|
Post by Press Release on Jul 3, 2013 15:38:12 GMT -5
Legislative committee discusses possible bi-monthly ration of SNAP funds
Kentucky may examine whether it’s possible to distribute SNAP funds twice monthly to help those on food assistance better balance their food budgets after hearing a state senator’s suggestion on the matter, a legislative committee was told. Beth Jurek, who is the Policy and Budget Director with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, told the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee that she will look into whether a recipient’s current SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) funds—formerly known as “food stamps”—can be split into two rations per month on their EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards. Kentucky SNAP recipients now receive their ration electronically once a month. The change was suggested by Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, a former grocer who said he has found many recipients have trouble budgeting for a month’s worth of healthy food when they receive their SNAP distribution only once a month. The recipients often buy non-perishables, which Higdon explained may last longer than most fresh fruit or vegetables but are not necessarily nutritious. “Instead of milk, (some) get Mountain Dew because they’ll last all month and they can budget that; they known how many Mountain Dews they’ll need to make it through the month,” said Higdon, who said a twice-monthly distribution would be helpful. “These low-income families—we wouldn’t have them running out of food at the end of the month,” he said. “They might run out on the 13th day and 26th or 27th day, but they wouldn’t go whole weeks without food.” Jurek said changing the distribution would give recipients their distribution on a “more frequent basis,” although it would mean less money offered at one time. She also said the federal government ultimately governs such a change. “All the rules for food stamps are set by the federal government,” said Jurek, who said she would find out whether the EBT cards can be loaded twice a month. “If they can, I will (find out) what it would take to do that and if that’s a possibility.” Approximately 874,094 Kentuckians receive SNAP funds, according to the USDA. The funds are distributed once monthly onto the EBT cards which are then used at grocery stores or at other food vendors like convenience stores. Many Americans, including Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, have expressed concerned about the future of SNAP funds under this Congress as it debates the passage of a new U.S. farm bill. “I think we all should be concerned about what’s going to happen there and the potential cuts that we’re going to be looking at just to maintain the status quo…,” Webb said. The issue of nutrition was raised by Rep. Mike Denham, D-Maysville, who said educators in his area tell him that poor nutrition and hunger impacts a child’s ability to learn. About 65 percent of children in Denham’s district qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, he estimated. Besides SNAP, programs like WIC—which basically gives pregnant women and young children what Jurek called a “food prescription” for better nutrition—along with summer feeding programs and school backpack food programs are helping to feed children, said Jurek. She said the state is also considering possibly allowing families to apply for SNAP benefits online—something that would be particularly helpful to low-income families that might not have transportation to apply for benefits in person, Jurek explained. “We’re not there yet,” with online application for SNAP benefits, she told the committee. The committee also received the annual report on the state’s Early Childhood Development Initiative from representatives of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood and the Early Childhood Advisory Council. Twenty-five percent of the state’s tobacco settlement dollars—which are overseen by the committee—go to early childhood programs in Kentucky. Other testimony came from the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy, which reported on projects considered for funding during the June meeting of the state Agricultural Development Board. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jul 12, 2013 13:33:49 GMT -5
Committee updated on jail pilot program
Early results of a pilot program aimed at reducing recidivism in jails across the state are positive, Marion County Jailer Barry Brady told members of the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection yesterday. The pilot program is part of a comprehensive justice reform bill, House Bill 463, passed during the 2011 Regular Session to decrease the state’s prison population and reduce incarceration costs. “It’s still jail and it’s still doing time, but we’ve got to do more. …We can assure [each inmate] will be a better neighbor and won’t be a ward of our state,” Brady said. Marion County Jails are using a variety of evidence-based programs to rehabilitate low-custody inmates in their system. Among the programs, prisoners may be engaged in parenting classes, re-entry classes or cognitive thinking training. “Inmates work during the day, return to the facility, clean up and go to classes at night,” Brady said. According to Brady, the efforts cost approximately $175,000 each year and are funded through the Marion County Detention Center budget and an HB 463 Community Corrections grant. In three years, projected savings from decreasing inmates’ jail time should more than pay for the cost of the programs to continue, he said. Brady said he is receiving a lot of positive feedback about the programs from inmates and their families and is seeing an increased number of GEDs earned by prisoners. Several lawmakers commended the work of the programs and urged jailers across the state to take the same approach. “Not only are you trying to achieve the goal of HB 463… but more than that you are trying to improve the lives of human beings,” Rep. Terry Mills, D-Lebanon, said. Committee members also watched a heavy equipment demonstration from urban and technical search and rescue units across the state and received an update on cuts by the Department of Defense to military personnel at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox in 2014. Fort Knox is expected to lose an entire army combat brigade which makes up 43% of its active force, officials with the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs said. They are communicating with the Department of Defense about options to delay or reverse the planned reductions. