[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Election year is every other year.

So you either have newly elected (or reelected) legislators passing this in which case you would undoubtedly whine about how they were just paying back special interest groups or during an election year in which case you whine about pandering for votes.

[WhiteGuy]

Not whining, just stating the obvious. You are correct, however, it's all politics as usual.