(This article first appeared in Broad + Liberty)
Being a lawmaker in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly comes with many perks.It’s a full-time job with six-figure pay. Gracious per-diems and mileage allowances make keeping up with the job easy.
And, although far less advertised, it also comes with at least four free tickets to a Penn State football game once a year.
The commonwealth’s flagship university has quietly continued its program to lobby state senators and representatives by inviting them to campus at least once a year to cheer on the Nittany Lions.
Thanks to a Right to Know request for an unrelated matter, Broad + Liberty obtained emails in which State Rep. Heather Boyd (D) was trying to smooth over the details to get a ticket to the Maryland game for her friend on the Delaware County Council, Dr. Monica Taylor.
Penn State’s gridiron lobbying has not escaped the notice of other outlets, although it only pops up once a decade or so. In 2016, PennLive reported that as “Penn State football players try to win on the field, the university tries to win over lawmakers in the stands.”
The university says its practice is to invite every lawmaker to a game, and the opportunities to attend are spread out through the season.
“The University does not disclose its invitation or attendance list,” a Penn State spokesperson said. “All [General Assembly] members were invited in 2024. The University does not actually expend any dollars on tickets because these guests are accommodated in a University-owned suite. Under the law, we assign a value of $78 per ticket for reporting purposes.” Parking passes are also provided, it would appear from the Delaware County email obtained by Broad + Liberty.
The opportunities to enjoy a free collegiate Division I sporting event isn’t limited to football, either.
“On occasion, Penn State extends invitations to legislators for sporting events beyond football. These invitations are considered based on demonstrated interest in a particular sport,” the spokesperson said.
While the suite may not have direct ticket costs, hosting lawmakers still involves university resources, and the suite does not appear to be otherwise open to the public.
While the efforts by Penn State are certainly legal, they also belong to a specific category of lobbying that has come under fire from the political Right in the last ten to twenty years: taxpayer-funded lobbying.
“Taxpayer-funded lobbying is defined as the practice of using funds that come directly or indirectly from taxpayers for political lobbying purposes. Taxpayer-funded lobbying is one government lobbying another,” an article on Ballotpedia.org says.
A policy paper from 2008 from the conservative think tank Americans for Prosperity said government lobbying other governments rarely leads to smaller government.
“Most taxpayers want smaller government and lower taxes. Decades of polling data consistently show this preference, and in recent elections, both parties laid claim to fiscal conservatism. And yet, government continues to grow. Why?” the paper asked.
“One of the reasons is that taxpayer dollars are being used to lobby directly against taxpayer interests. While ordinary Americans are busy working, their hard-earned tax dollars are being used to pay for lobbyists who are fighting for higher taxes and bigger government.”
The paper specifically noted that public universities were one entity that had seen growth in taxpayer-funded lobbying, at least at that time.
Penn State offered a number of issues it wants to discuss with state lawmakers.
“Penn State engages with legislators on a range of issues, including the importance of state funding to control costs, maintain quality and provide access to low-income and first-generation college students,” the Penn State spokesperson said. “There also is engagement around healthcare, veteran’s benefits, STEM opportunities, sponsorship of research and more. Penn State’s impact on the Commonwealth is tremendous, and, with our multi-campus structure, extensive research portfolio, affiliate locations and Extension services, the University must maintain a strong presence in Harrisburg.”
In a separate vein, tickets to sporting events for politicians have been newsworthy in recent years.
For example, Broad + Liberty reported that former State Senator Jimmy Dillon (D) spent nearly $10,000 on tickets to the Phillies using his campaign finance account. The purchase came in February, 2024, when Dillon was still incumbent.
And Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has faced a number of critical media reports about his trips to two Super Bowl games in which the Eagles were participants. The tickets for Shapiro are usually donated by a nonprofit organization, Team Pennsylvania, which says its mission is “to connect private and public sector leaders to achieve and sustain progress for Pennsylvania”