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jul 26, 2013 3:50:08 GMT -5
Rep. John Short, D-Hindman (right), confers with Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Johnny Ray Turner, D-Prestonsburg, before the start of the July meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
Lawmakers briefed on cybersecurity concerns
Cybersecurity is now considered a top safety concern in our state and nation, members of the Interim Joint Committee on State Government were told yesterday. State governments have recently been targeted by cyber criminals because of the large amount of personal information they store, Harry Raduege, Chair of the Deloitte Center for Cyber Innovation, told lawmakers. “States really have the most comprehensive information about citizens,” he said. Raduege said the loss of such sensitive information not only impacts citizens’ trust, but could also negatively impact state business by affecting services to constituents and creating unplanned spending. A 2011 study estimated that a data breach costs $194 per record, Tom Pageler, Chief Information Security Officer for Docusign, said. One breach could cost state government tens of millions of dollars, he said. According to Pageler, hackers are becoming more organized, invasive and advanced in their attacks. “The risk is increasing every day,” he said. The increased risk calls for more diligence in protecting information in the ever-changing cyber environment, Pageler said. He encourages advanced encryption of all data stored electronically as one of the best safeguards against cyber fraud of state government. State Auditor Adam Edelen told lawmakers that encryption of all state data is part of the Commonwealth Office of Technology’s business plan and should be complete in three years. Some of the state’s data is already encrypted, he said. In response to a question from Sen. Joe Bowen, R-Owensboro, about the cost of cybersecurity, Edelen told lawmakers the process can be expensive, but is still significantly cheaper than dealing with a security breach after it happens. Edelen asked lawmakers to consider legislation in the 2014 session that would mandate individuals be contacted anytime their personal information is compromised. Kentucky is only one of four states that doesn’t have a breach notification law, he said. Committee co-chair Rep. Brent Yonts, D-Greenville, said he was interested in pursuing cyber security legislation. “This affects not only every aspect of state government, but also our personal lives,” he said. “I believe you’ve got our attention.” The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Aug 22, 2013 13:28:31 GMT -5
FRANKFORT— Sen. Albert Robinson, R-London, makes a floor speech in the Kentucky Senate about the fate of Laurel County in various proposals to redraw legislative district lines. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Aug 24, 2013 13:14:45 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Aug 26, 2013 16:45:17 GMT -5
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester (left), confers with Senate Democratic Floor Leader R.J. Palmer, D-Winchester, prior to the start of the day's legislative session in the Kentucky Senate. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
This Week in Frankfort
Most folks have only a vague idea of what ‘redistricting’ means, and how, really, it personally affects them. It’s not like a proposed tax increase or something hugely controversial like, say, casino gambling or legalizing pot. It’s political inside baseball to the average person. But within any legislative body, anywhere, it’s the World Series. It has huge personal and political significance. The stakes cannot be overstated. Couple of quotes: ‘Redistricting is one of the purest political actions a legislative body can take.’
That’s from John Engler, a former governor of Michigan. What he meant was, drawing districts can determine what party controls a chamber. The history of that is bald, harsh, true, and consistent, wherever representative democracy exists. Some call it objectionable, raw partisan politics. But representative democracy is, by its very nature, partisan, as ours has been since the earliest days of the Republic. The Founders knew it would be that way, and warned against it – Madison in Federalist #10 wanted to ‘break and control (partisanship),’ -- but his effort was futile, and his and others’ cautions collapsed almost immediately. Party control through reapportionment has been the rule, rather than the exception, on every level of legislative government through our history. Plus it’s personal. Sometimes painfully so. ‘It gets very personal, when lines are redrawn so you lose longtime constituents you’ve built a bond with over the years, been friends with, know by face and name, and you now have to start over in unfamiliar ground – or even have to move your residence because your district has been moved dramatically.’
