Greasy Palms

Companies, labor unions, and other organizations spent $1.45 billion on lobbying Washington in 1999. OpenSecrets.com's Lobbyists Database has got the lobbying totals for the last three years for everyone from AAI Corp to Zurich Financial. You can use the search engine below to look for a company, lobbying firm or individual lobbyist or you can search for the total spending by a particular industry. Lobbyists have to file semi-annual reports with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House identifying their clients, the lobbyists working for each client, and the amount of income they receive. Companies have to report their overall lobbying expenditures and the names of any lobbyists employed as part of an in-house lobbying effort. Data are periodically updated to reflect late filings and amendments.