Beverage Group Spent $3.95 Million on Second-Quarter Lobbying

The Associated Press reports that the American Beverage Association, the trade group for the nation''s soft drink makers, spent nearly $4 million in the second quarter lobbying the federal government on taxes on sugary beverages, children''s nutrition and fitness, and other issues, according to a recent disclosure report. That''s well above the $1.2 million the group spent in the year-ago period but less than the $5.4 million it spent in the first quarter of 2009. Some state lawmakers have proposed taxing sugary beverages as a way to raise money and reduce obesity, which is linked to costly health problems such as diabetes.