US Lobbyist Spending Could Top $3B In 2004

The average spending per month was $176 million. Spending usually increases in the second half of the year, the group said. If that pace held up between July and December, lobbyists will have spent more than $2 billion on lobbying for the first time. Lobbyist spending came to $1.9 billion in 2003, $1.7 billion in 2002, $1.5 billion in 2001 and $1.5 billion in 2000. The topic lobbyists spent the most money on was health care, followed by communication and technology, the study said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was the top spender at $20 million, followed by the chamber's Institute for Legal Reform at $10 million. In third place was the American Medical Association at $9.2 million. Figures for the last six months of 2004 will be reported in February.