Campaign contributions from the bail industry to Maryland lawmakers have increased in recent years, as officials have considered reforming how people are held or released from jail.
That’s according to a report released Wednesday by Common Cause Maryland.
The report by the government watchdog group says the industry has given a total of $288,550 from 2011 to the present.
In the last election cycle, from 2011 to 2014, the bail industry gave a total of $153,300. And donations in the current election cycle are on pace to largely surpass that, because $135,250 already has been given in the first two years of the current cycle.
The report says donations to state lawmakers added up to $87,100 alone last year.