June 9, 2023

Companies that publicly condemned legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community send political contributions to state lawmakers who advanced anti-LGBTQ+ bills

State lawmakers who played a key role in passing 62 “anti-LGBTQ” bills in the first six months of 2023 have received millions from companies that signed an HRC petition condemning legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community. 

LIV Golf’s opaque lobbying operations raise questions around foreign influence amid PGA Tour merger

The shocking news that the PGA Tour agreed to form a new commercial golf empire with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which launched LIV Golf in 2021, and the European DP World Tour brings to an end nearly two years of litigation between the professional tours but raises a whole other slew of legal issues. 

Chris Christie launches 2024 campaign following years of lobbying and staying close to donors

The former federal prosecutor has been a harsh critic of former President Donald Trump, although he was once one of his earliest supporters. That criticism separates Christie from the other Republican candidates, who have mostly refrained from throwing jabs at the frontrunner.

SEC sues Coinbase, Binance in blow to crypto industry efforts to shape cryptocurrency regulations

The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Coinbase on Tuesday morning, alleging the cryptocurrency company “made billions of dollars unlawfully facilitating the buying and selling of crypto asset securities.” 

As of June 1, 323 companies had signed onto a Human Rights Campaign petition “stating their clear opposition to harmful legislation aimed at restricting the access of LGBTQ people in society.” But over 50 of those companies or their corporate PACs have contributed more than $2.4 million since January 2020 to state legislators who played a key role in passing bills deemed anti-LGBTQ+ by the American Civil Liberties Union, OpenSecrets’ analysis of state campaign finance disclosures found.

Since January 2020, nine companies that signed the HRC petition each steered at least $100,000 — through corporate PACs or treasury funds — to lawmakers who sponsored or signed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation this year.

AT&T, Altria and Amazon were the three largest contributors to these sponsors. 

See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:

Merck sues over Medicare price negotiations (Washington Post)

Democrats last year still stopped short of adopting a more sweeping overhaul of Medicare, with major pharmaceutical lobbyists spending more than $375 million in 2022 to sway regulators, according to federal disclosures and data amassed by OpenSecrets, a money-in-politics watchdog.

An oil state hired the biggest PR firms to buff its climate image. It didn’t help. (Politico)

The UAE spends tens of millions of dollars annually on U.S. lobbying and PR, more than most other nations, according to data compiled by the watchdog group OpenSecrets.

Target's Political Donations to Republicans Backfired (Newsweek)

Conservatives' boycott of Target over its support for the LGBTQ+ community comes despite the company donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates during the 2022 midterm elections, according to OpenSecrets, an organization that tracks political donations.

The Hill

Forbes

Waco Tribune-Herald

Election Law Blog

PBS

San Francisco Chronicle

National Priorities Project

Bloomberg

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