Lobbying could cease to be growth industry

[flashl]

A decadelong boom for corporate lobbyists in Washington is showing signs of quieting down, just as tougher congressional rules threaten to muffle the multibillion-dollar industry even more next year.

The new rules mandate more detailed disclosure of lobbying activities, industry oversight by the Justice Department and penalties of up to $200,000 for violations. They will force corporations and trade groups to provide more precise spending records and to take a harder look at who's lobbying for them.

Reports for spending in the second half of 2007 are due by Feb. 15. But under the new rules, which take effect Tuesday, lobbyists and companies must now file quarterly reports.

The lobbying reforms come as corporate spending habits appear to be shifting. Since the late 1990s, total expenditures grew by about 80 percent and, in some years, at an annual clip of 12 percent, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group that tracks such expenses.

K Street's river of cash hit record levels in 2006, as its two main tributaries, corporations and trade associations, helped bring the high-water mark to a record $2.63 billion in reported spending. Corporations and trade groups accounted for roughly 70 percent of that. Unions, professional associations and other organizations make up the remaining 30 percent.

But in the first six months of 2007, spending -- based on disclosure reports filed with Congress -- reached $1.34 billion, only 2.3 percent higher than the same period last year.

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Is there anything left for the kleptocracy to give away? And, just in case you didn't know lobbyist are now focused on state legislatures, they even have a guide: State Lobbyist Guideline.

The likelihood, the word lobbyist, er Abramoff, will simply be retired, but the practice of buying government access to raid the pocketbooks of Americans will never stop.