That’s from a longtime surveyor of the legislative landscape who’s seen many redistrictings over 30 years, the political and personal pain they create, and the court interventions they frequently draw – as the most recent attempt did, in 2012. At bottom, redistricting seems simple. The central concept is ‘one person, one vote,’ which means we all have roughly the same voice in Frankfort (our Legislature) or Washington (Congress). That means districts have to be more or less equal in population. But other factors also enter in, including cohesiveness – counties shouldn’t (the law says) be split unless absolutely necessary, and gerrymandering (stringing geographically and culturally unrelated counties together in odd combinations to give one party an advantage) is considered, judicially, a no-no. It’s a complex technical task anyway, but with partisan politics dribbled freely into the mix, it often becomes a witch’s brew of facts, near-facts, guesses, and motives only speculative that end up, often, in court, challenged by one aggrieved party or another, or several. The most recent Kentucky plan, passed in 2012, ran quickly aground in the state Supreme Court. But this week, on a third try, the Kentucky General Assembly met, this time in special session, and in the minimum five days required to pass a bill, put forth and passed a plan that – given the near-impossible challenges facing them – probably raised fewer obvious objections than any in recent memory. The redrawn lines would create four new House districts and pair eight incumbents in four other districts – four Democrats and four Republicans, an even split -- numbers considered fairly negligible in any case. Still, not everyone’s happy. But no one ever is, entirely, in this bloodiest of political processes. Yet it did pass both chambers with overwhelming majorities. On its face, it seems to address the judicial objections to the first proposal in 2012, which was basically that too many counties were split. Any assumption of court approval, of course, remains in the air. This is where reporters resort to the clichéd shibboleth ‘Stay tuned.’ Two-thirds of the House’s minority Republicans, including all its leadership, voted yea on the bill. Only two House Democrats voted no, mostly on concerns that fast-growing areas were being chopped up too drastically. As redistricting goes, this proved as close to consensus as we’re ever likely to get. The bill blew through the House like a gale Wednesday, on an 83-17 vote -- a harbinger that the special session would indeed end Friday, with full expectation of quick Senate approval (its plan seems well-received by the chamber) and the near-certainty that Gov. Steve Beshear would sign it into law posthaste. Once again, this iteration of the Kentucky General Assembly has shown its ability to get hard things done, harmoniously. Some say Congress should look to Kentucky for schooling on how to govern with a split-party government. Here, in the Commonwealth, right now, it’s working. Jefferson, as always, nailed it cold: ‘We have no interests nor passions different from our fellow citizens. We have the same objective: the success of representative government … Our experiment is to show whether man can be trusted with self-government.’
It’s still an American question after more than 200 years. But the answer this week in Frankfort was: Yes. With session’s adjournment, the interim committee study period resumes. A full 60-day budget session will convene in the Capitol this coming Jan.7, 2014. As always, you can leave a message for your legislator at 1-800-372-7181. The LRC website, www.lrc.ky.gov, is a wealth of legislative information, including meeting schedules and pre-filed bills. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by In The News on Aug 30, 2013 9:48:49 GMT -5
Greg Stumbo, Robert Stivers
Courier-Journal Stumbo, Stivers clash over the process of how to assure a workplace free of harassment By Tom Loftus
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, a Prestonsburg Democrat, clashed on Wednesday with Senate President Robert Stivers, a Manchester Republican, over the process of how to assure a workplace free of harassment. Facing criticism for failing to act, Stumbo on Thursday filed a “Petition of Censure or Expulsion” against Rep. John Arnold, the target of sexual harassment complaints recently filed by three legislative staff members. The petition sets in motion an investigation by the Kentucky House and could lead to a vote to censure or expel Arnold when House members convene, either in the January regular session or a possible special session called by Gov. Steve Beshear. Stivers said he had no knowledge until last week that legislative staff officials had been investigating complaints about Arnold for months. Stivers said the Legislative Research Commission, which includes leaders of the House and Senate, must meet to learn what has happened so far and decide a course of action. But Stumbo said the internal investigation should be completed before the LRC considers the matter. Stivers said Thursday an investigation of Arnold “does not resolve the most significant problem which is how to address the culture that has been exposed.” Stivers, House Republican Leader Jeff Hoover and Senate Democratic Leader R.J. Palmer called for an executive session of LRC for Sept. 4 to discuss the matter. Stumbo told Stivers in a letter he preferred the internal investigation report be completed first, but said he had no objection to the LRC meeting. www.courier-journal.com/article/20130829/NEWS0101/308290077
|
|
|
