Topeka ? A new report shows lobbyists are spending almost 9 percent more this year than last year to try to influence Kansas officials.

The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission’s report says lobbyists disclosed spending nearly $709,000 through August. That’s $57,000 more than they spent during the same period last year.

Lobbyists have ramped up spending on newsletters and other communications designed to get people to pressure lawmakers. Such spending totaled $105,000 through August, compared to $15,000 for the same period last year.

This year’s biggest-spending group has been the Kansas Association of Realtors, which disclosed expenses of $152,000 on lobbying. It successfully blocked a move by Gov. Sam Brownback to eliminate an income tax deduction for home mortgage interest as part of a larger plan to rewrite the state’s tax code.