Lobbyists have to file semi-annual reports with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House identifying their clients, the lobbyists working for each client, and the amount of income they receive. Companies have to report their overall lobbying expenditures and the names of any lobbyists employed as part of an in-house lobbying effort.
Data are periodically updated to reflect late filings and amendments.
Large companies and organizations often hire external firms and have in-house lobbying records. However, they only report the total amount of money they spent on lobbying. As a result, adding all of the numbers in the amount spent field will get you a much smaller number than the Total Lobbying Expenditures at the top of the page. They are not used in creating the total lobbying expenditures figure at the top of the page. Thus, the 1999 figures are for calendar-year 1999.