Through thick, thin, and even a pandemic that virtually shut down legislating last year, Rhode Islanders stuck by their lobbyists. Ocean State companies and organizations spent $12.4 million in lobbying fees in 2020, according to a summary of reports filed with Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea's office. That's around $100,000 more than state-registered lobbyists collected in 2019, despite being mostly exiled from the State House last March and told that almost no new policies would pass. Good work if you can get it. And maybe not as surprising as it may seem. After all, since the virus struck and Congress stepped in with more than a billion dollars in help, the importance of public-sector spending is more important to business success than before.