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Lobbyists Spend $4.2 Million in First Months of Session

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With the Kentucky General Assembly adjourned for the year, a look into lobbying spending during the session shows major dollars are still used to influence issues.

During the first two months of this year's session, a total of $4.2 million was spent lobbying. That's a 10 percent increase over the last 30-day session in 2011, according to Legislative Ethics Commission.

Full spending reports will be released next month, but preliminary numbers show Altria Client Services and Century Aluminum as the big spenders for the year. Both put more than $80,000 toward lobbying for a change to tobacco taxes and the bill to give aluminum smelters the ability to buy power off the grid, respectively.

Kenny Colston is the Frankfort Bureau Chief for Kentucky Public Radio (a collaborative effort of public radio stations in Kentucky). Colston has covered Kentucky's Capitol and state government since 2010. He is a Louisville native, and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. When he's not tracking down stories about Kentucky politics, you can often find him watching college sports, particularly football.
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