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Who Spent the Most Lobbying the Kentucky General Assembly In The 2014 Session

Kentucky state Capitol
File photo
Kentucky state Capitol
Kentucky state Capitol
Credit File photo
Kentucky state Capitol

Lobbyists spent $8.7 million to lobby Kentucky lawmakers this year—and tobacco giantAltria led the pack at $156,000, according to records released by the Legislative Ethics Commission this week.

Some have pointed to thetobacco lobby's heavy spending during the 2014 session as a major contributing factor in the defeat of a statewide smoking ban.

Here are the top 10-spending companies and business interest groups to lobby the General Assembly: 

 

(If you're having trouble seeing the graphic, go here.)

The commission noted that the amount was about $470,000 less than the record-setting $8.8 million spent during the 2012 session, a decline it attributes to the activities of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

The CHPA is the legislature's single biggest lobbying spender ever, setting a record of $486,053 during the 2012 session. The pharmaceutical groupprimarily spent on a pricey "phone banking and website advertising allowing direct citizen contact with legislators," according to the commission.

The report also details a dozen entities that were among the biggest lobbying spenders in 2014, but not in 2012.

  • Norton Healthcare ($68,900)
  • Kentuckians for the Commonwealth ($67,546)
  • Pew Charitable Trusts ($65,985)
  • Kentucky League of Cities ($65,548)
  • Home Builders Association of Kentucky ($60,948)
  • Wellpoint($58,500)
  • Kentucky State Building & Construction Trades Council ($57,051)
  • United Parcel Service ($54,950); 
  • Boardwalk Pipeline Partners ($54,500)
  • CSX ($54,001)
  • AK Steel ($53,658)
  • Kentucky Association of School Administrators ($50,350)

Copyright 2014 89.3 WFPL News Louisville

Jonathan Meador
JonathanMeador is the Frankfort Bureau chief for Kentucky Public Radio.
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