Issues drive up lobbying expenditures for some associations, but U.S. Chamber spends 50 percent less in nonelection year Associations and other nonprofit groups reported spending about the same overall on lobbying in 2011 as they did the year before—as long as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is not included in the calculations. The Chamber and its affiliate Institute for Legal Reform spent $65.8 million last year, almost $66 million less than in 2010. That was enough to show an 8 percent decline in lobbying expenditures for about 700 tax-exempt organizations tracked by CEO Update. If not for the Chamber, the analysis would show a slight uptick of 0.3 percent. The numbers show… Read More