You're invited! Bring Money!
The huge article in yesterday's Dispatch detailed information about the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists. Here is a little snippet from the article:
Earlier this year, Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Upper Arlington, held a fundraiser in the Colorado ski town of Aspen. The lunch reception piggybacked on a more extensive fundraising trip hosted by another lawmaker, who a Pryce spokeswoman declined to name. Lori Salley, Pryce's chief of staff, noted that Pryce was raising money not for her own re-election coffers but for her "leadership" political action committee, which gives money to other lawmakers or GOP entities.
"The reason you see these trips and that they usually are PAC or party functions is because it's harder to raise money for those entities," Salley said. "So you have to be more creative and interesting."
Instead of meeting with constituents, it appears that Pryce would rather raise money for her PAC or her campaign.
How did Pryce's leadership PAC do? From OpenSecrets:
Total Receipts: $1,067,558
OpenSecrets even has the expenditures from Pryce's PAC. Here are some more tidbits---
Bob Ney for Congress: $5,000 on 3/29/2006 and $5,000 on 9/30/2005 (PAC contribution)
Friends of Katherine Harris: $1,000 on 12/15/2005 (PAC contribution)
And, on 8/19/ 2005, Pryce paid over $5,000 to rent tents for her PAC fundraiser. (Tents?)
Wow! You can find out lots and lots of stuff at OpenSecrets and it is all public information.