Lobbying spending at the Colorado capitol set a record in 2021

Fueled by opposition to a measure seeking to create a public health insurance option, lobbying spending at the Colorado Capitol again reached a record.

Nearly $44 million was spent during the 2020-21 fiscal year, which ended June 30, according to a Colorado Sun analysis of filings with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.

That’s up 8% from the previous year and up 32% over the 2018 fiscal year, the year before Democrats took control of the state legislature and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis took office.

In the three years since Democrats took control at the Capitol, lobbying spending grew steadily as the party pursued an agenda often at odds with business interests, including oil and gas regulations, health care reform and environmental policy. In the past two years, the legislature’s coronavirus response also added to the lobbying activity.

Record spending by group opposing the public option

Nearly 1,200 businesses, associations, local governments and nonprofits reported paying lobbyists during the 2021 fiscal year. 

But only about 300 reported spending $50,000 or more during that period, and only one-third of those clients spent $100,000 or more.

Partnership for America’s Health Care Future spent a record $790,000 on lobbying last fiscal year, while also spending another $1.4 million on advertising and consulting to try to influence lawmakers to vote against House Bill 1232, which originally sought to create a public health insurance option. 

Legislators ultimately watered down the bill, instead pursuing a policy forcing private insurers to offer a state-mandated health insurance plan in a move that prompted the national nonprofit to declare victory.

The partnership doesn’t disclose where its money comes from. But its members include the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Colorado Farm Bureau and Colorado Business Roundtable. CVS, the pharmacy chain that also owns health insurer Aetna, gave $5 million to the partnership in 2020.

In 2020, Partnership for America’s Health Care Future spent $236,000 directly on lobbying in Colorado and another $4.8 million on related expenses, mostly advertising.

Ironically, the partnership’s lobbying firm, Forbes Tate Partners of Washington, D.C., didn’t report paying any individual lobbyists to work against the bill.

“Their efforts were certainly historic,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts, an Avon Democrat who was a prime sponsor of House Bill 1232. 

But, he added, “their influence from my perspective was minimal to none.” 

“It appears their efforts were solely to run an outside game. They were never in the rooms when we were negotiating changes to the bill,” he said.

The partnership lobbied against similar measures to create state run health plans in other states.

The group spent nearly twice as much on lobbying last fiscal year as the previous perennial top spending lobbying client, Xcel Energy. The utility spent more than $413,000 last fiscal year, down 9% from 2020.

Another utility, Black Hills Corp., was the third biggest spender in the 2021 fiscal year at about $234,000, followed by AARP at $225,000. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association rounded out the…