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     This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,

     located at http://www.cdrinfo.com.

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Technology companies continued to pump money into their lobbying efforts during the second quarter with Google leading the pack.

Google spent $3.36 million on its effort to buy influence with federal legislators and policymakers, according to disclosure forms filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Microsoft spent $2.96 million in the second quarter, a company record, and up 47 percent from $2.01 million in the second quarter of 2012, the records filed on Monday show.

Google's spending declined 14 percent from the record level of 2012 when it spent $3.92 million in the second quarter. During that year it was facing an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.

Facebook spent $1.06 million a 10 percent increase from $960,000 in the second quarter of 2012.

Google's lobbying expenses topped telecommunications giant Verizon who spent $3.24 million a decrease of 17 percent from $3.94 million in 2012. It almost matched AT&T's effort of $3.74 million, an increase of 7 percent from $3.48 million in 2012.

Other tech company second quarter lobbying expenditures as disclosed to the Clerk of the House of Representatives:

-- Amazon spent $860,000, an increase of 25 percent from $690,000 in 2012.

-- Apple spent $690,000, an increase of 47 percent from $470,000 in 2012.

-- IBM spent $1.9 million, an increase of 90 percent from $1 million in 2012.

-- Oracle spent $1.66 million, an increase of 13 percent from $1.47 million in 2012.