THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 23, 1996 TAG: 9609230023
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DRINKARD, ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 58 lines
Corporations, trade groups, unions and other special interests spent at least $400 million trying to influence the federal government in the first half of 1996, according to an analysis of the first disclosures under a new lobbying law.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris, whose plant in Richmond produces 600 million cigarettes a day, topped the list, spending $11.3 million. It put its money primarily in a fight to keep tobacco products from coming under regulation of the Food and Drug Administration.
The Chesapeake-based Christian Coalition also ranked in the top five, spending $5.9 million.
The figure is the most comprehensive estimate yet of amounts special interests spend on lobbying official Washington, but experts say it is probably conservative.
``I don't think you're at all out of bounds with the thought of a billion-dollar-a-year industry,'' said Ron Shaiko, an American University professor who teaches lobbying.
The Associated Press derived the $400 million spending total by randomly sampling one of every 50 of the more than 9,000 lobbying reports on file at Capitol Hill and using their reported lobbying expenses to project an industrywide total. In addition, AP randomly reviewed some 1,800 reports in greater detail.
Among the other largest spenders in the first half of 1996:
The American Medical Association, $8.5 million. The nation's largest professional group for doctors lobbied on Medicare and Medicaid, tobacco regulation and liability reform.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $7.5 million. The chamber lobbied heavily on behalf of the Republican ``Contract with America.''
The American Association of Retired Persons, $3 million. The nation's largest membership group weighed in on everything from age discrimination and telemarketing fraud to the practices of the funeral industry.
Under a law that took effect Jan. 1, groups that lobby on federal legislation or regulations must file reports estimating their expenditures twice a year. The first were due beginning Aug. 15. MEMO: BIGGEST SPENDERS
Some of the largest spenders among groups that reported lobbying
expenses for the first half of 1996:
Philip Morris, $11.3 million
American Medical Association, $8.5 million
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $7.5 million
General Motors, $6.9 million
Christian Coalition, $5.9 million
General Electric, $5.3 million
Chemical Manufacturers Association, $4.5 million
AT&T, $4.3 million
Pfizer, $4.2 million
Citicorp, $4.2 million by CNB