Over the last 20 years or so, lobbyists reported spending more than $6.3 million on meals and travel for lawmakers and state officials. Eye On Michigan reviewed the 17,500 transactions that transpired between influencers and legislators from 2001, the first year for which data was available, to 2023, the last full year for which data is available. From this data, Eye on Michigan identified the top 25 takers in the Michigan Legislature.
This article was reported by Eye on Michigan, a student investigative reporting program based in Detroit and East Lansing
While serving on insurance and health policy committees, Joe Hune was treated to more than a dozen meals by Blue Cross Blue Shield at a cost of more than $7,100. In 2012, while serving in the state Senate, Hune introduced legislation the insurance giant sought preserving its nonprofit status. After leaving the Legislature in 2018, the Whitmore Lake Republican joined Blue Cross in 2019 as a director. He was recently promoted to vice president.
Eye On Michigan was unable to speak with Hune about those meals — or any of the 138 freebies he took during his 14 years in the statehouse — but it wasn't for lack of trying.
Hune did not respond to messages left on phone numbers listed on his campaign paperwork, emails sent to nine different addresses, Facebook messages or a message left on the phone number listed for his wife on the website of the lobbying firm where she works.
A reporter did speak with his parents, who said they would pass along a message.
Hune never called.
Over the last 20 years or so, lobbyists reported spending more than $6.3 million on meals and travel for lawmakers and state officials. Eye On Michigan reviewed the 17,500 transactions that transpired between influencers and legislators from 2001, the first year for which data was available, to 2023, the last full year for which data is available.
Only two of the lawmakers on Eye On Michigan's list of the 25 legislators who took more free meals and trips than any other state official during that period answered questions about their freebies.
Former state Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, a Monroe Republican, and former state Rep. Barbara Farrah, a Southgate Democrat, said the tens of thousands of dollars in free travel and wining and dining did not unduly influence their judgment.
Eye On Michigan's analysis of expenditures on state officials found lobbyists lavishing meals and trips on lawmakers who served on committees that handled legislation relating to their businesses and clients. Lobbyists provided few details on these transactions, but here are some that stood out from Eye On Michigan's yearlong analysis of financial disclosure reports lobbyists filed with the Michigan Secretary of State:
Richardville accepted 193 free meals or trips during his 14 years in the Legislature totaling nearly $44,000. The biggest freebie was $5,648 for travel and lodging paid for in 2013 by Steve Linder, a leading lobbyist for the Michigan marijuana industry, for Richardville to be a speaker and panelist at a conference. No other details were available. Richardville was a popular choice for roundtable discussions. In 2012, Prairie Plant Systems, which is now known as CanniMed, spent $863 on travel and lodging for Richardville to participate in a discussion. The Canadian company produces medicinal cannabis.
Farrah accepted 55 freebies over six years totaling more than $22,000. The Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association twice paid for her travel expenses to attend its winter conferences. She is now president of Governmental Consultant Services Inc., one of Michigan's largest lobbying firms.
Former Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, accepted 129 trips and meals over 14 years totaling more than $39,000. Records show that in 2016 and 2017 the Consumer Technology Association paid for Warren to attend the “Leaders In Technology program during the CES annual conference," which is held in Las Vegas.
Former Rep. Brandt Iden, R-Kalamazoo, accepted 124 meals and trips over six years totaling nearly $33,000. Freebies included meals from DraftKings Inc. and Fanduel Inc., two of the biggest online gambling companies in the United States. Iden was a leader in Michigan’s effort to legalize online gambling and became a national leader in online gaming companies’ efforts to legalize online gambling at the state level after being term-limited from the Legislature.
Former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, accepted 103 freebies over six years totaling more than $32,000. The Michigan Petroleum Association, Michigan Railroads Association and Consumer Technology Association each spent about $2,000 to bring Chatfield in as a speaker or guest.
Former Rep. Edward Gaffney, R-Grosse Pointe Farms, who served six years in the Legislature, accepted 94 freebies totaling more than $27,000. He was featured in several roundtable discussions, but the largest expenditure was nearly $3,000 paid for by the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association to speak at its 2004 winter convention.
Rep. Curt VanderWall, R-Ludington, has accepted at least 118 freebies over the past seven years totaling more than $17,000. The Michigan Association of Health Plans twice paid for VanderWall's travel and lodging to attend its conferences while he served as chairman of the House Committee on Health Policy and Human Services. VanderWall didn't just take from lobbyists: Records show that, in 2021 and 2022, he paid a lobbyist more than $13,000 to rent a room across the street from the Capitol.
Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, who is in his 11th year in the Legislature, has accepted 178 meals and trips totaling $30,085 — including nearly $900 from Tesla in 2016 for travel and lodging for "public policy meetings with company executives." That same year, Nesbitt sponsored a bill that prohibited Tesla from selling cars in nonfranchised dealerships in Michigan, a move that he said was “not anti-Tesla.”
Former Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, accepted 129 trips and meals over 12 years totaling nearly $28,000. In 2016, he took a trip paid for by the owners of PokerStars valued at approximately $1,400 for “touring Amaya facilities.” Amaya Inc. was a gaming and online gambling company based in Toronto that was later purchased by Flutter Entertainment, the company that owns PokerStars. In 2017, the Consumer Technology Association paid nearly $1,700 for Meekhof to attend a “Leaders in Technology'' program that took place during the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas.
Former Sen. Tory Rocca, R-Sterling Heights, accepted 104 freebies over 14 years totaling more than $25,000. Rocca was a speaker at five separate Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association conferences for a total of nearly $6,000 in expenditures.
Former Sen. Samuel "Buzz" Thomas III, D-Detroit, who served 14 years in the Legislature, received 64 free meals and trips totaling more than $21,000, with multiple expenditures of more than $1,000 spent on travel and lodging for Thomas to serve as a speaker or to participate in panels or roundtable discussions.
Sen. Mike Webber, R-Rochester Hills, has accepted at least 124 trips and meals since he was first elected to the Legislature in 2015, for a total of more than $20,500. The Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association twice paid for him to speak at their conventions and spent over $3,400 on four different occasions.
Former House Speaker Rick Johnson, R-LeRoy, who served six years in the Legislature, accepted 49 meals and trips totaling more than $16,500. In 2004, the Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association spent $3,000 for him to serve as a panelist.
Former Rep. Harold Haugh, D-Roseville, accepted 64 free meals or trips over six years totaling nearly $19,000. His biggest freebie was $1,700 in travel and lodging expenses to serve as a speaker and panelist for a Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association winter conference in Palm Springs, California.
Former Sen. Mike Kowall, R-White Lake, who served 12 years in the Legislature, received 99 freebies totaling more than $20,000. The most expensive was a trip valued at $5,648 for Kowall to serve as a speaker and panelst at a June 2013 event. The records do not provide any more details about the event, other than it was paid for by Linder.
Former Rep. Jim Lilly, R-Park Township, accepted 115 meals and trips over less than six years totaling more than $34,000.
Former Sen. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, accepted 152 freebies during 14 years totaling nearly $24,000.
Former Sen. Alan Sanborn, R-Richmond, who served 16 years in the Legislature, accepted 95 freebies totaling more than $21,700.
Rep. Pauline Wendzel, R-Watervliet, accepted at least 95 freebies since being elected to the House five years ago, for a total of more than $20,000.
Former Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, accepted 77 meals over six years totaling more than $17,800.
Former Sen. Steve Bieda, D-Warren, who served 14 years in the Legislature, got 108 freebies totaling more than $17,000.
Former Rep. Chris Ward, R-Brighton, accepted 66 freebies over six years totaling more than $16,800.
Former Sen. Dave Hildenbrand, R-Lowell, who served 14 years in the Legislature, accepted 98 meals totaling more than $16,500. He is now a lobbyist with Kelley Cawthorne.
Former Rep. Frank Foster, R-Petoskey, accepted 70 expenditures in food and beverage over four years totaling more than $16,700. He is now a lobbyist with Public Affairs Associates.
When Eye On Michigan asked Foster to discuss why he took so many freebies from lobbyists, he said: “Good luck, buddy,” and hung up.
Lilly said he was gassing up his car when Eye On Michigan reached him on his cellphone.
“I’m not interested in talking about my experience as a lawmaker in my current capacity,” said Lilly, who resigned from the Legislature before his term ended in 2022 so he could become a lobbyist.
Lilly said he would not answer any questions until he got an email to share with his bosses. Yet he did not respond to that email or subsequent messages left on his cellphone.
Eye On Michigan caught up with Nesbitt, Webber, Wendzel and VanderWall at the Capitol, but they declined to meet with reporters to discuss the meals and trips they accepted.
Wendzel, while walking past the statehouse, said: "I'm accessible, I'm here, I go to dinner, I meet with lobbyists on issues that are important to my constituents in my community."
She dismissed the notion that the public deserves to know more about the freebies lawmakers take.
"The average person doesn't care as much as the media does," she said.
Check out the video version of Eye on Michigan's investigation below:
Eye on Michigan is a student investigative reporting program based in Detroit and East Lansing. Our mission is to recruit and train the next generation of watchdog reporters, provide high-quality investigations to Michigan news organizations at no charge and to increase diversity in investigative reporting by engaging and inspiring high school students in under-served communities. To support our work, please consider making a donation at Patronicity.com/EyeOnMichigan
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