In contrast to legislative campaign contributions, the tobacco industry continued to increase its lobbying expenses rapidly. The tobacco industry spent a total of $4,198,077 on lobbying, a 20% increase over the 1992 cycle. Of the total, $2,464,299 were payments to lobbying firms and the rest of the money was spent on other lobbying activities to influence legislation. Philip Morris spent the most money, $2,207,989, followed by the Tobacco Institute and R.J. Reynolds who spent $545,882 and $537,508 respectively. The R.J. Reynolds amount is probably about $130,000 higher than reported, since the Secretary of State did not have its lobbying expenditures report for the 3rd and 4th quarter of 1994 on file. Including this $130,000 would bring total lobbying expenditures to $4.3 million.

Among the lobbying firms hired by the tobacco industry, Carpenter, Snodgrass and Associates received the largest tobacco payments in this cycle, $456,000. This firm represented American Tobacco Company, Brown and Williamson, Lorillard, Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds. Other top recipient firms include Lang & Mansfield and Governmental Advocates, both representing Philip Morris, and receiving, respectively, $377,516 and 317,831. The firm Nielsen, Merksamer et. al who has represented tobacco companies for over twenty years, received $236,787 this election cycle, raising its grand total of payments from the tobacco industry to $1,897,147 since 1988 (Table A-4). In addition, Nielsen, Merksamer wrote Philip Morris' Proposition 188 and provided legal and political guidance for the campaign and were paid $351,045 for their services, in addition to the amount received for lobbying reported in Table A-4.