After voting for ban, legislators take free tickets | www.myajc.com

On Opening Day, state Sens. Don Balfour, Tyler Harper and state Rep. Jay Roberts had great seats to see the Atlanta Braves defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5.

The $70 seats came courtesy of longtime lobbyist Trip Martin. Just four days earlier all three lawmakers had voted to outlaw such freebies.

House Bill 142, which limits food and travel paid for by lobbyists to $75 and bans gifts of pure entertainment, like ballgames, passed both the House and Senate unanimously on the final day of the 2013 legislative session. But even though every legislator voted for the bill and applauded themselves for doing so, several immediately began accepting the gifts anyway.

The bill, signed by Gov. Nathan Deal Monday, doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1, so the lawmakers are not violating it.

Martin, one of the most influential members of the lobbying corps, represents the Atlanta Braves. He squired six lawmakers to the Braves’ April 29 game — including, once again, Rep. Roberts and Sen. Harper — against the Washington Nationals as well. He said the lawmakers who attended the two games on the Braves’ dime were following the law – as it exists now.

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