As provided in Kentucky’s Constitution, the General Assembly met briefly in early January, then adjourned and reconvened on February 1 for the longer part of the 2011 session.  With the three-week break in January, several businesses and organizations waited until February to start or increase their lobbying activities.

 For example, the Kentucky Optometric Association increased its lobbying group from four lobbyists employed in January to 18 lobbyists, including 13 who started on February 1. 

 The optometrists’ lobbyists supported Senate Bill 110, which increases the number of procedures which may be performed by optometrists, and which was introduced on February 7.  Opposing SB 110 were ophthalmologists, represented by the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians, who added seven lobbyists on February 10 to the three they employed in January.  By February 18, SB 110 became the first bill of the 2011 session to pass both the Senate and the House of Representatives.