Spending on K Street through the first half of this year is barely lower than it was last year — perhaps an early sign that the lobbying industry is coming out of its slide.

Federal lobbying expenditures have slipped from a high of $3.55 billion in 2010 to $3.23 billion last year, for reasons not fully understood. But so far this year, a new analysis by OpenSecrets.org shows, clients have spent an estimated $1,623,000,000 on lobbying, which is only $4 million less than what they spent through the first half of 2013.

But before the District’s steakhouses start celebrating, the bad news: The now-regular annual decline in spending on federal lobbying has sometimes taken hold most severely in the second half of the year. Between the first half of 2011 and 2012, the industry was actually up $7.4 million, but it ended the year down by more than $20 million. Still, a decline of only $4 million can be made up by a single client with a really good quarter.

The top 10 list of biggest spending industries through the first half of the year looks familiar: Pharmaceuticals lead the way ($119.4 million for the year), followed by the insurance industry ($78 million) and business associations ($73.7 million). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce powers the last category and was once again the top spender for the quarter.

Top Ten Biggest Spenders Through June 30, 2014



Growth

Of the 10 industries that spent most on lobbying, six spent more than they did through the same period last year. Most industries, however, cut back compared to last year: Among the 90 analyzed by OpenSecrets.org, only 32 industries spent more so far in 2014 than they did through the first half of 2013.

Leading the growth were business associations, which spent $22 million more this year than last. Chemical manufacturing also increased its outlays as an industry by about $15.3 million over last year.

While Congress remains mostly deadlocked, a few key issues swirling through Washington this spring seem to have driven an increase in lobbying spending by at least a few interest groups. Casinos and gambling, for example, was one of the biggest movers on K Street last quarter.

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The industry, which includes big Las Vegas strip casinos as well as Native American tribes, spent just $15.5 million in the first half of last year, but $16.9 million so far this year. Much of that increase is being driven by concern over a proposed federal ban on Internet gambling — something pushed by conservative super PAC mega-backer Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Las Vegas Sands, but opposed by several other big players in the industry.

With all of the talk in Washington involving contraception, it may not be surprising that the pro-abortion rights interest group increased its spending substantially over last year. In the first half of 2013, the group of organizations had spent $737,000; so far this year it has spent $382,000 more, bringing its total to $1.1 million. That’s actually the most the area has spent since at least 2010 in the first half of a calendar year. Planned Parenthood accounted for nearly half of the increase, upping its spending by $147,000 between the first half of last year and the first six months of 2014.

Anti-abortion groups also increased their spending, but by a smaller amount, going from $358,000 in the first half of last year to $425,000 in the first half of this year.

Declines

Of the two-thirds of industries that cut their spending on federal lobbying, it was the TV, movies and music industry that fell the hardest since. The industry went from $63 million in the first half of last year, to $57 million this year.

The oil and gas industry also declined, paying out $5.1 million less in the first six months of this year than it did last year. The tobacco industry, which like oil and gas has been a mainstay of K Street spending for decades, cut its spending by $3.5 million. Democratic and liberal groups cut their spending by $3.4 million compared to the first half of 2013. (Republican and conservative groups stayed relatively level, increasing their expenditures by $63,000.)

Finally, despite intensive scrutiny from regulators and Congress of General Motors for its recall failures, the automotive industry was also among the 10 industries cutting the most, reigning in its first half spending from last year by $2.8 million.



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