A total of 658 businesses and organizations were registered to lobby in the first month of the 2016 General Assembly and together with their legislative agents, they spent over $2.3 million on their lobbying efforts in the first four weeks of the session.
The top lobbying spenders for the month were:
Kentucky Hospital Association $33,714; Kentucky Chamber of Commerce $31,856; Kentucky Retail Federation $30,430; Altria $25,824; Kentucky Justice Association $23,926; Teachers Insurance and Annuity $23,332; Kentucky League of Cities $21,047; Legalize Kentucky Now $19,270; Kentucky Bankers Association $18,080; Wine Institute $17,500; Norton Healthcare $17,070; Anthem $17,000; Home Builders Association of Kentucky $16,503; Baptist Health $15,536; Kentucky Association of School Administrators $15,300; Century Aluminum $14,900.
Humana $14,285; Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation $14,251; Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives $14,244; Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities $13,126; Swedish Match North America $12,974; Kentucky School Boards Association $12,848; Kentucky Medical Association $12,739; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth $12,198; CSX $12,171; AT&T $11,473; and Kentucky Coal and Mineral County Coalition $11,139.
As of late February, 675 businesses and organizations are registered to lobby during the 2016 General Assembly, and 586 people are lobbying on behalf of those employers. More than 40 of the employers were not registered during the previous year.
Employers not registered in 2015, and who registered this January are:
Westcare Foundation; Newtown Springs; Agentis Management; Kentucky Smart on Crime; Kentucky Public Library Association; National Alliance on Mental Illness Kentucky; Assured Neace Lukens; Biotechnology Innovation Organization; Messer Construction; Sugar Creek Capital; Nucor; Legalize Kentucky Now; Superior Van and Mobility; Family and Children’s Place; NCP Finance Kentucky; Leitchfield Grayson County Industrial Authority; SolarCity; Access to Justice Foundation; Teamsters Local 89; Excellence in Education in Action; Shelbyville Laundry; Cerner; Teamsters Local 783; Fiserv Solutions; Expedia; and Axcess Financial.
New employers registered in February are:
Laborers International Union of North America, Local 576; Independent Electrical Contractors of Kentucky/Southern Indiana; New Beginnings Family Services; HDR Engineering; Smart Transportation Division; RJ Corman Railroad; Westfield Capital Management; OpenGov; ACT; United Health Actuarial Services; Lockridge Grindal Nauen; Kentucky Wired Operations; AbbVie; Baxalta US; Commercial Specialty Truck Holding; Magellan Health; Elisabeth M. Goth; and Custom Data Processing.
St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead and Kentucky Safe Vapor registered to lobby, then terminated their registrations on Jan. 31.
Ethics Reporter is a publication of the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission. It is reprinted with permission.