| Altria Client Services Inc., on behalf of the nation's | | | | volume of cigarettes, already suffering from smoking |
| biggest cigarette maker, spent more than $3.1 million in | | | | bans and health concerns. |
| the fourth quarter to lobby in favor of a bill that will give | | | | Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group Inc. owns Marlboro |
| the Food and Drug Administration the authority to | | | | maker Philip Morris USA and UST (nyse: UST - news - |
| regulate the industry and other issues, according to a | | | | people ), the U.S. leader in smokeless tobacco with |
| recent disclosure form. | | | | brands such as Copenhagen and Skoal. |
| Altria (nyse: MO - news - people ) also lobbied the | | | | Altria has been a strong supporter of the bill that gives |
| federal government on legislation involving immigration, | | | | industry oversight to the FDA. Only recently did the bill |
| labor issues, cigarette trafficking and a proposed hike | | | | get support from smokeless tobacco maker UST Inc., |
| in the federal excise tax on cigarettes in the | | | | which Altria bought in a deal that closed last month.The |
| October-December period, according to the report filed | | | | Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act |
| Jan. 20 with the House clerk's office.The House and | | | | could be back before Congress within a matter of |
| Senate have approved different versions of the bill | | | | weeks, Citigroup (nyse: C - news - people ) analyst |
| that would raise taxes on cigarettes, and they are | | | | Adam Spielman told investors last week. "Given the |
| expected to resolve the differences before it would | | | | Democratic control of Congress and the White House, |
| go to President Barack Obama. Once approved, the | | | | we expect the bill to pass," he wrote in a research |
| tax would rise 61 cents to $1 per pack, effective April 1. | | | | note. |
| Analysts have said this would depress domestic sales | | | | |