The UW System spent nearly $3 million on lobbying efforts over the past 10 years according to data from a government watchdog group.
The Center for Responsive Politics data shows that yearly funds spent on lobbying by the UW System increased from just over $100,000 in 2000 to $460,000 in 2009. UW-Madison spent $350,000 in 2009 and spent $1.8 million out of the overall $3 million spent by the UW System. UW-Milwaukee spent $70,000 on lobbying last year.
According to Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, increased lobbying is the UW System's response to budget cuts in recent years.
""I don't think this is a function of the UW spending a lot more money on lobbying to increase the amount of money they are getting from the state or the federal government. I think it's just to hold on to what they have,"" he said.
Mike McCabe, executive director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a campaign finance watchdog group, said strained relations in past years between university officials and elected lawmakers has made the UW System feel like it needs to do ""whatever it can to make sure that the university is represented.""
Heck said the UW System is ""vulnerable"" to state and federal budget cuts. To ""get the ear of influential people in Congress,"" he said the UW System has to hire big-name lobbying firms.
Last year, UW-Madison hired Patton and Boggs, LLP, last year's number one ranked firm in terms of earnings.
McCabe said hiring top lobbying firms puts the UW System in a difficult position because many of these firms often represent high-ranking politicians.
""If you're going to hire any of the top lobbyists, they pretty much all represent clients that are very, very actively playing the campaign contribution game,"" he said. ""You really get into difficult ethical territory when you come to the intersection of campaign financing and public policy making.""
Heck said lobbying is one of the only ways the UW System can make political connections in attempts to secure public financing.
""I think it's an insidious system. It's too bad that you have to spend huge amounts of money to hire politically affected lobbyists to make your case, but that's the way the system is right now,"" he said.
