On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a case which, along with Conestoga Wood v. Sebelius could decide whether companies could refuse to provide contraceptive services in health plans offered to employees on the grounds of religious freedom. The controversy stems from Hobby Lobby’s objection to covering four of the 20 contraceptive methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Hobby Lobby’s sudden thrust in the national political spotlight naturally raises the question: how does the craft company spend money in Washington?

Very sparingly, it turns out. Hobby Lobby’s employees rarely give to candidates; the only contribution of any size was a $10,000 gift in 2012 given by CEO and founder David M. Green to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC.

However, Hobby Lobby has a bit more of a presence on the, erm, lobbying front. The craft giant, though, is relatively new to healthcare issues. The bulk of the company’s lobbying over the past five years has been focused, unsurprisingly, on bills to temporarily reduce tariffs on artificial flowers. In 2009, at its peak bloom in the artificial flower tariff efforts, Hobby Lobby spent $30,000, retaining the firm Williams & Jensen.

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After 2011, Hobby Lobby virtually disappeared from the influence game — but reappeared in 2013, when it paid $20,000 to the firm Health Policy Source to lobby Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. According to the lobbying report filed in connection with the work, Hobby Lobby’s main concern was “Implementation of the Affordable Care Act.”

Which brings us full circle to the present-day judicial battle, all the way up the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Image: Artificial flowers (Flickr)

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