FRANKFORT – Friends, colleagues, constituents and various interest groups flooded the hallways of the Capitol, making for a busy third week of the 2015 legislative session. It was great to see so many people weighing in on so many important issues in Frankfort.
As we welcomed the many visitors, we also were active in committees and on the Senate floor on proposed legislation. In a 30-day “short session,” it’s sometimes difficult for both chambers to fully consider all the bills that have been filed.
However, over the last two weeks, the Senate has taken action on our priority legislation, giving the House chamber more time to study those bills.
In the Senate last week, we approved important bills addressing the shoring up of retirement laws, school safety, patient rights to determine medical scope of treatment, legislative redistricting, and more.
Senate Bill 77 permits the completion of a medical order for scope of treatment directing medical interventions. The decisions made by individuals for end of life treatment will be available as part of their medical records so that any healthcare provider would have to honor those medical orders.
In another effort to ensure legislative accountability, Senate Bill 27 passed the chamber last week. The bill simply states that in the next legislative redistricting session, which will be after the next U.S. Census, the re-districting must be completed by April 15, or legislative members will have to continue the process without receiving pay.
In 2013, it took a special session to complete the redistricting and the extra cost of the legislative session places a financial strain on Kentucky’s budget. The bill also ensures that every county in Kentucky is adequately represented in the House of Representatives.
The Senate unanimously passed two bills regarding transparency and legislative responsibility regarding pension systems. Senate Bill 22 would clean up Retirement System loop holes and require retirement systems to disclose the use of placement agents.
Senate Bill 23, will allow legislators to set a precedent with contributions to the pension system. The bill would permit members to make a one-time election to have their benefits from the Legislators’ Retirement Plan based solely on their legislative salary. In short, it would prevent pension “super-sizing.”
School safety is the goal of Senate Bill 39 which also passed this week. The bill will require public schools to consult with local and state safety officials and National Weather Service and Federal Emergency Management Agency guiding principles when identifying the best available severe weather safe zones.
An effort to close retirement loopholes of elected enforcement officials passed unanimously. Senate Bill 62 will prohibit elected law enforcement officials, such as sheriffs, from retiring, receiving that pay out, and then coming back as sheriff to also collect a salary. This is very hard on state and county budgets.
The legislation will allow the salary but not the retirement upon reemployment. Senate Bill 81 also passed, and it cleans up alcoholic beverage control language.
With the increasing success of craft beer, Kentucky wine and bourbon, the legislation updates regulatory language to help bolster these growing industries while respecting the areas of the state that have not voted to permit alcohol sales in their area.
In an effort to promote bipartisanship, last Thursday was declared “Bowtie Thursday” in the Senate. It’s hard to believe how much a simple measure like Bowtie Thursday can lighten the mood and actually bring people together.
Also Thursday Senate Bill 82 passed with bipartisan support. The legislation is aimed to promote awareness to Kentucky children diagnosed with cancer, by providing an option for taxpayers to donate a portion or all of their tax returns to pediatric cancer research.
We also passed Senate Bill 34 Thursday, which relates to driving under the influence. This bill would change what is known in legal circles as the “look back period” from five to 10 years from five years. What that means is that if someone is convicted of drunken driving multiple times in a 10-year period the penalties for the crimes are increased.
Senate Bill 132 relates to improving school and student performance. We passed that legislation Thursday, which would allow a superintendent to select the principal in a school identified as an “initial intervention school.”
Last Friday we passed two additional pieces of legislation Senate Bills: 74 and 107. Senate Bill 74 would create a “shared lottery game” between the lottery corporation and horse racing tracks, wherein a lottery ticket could be purchased as a pari-mutuel wager in order to promote Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry through the lottery.
Although I support the lottery and horse racing, I did not support this bill due to the fact that half of funds from ticket sales would go to the horse racing industry. Voters did not approve this when voting to approve the lottery in the state.
Senate Bill 107 relates to health providers, and would require Medicaid providers to provide operating disclosures to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in order to promote transparency.
I will be presenting two bills in committee this week in Senate Bill 90, which lifts nuclear moratorium in Kentucky and Senate Bill 102, known as “Connor’s Law,” which will amend the first degree manslaughter law to include law to include intentional abuse that leads to death of the victim.
Monday, February 16 was Presidents Day, a federal holiday that honors President Washington’s birthday and President Lincoln’s, reminds us of all of the founding fathers of our nation. This day is especially important to Kentucky because our native son, President Abraham Lincoln, was born here and eventually led the U.S. through the most turbulent time of our history.
Recalling President Lincoln, President Washington, and the many that led that built the United States while keeping our democracy in tact gives us a renewed sense of our duty and reminds us what is at the heart of our work here in Frankfort.
All these bills now move to the House for their consideration. If you have any questions or comments about the issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181. You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov<http://www.lrc.ky.gov%3e./