As part of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, organizations now report their lobbying spending quarterly instead of semi-annually. The top association spenders during the first four months of 2008 are the heavy hitters who have often appeared in previous CEO Update lobbying reports. While the Institute of Legal Reform is an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, their lobbying activity is reported separately. Not making the top 10 list, but spending considerably more than they have in the past, is the Food Marketing Institute. Their first quarter report shows $1.3 million in the four months, which is close to their expenditures for the entire… Read More