organization that manages the stadium, the Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, approved more than $50 million in upgrades last month.

The Milwaukee Bucks

Back in the 2015-2016 legislative session, the Milwaukee Bucks reported spending nearly $700,000 on lobbying, as the team tried to secure funding for its new arena, the Fiserv Forum. The Bucks eventually got $250 million from the state legislature and Milwaukee County to help build the stadium, which opened in 2018. The team has reported no lobbying since then.

The top spending lobbying organizations in 2023-2024

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.