COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio’s attorney general is investigating whether Wright State University and its consultant violated state lobbying laws when the school paid him about $2 million without a state board’s prior approval.
State law mandates that public universities get the Controlling Board’s approval for lobbying contracts exceeding $50,000 in a calendar year. A spokesman for Attorney General Mike DeWine said DeWine’s office would refer the matter to the Franklin County prosecutor’s office if it finds the contract with the Dayton university violated the law.
Ron Wine Consulting Group has billed Wright State $1.99 million since 2009, including $957,000 in 2014, The Dayton Daily News (https://bit.ly/1SH2psV) reported. A new four-year agreement allows Wine’s firm to bill the western Ohio school up to $1 million annually.
The newspaper said calls to a phone number listed for Wine weren’t returned.
“He’s not a lobbyist. We don’t use him as a lobbyist,” Wright State President David Hopkins said.
Ohio Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe sent a letter Wednesday giving the university 15 days to register Wine as a lobbyist or explain why he isn’t one.
Employees paid to advocate for their clients’ interest are required to register as lobbyists if that part of their job exceeds 5 percent of their workload for legislative lobbying or 25 percent for executive branch lobbying.
Bledsoe says the rules are in place to promote government transparency.
Wright State has four lobbyists on its payroll this year, all of which are registered. Wine hasn’t been registered as a lobbyist since 2010.
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Information from: Dayton Daily News, https://www.daytondailynews.com
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