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
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