Nat'l Restaurant Assn. spent $840K on 2Q lobbying

The National Restaurant Association spent $840,000 in the second quarter to lobby on food safety, seasonal workers and other issues, according to a recent disclosure report.

The trade group that represents restaurant companies such as Ruby Tuesday Inc. and California Pizza Kitchen Inc., also lobbied the federal government on legislation related to the federal stimulus effort, health insurance provisions, food safety and inspection measures, immigration issues, health savings accounts, workplace safety regulation, family and medical leave and credit card fees, among other topics.

In the April-through-June period, the Washington-based organization lobbied the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Agriculture Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Management and Budget, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Department, the Education Department and the Federal Trade Commission.

The disclosures were made in a report filed July 20.

Dan Roehl, the former director of the USDA's congressional relations office, and Chris Raymond, who's held various positions with members of congress and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, are among those registered to lobby for the group.