Local Governments Double Federal Lobbying

The amount of money spent by city and state governments on lobbying in Washington has doubled since 2000, according to a new report by the Center for Responsive Politics.

In the first six months of 2007, city and state governments spent about $34 million in taxpayer funds lobbying the federal government, putting them on track to exceed the $67 million spent in all of 2006 and far surpass the $35 million spent in all of 2000, says the nonpartisan money and politics watchdog.

The top 10 federal lobbying budgets for city and state entities for the first half of 2007:

* Pennsylvania ($505,000)

* Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration ($320,000)

* Miami-Dade County, Fla. ($320,000)

* Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission ($280,000)

* Los Angeles County, Calif. ($265,000)

* Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co. ($240,000)

* San Diego County, Calif. ($220,000)

* Phoenix ($205,000)

* Haines, Alaska ($200,000)

* Jacksonville, Fla. ($180,000)

The report can be read online at capitaleye.org.

—Danielle Knight