WASHINGTON (AP) – The Retail Industry Leaders Association spent $490,000 in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on a variety of issues from unemployment insurance and consumer credit to banking reform and Chinese currency valuation, according to a recent disclosure report.

That's less than the $550,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of 2010 and the $540,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The Arlington, Va.-based trade group – whose members include Wal-Mart Stores Inc., The Home Depot Inc. and Target Corp. – also lobbied the federal government on legislation involving debit card fees, trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama and legislation involving energy-efficient homes, according to a form the group filed April 20 with the House clerk's office.

From January through March, RILA lobbied Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission, White House, Department of Justice, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Reserve System and U.S. Customs & Borders Protection, among others.

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