With the legislative session rolling up into Frankfort soon, it’s probably a good idea to remind state legislators of the following:

GO TO YOUR FLIPPING ETHICS TRAINING SESSIONS!!

They will take place on Wednesday, January 4 and Thursday, January 5 from 9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. in Room 154 of the Capitol Annex. You are required to attend ethics training.

The Wednesday session will include remarks from Jack Abramoff. Thursday’s session will feature Paul Prather, a former Herald-Leader columnist.

For everyone else… several new employers have registered to lobby for the upcoming general assembly:

• Christian Care Ministries – a Florida non-profit operating a health care sharing program in which members share financial resources to pay for medical expenses, will be lobbying on health care and insurance issues
• Louisville Free Public Library Foundation
• Pew Charitable Trusts - lobbying on appropriations related to evidence-based criminal justice programs
• Premiertox – Russell Springs company providing laboratory services that includes drug testing
• Ther-Rx Corp. – subsidiary of K-V Pharmaceutical, a St. Louis company focusing in the area of women’s health
• Worldwide Equipment – Prestonsburg heavy duty truck dealer

With everybody still foaming at the mouth about Kentucky-based businesses that don’t pay corporate income taxes, the Legislative Ethics Commission is taking a look at businesses (both those based in Kentucky and those doing business in Kentucky) and the taxes they paid from 2008 to 2010.

Those paying more than the 6.2% national average:

• J.P. Morgan Chase – 9.1% in state income taxes each year
• Apollo Group, Inc. – operates University of Phoenix and other proprietary schools, paid 8.2%
• Apple – 8%
• Other businesses paying more or close to the national average:
• Reynolds American – 6.5%
• CVS Caremark – 6.4%
• Oracle – 5.8%

Those paying woah less?

• Chesapeake Energy – Negative 2.1%
• Peabody Energy – Negative 0.6%
• Yum Brands – Negative 0.4%
• El Paso Corp – Negative 0.2%

Fortune 500 companies based in Kentucky that employ lobbyists paid:

• Ashland – 1%
• Humana – 3.4%
• Kindred Healthcare – 3.6%

20 other Fortune 500 companies with lobbyists in Kentucky paid an average of less than 3% in corporate income taxes during 2008 through 2010:

• Merck
• Eli Lilly
• General Electric
• American Express
• Duke Energy
• Express Scripts
• Coca-Cola
• AT&T
• Norfolk Southern
• CSX
• IBM
• Atmos Energy
• UPS
• Verizon Communications

Happy holidays.