Ms. Portnoy and the company's other lobbyists have frequently persuaded lawmakers to block legislation that could hurt its profits by, for example, prohibiting smoking in restaurants or raising cigarette taxes.

After months in which it seemed that lobbyists might persuade the federal government to forget the entire Enron scandal, there has been a heartening movement in the direction of reform.

The coalition was formed after lobbyists for recording companies persuaded Congress in 1999 to amend copyright law so that sound recordings could be considered "works for hire," with recording companies as their authors.

The unions' lobbyists therefore persuaded the State Senate to postpone the starting date of their new supplementation scheme for a year.

In South Dakota, lobbyists for alcohol retailers and wholesalers just persuaded legislators to kill a bill that would have raised taxes a mere 4 cents per drink.

His lobbyists persuaded the House of Representatives to vote overwhelmingly on Tuesday against opening the border to Mexican trucks.

Odessa's lobbyists tried to revenge and persuaded the tsar to keep the Azov Sea closed even after the epidemic was over.

Clayton K. Yeutter, the United States Trade Representative, was also disturbed by reports that Japanese lobbyists had persuaded the White House to circumvent Mr. Verity.

It just grew when lobbyists for various interest groups persuaded the Legislature to exempt them.

In 1920 lobbyists for the Sioux persuaded Congress to authorize a lawsuit against the United States in U S Claims Court.