Commerce Insurance Tops Massachusetts’ Lobbyist-Spending List

Special interest groups trying to influence policy and legislation on Beacon Hill aren’t letting a poor economy slow them down, spending 13 percent more on lobbyists in the first six months of this year than the same period last year.

Secretary of State William Galvin says lobbyists earned $38.5 million as of June 30, compared to $34 million in the first six months of 2007.

Gambling interests were among the biggest spenders, dropping $870,000 on lobbyists.

The top individual spender was Commerce Insurance Co., which paid $475,000 in lobbyist salaries as it adjusted to new regulations allowing competition in the car insurance market.

Commerce spent 63 percent more than the next top client, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, which paid $290,519.

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Information from: The Boston Globe