Lobbying in Michigan adds up

Lobbyists spent $36.6 million last year on efforts to influence public policy in Michigan, an analysis by the Lansing State Journal shows. That's 3 percent more than the $35 million lobbyists reported spending in 2011 and nearly twice as much as the $18.5 million that was reportedly spent in 2001, the first year for which reports are available through the Secretary of State's website.