FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — House Republican Speaker Jeff Hoover has set a March 15 deadline for a bill that would allow charter schools in Kentucky.
The House of Representatives approved the charter schools bill last week. But the Senate has yet to give the bill a committee hearing. After Wednesday, lawmakers are scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday of next week and again on March 29 and March 30.
But the legislature would be powerless to override a veto of any bill passed after March 15. Hoover said it was important for him that the House maintain its independence by having the option to overturn a veto.
Supporters say charter schools would give parents and students more options. Opponents say it would drain resources from traditional public schools.
Additionally, Hoover says a bill that would ban all tobacco products at public school campuses likely will not pass this year.
Senate Bill 78 would ban the use of all tobacco products at public schools or school-sponsored events. It passed the Senate by a vote of 25-8-2 last month. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Ralph Alvarado, is a medical doctor who has been advocating for a statewide workplace smoking ban .
Hoover said there is not enough support to pass the bill among Republicans, who have a supermajority in the House. He said most members want to leave that decision to the local school boards.
Thirty-six percent of Kentucky’s 173 school districts ban the use of all tobacco products.