WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Information Technology Industry Council ? which lobbies for Apple Inc., Google Inc. and other tech companies ? spent $780,000 during the second quarter lobbying the government.
It lobbied on issues such as expansion of the H1-B visa program intended to bring high-skilled foreign workers to the U.S. and hardware and software export control limits, according to a quarterly disclosure form.
That’s the same amount as what the high-tech industry group spent on lobbying in the first quarter and more than the $660,000 it spent during the same quarter a year earlier.
The group also lobbied on issues such as education, trade, corporate tax reform, patent reform rules and privacy and cell phone records laws.
Its lobbying efforts were focused on Congress, the Patent & Trademark Office, the White House, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Institute of Standards & Technology, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Trade Representative, the International Trade Administration and the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Treasury, and State during the quarter, according to the disclosure report filed with the House clerk and Senate secretary on July 19.
