The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), the IT industry body for India, has begun to significantly increase its lobbying with lawmakers in the US, with a rise in spending of over a third in the wake of US visa curbs and large-scale layoffs in the US.
As much as $150,000 was paid by Nasscom to the two lobbyists that it is registered with in the US in the first quarter of this year, according to the most recent disclosure reports that have been filed with the US Senate. This is a significant increase from the previous $110,000 sum that the two lobbyists were paid by the organization in the last quarter of 2016.
The Lande Group, one of the pair of lobbyists, received $50,000 in the first quarter of this year between January and March, the equivalent to the sum that it was given in the four quarters of the previous year.
However, Wexler & Walker, the other lobbyist, which is part of Hill+Knowlton Strategies LLC, was given $100,000 in 2017’s first quarter, a big rise from the $60,000 that it was paid in the previous three-month period and a number of the previous quarters.
According to the lobbying disclosure report, the lobbyist is tasked with undertaking specific lobbying issues, including tax, trade matters and those that are related to immigration. A larger number of issues were covered by The Lande Group, including green cards, US visa processing, and high-skilled immigration.