Updated on October 26
The American Bar Association this week reported that its most recent quarterly lobbying expenses were $230,000, the lowest sum it has spent on federal government advocacy thus far this year.
But the drop isn't unusual.
Since at least 2008, the legal society's lobbying expenditures have decreased between the second and third quarters, according to congressional records. A major component of the organization's second quarter lobbying is the ABA Day, when its members have meetings with officials on Capitol Hill.
"It gets low when the Congress is out [in August] or doing little [in July and September]," ABA governmental affairs directorThomas Susman wrote in an email.
From July 1 to September 30, the ABA deployed 11 of its staffers to advocate on dozens of bills and other matters, the group's 35-page report on its third-quarter lobbying shows. The ABA's interests included Legal Services Corp. funding and legislation that would allow state courts to work with the Internal Revenue Service to secure the tax refunds of people who have outstanding fines and fees.
So far this year, the ABA's lobbying expenses are $780,000, an increase of $45,000 from 2011.
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