U.S. Lobbying Tab Hits a Record

[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brody Mullins brody.mullins@wsj.com]
U.S. corporations and interest groups spent a total of $1.16 billion to lobby Washington in the first half of 2005, setting a record. According to PoliticalMoneyLine, a nonpartisan organization that tracks such expenditures, spending on lobbying rose $85 million, or 8%, between January and June 30, 2005, compared with the previous six-month period. Corporations, trade associations, lawyers and unions spent about $6.5 million a day to lobby Congress and the Bush administration during the latest period. PoliticalMoneyLine relied on semiannual reports lobbying firms and organizations that hire lobbyists are required by Congress to file. The reports, which detail how much money is spent lobbying Congress and the executive branch, are an incomplete snapshot of how much organizations spend to influence public policy in Washington because Congress doesn't require disclosure of expenditures on public relations, television advertisements, polling and grass-roots campaigns. The local telephone industry's trade group, the United States Telecom Association, spent $11.4 million during the period studied, making it one of the top lobby organizations. In second place in sector spending, the Communication & Technology sector spent $152.2 million (up from $144.1 million in the last six months of 2004), with telephone companies leading the way with expenditures of $28.4 million.
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See "Record First Half 2005 Lobbying Outlays"
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