A bill that would make it harder to challenge state alcohol laws in court and an ongoing fight over rum subsidies helped fuel high second-quarter lobbying spending by a host of alcohol companies and trade associations, lobbying disclosure reports filed last month show.
Liquor companies Bacardi and Diageo, who are at the center of the battle over rum subsidies, both spent more lobbying in the second quarter than they have in any quarter over the past two years. Bacardi reported spending $200,000, compared to $180,000 in the first quarter and $170,000 in the second quarter last year. Some of that was with outside lobbying firms, including King & Spalding ($50,000). Diageo spent $720,000, compared to $670,000 in the first quarter and $690,000 in the second quarter of last year. DLA Piper reported receiving $300,000 in lobbying fees from the company, the Breaux Lott Leadership Group reported $37,500, and the Podesta Group reported $50,000.
Beer companies MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch also upped their spending. MillerCoors spent $680,000 in the second quarter, more than 30% more than the $520,000 it reported in the first quarter. Firms lobbying for Miller include Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock ($60,000 in lobbying fees in the second quarter) and Elmendorf Strategies ($60,000). Anheuser-Busch reported spending $820,000 in the second quarter, compared to $670,000 in the first. Both companies report lobbying on the Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2010, filed in April, among other things. That bill would strengthen states' ability to regulate alcohol. For an earlier NLJ story on it, click here.
Industry associations also increased spending. The Beer Institute more than doubled its spending to $250,000 from $110,000 in the first quarter. $30,000 of that went to Patton Boggs. The Wine Institute spent $95,000, and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States spent $1.3 million. The National Beer Wholesalers Association, which has been pushing the CARE Act, spent $220,000, more than in the first quarter of this year, but less than the group's lobbying tab at the end of last year.
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