Spending by Wisconsin unions on lobbyists plummets, records show

Spending by Wisconsin unions on lobbyists plummets, records show: "In just two years, spending by the state's public employee unions on lobbyists has plummeted from the summit of Wisconsin politics, a new report shows.

The figures show the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state's largest teacher union, spent nearly $2.1 million in the first six months of 2011 and $1 million in the first half of 2009, but a mere $84,000 in the first six months of this year.

The new leaders in lobbying spending at the Capitol are large business groups, which are more numerous than large unions.

That means their total spending adds up, though they spend less individually than the largest unions once did. In fact, the top five lobbying groups in the capital for the first half of 2013 spent less combined than what WEAC spent in the first half of 2011."