Georgia Lobbying Gift Limit Doesn’t Apply to All in Executive Branch
Thursday, July 18th, 2013
Gov. Nathan Deal’s executive order seems simple: Employees in Georgia’s executive branch should not accept gifts worth more than $25, particularly from lobbyists and vendors.
In reality, the policy is more complicated. Lobbyists have spent more than $25 on executive branch employees more than 150 times through June, totaling nearly $17,000. The tally is not exact — incomplete or vague records can make it difficult to determine who benefits from lobbyists’ gifts. And some agencies will reimburse lobbyists for gifts.
Several issues complicate the rule limiting gifts. The governor doesn’t control every employee in the executive branch. Voters elect an attorney general and statewide officials to run the departments of agriculture, insurance and labor. Those elected officials set their own rules for their employees. While there is occasional debate, most legal authorities agree those employees are exempt from Deal’s order.
Of the 120,000 employees in the executive branch, about 50,000 fall outside the governor’s jurisdiction, according to Brian Robinson, a spokesman for Deal.