Post by In The News on Oct 3, 2013 13:19:54 GMT -5
Greg Stumbo, Robert Stivers
courier-journal.com Stivers and Stumbo say Marcia Seiler is qualfied to be acting director of the LRC
Engulfed in a sexual-harassment scandal that has led to lawsuits and questions over its former director’s response, the Legislative Research Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to seek an outside audit of its staff and management policies. The LRC, which is comprised of the 16 leaders of the House and Senate, also unanimously voted to appoint Marcia Seiler, currently a deputy director overseeing education accountability, as acting director of the LRC staff. She succeeds Bobby Sherman, who is being investigated after acknowledging that he shredded documents in his office two days after he abruptly retired. He resigned after announcing that his staff had satisfactorily wrapped up its investigation of sexual harassment complaints against former Rep. John Arnold. Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, offered Seiler’s name as acting director during Wednesday’s meeting. No other candidates were nominated, and her appointment was approved quickly and unanimously. Sherman had left another deputy director, Robert Jenkins, in charge of the agency when he left. But Jenkins came under criticism for being among a handful of LRC officials with Sherman when the documents were shredded, though both he and Sherman have said no important records or documents pertaining to the harassment complaints were destroyed. Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said Seiler’s resume and reputation among legislators indicate she is highly qualified for the job. But Stivers said Seiler also has a helpful qualification at this moment — as head of the LRC’s Office of Education Accountability, she does not work at the Capitol, which some staffers have complained has an atmosphere too permissive of sexual misbehavior. Seiler has worked at offices in suburban Frankfort. www.courier-journal.com/article/20131002/NEWS01/309300117/LRC-policies-audited-following-sexual-harassment-scandal
|
|
|
Post by In The News on Dec 13, 2013 19:58:39 GMT -5
Robert Stivers
newstimes.com Stivers, Stumbo give Appalachian region have major clout in Frankfort
Republican Senate President Robert Stivers of Manchester and Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo of Prestonsburg represent mountain districts. Lawmakers from the Appalachian region have major clout in Frankfort, occupying six of the top leadership positions in the Legislature. That influence is on display at every meeting of the Legislative Research Commission, which pulls together the top brass from the Senate and House. Other Appalachian lawmakers on the panel include House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins of Catlettsburg, House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover of Jamestown, Senate Republican Whip Brandon Smith of Hazard and Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Johnny Ray Turner. And the districts of two others leaders on the panel — Senate Minority Leader R.J. Palmer and House Democratic Caucus Chairwoman Sannie Overly — reach into the federally designated Appalachian region, even though they live in the Bluegrass area. No other part of the state has as many lawmakers in leadership. www.newstimes.com/news/article/Mountain-lawmakers-wield-power-in-Legislature-5060859.php
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jan 11, 2014 7:06:18 GMT -5
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester (left), converses with Sen. Ray Jones, D-Pikeville, on the floor of the Kentucky Senate. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
Frankfort Week in ReviewLRC eNews Press Release By Scott Payton
Let me have audience for a word or two … about this fair Assembly. So said the Bard, in another context but it still applies. For the next three and a half months, there’ll be lots more than a word or two written about the 2014 Kentucky General Assembly, including more than 16,000 in coming weeks right here. A poet like Shakespeare might do it in a word or two. But lesser writers need more to tell the winter’s tale. It’s a tale worth telling in many thousand words. Kentucky’s unfolding civic history is largely writ in the 60 working days of a full budget session in even-numbered years. And from its brutal subzero opening this week to – we can hope – its gentle springlike final adjournment in mid-April, we’ll discover what winds carry the Commonwealth, and where, and how. It will be a journey of many hills and hurdles, tied mainly to money as a two-year budget is wrenched from stretched revenues and many declared needs. But here’s a snapshot of its prospects this first week, with 13-plus yet to come: First, mood. The Kentucky General Assembly opened its 2014 session Tuesday, optimistic that the new bipartisan spirit in Frankfort, evinced in last year’s short session, would carry forth. And in fact, there seemed common ground between chambers and parties on some key issues. The Republican-controlled Senate’s top policy priority -- an effort to limit the governor’s power to act though executive order when the Legislature is not in session -- was not dismissed out of hand by Majority Democratic House leadership. The issue is philosophical. Call it separation of powers, legislative independence, whatever you prefer. It’s the constant tug between the legislative and executive branches envisioned by the Founders more than two centuries ago, and specifically in Kentucky governance since the 1970s. There will be friction in a system like ours. Senate Bill 1 — the honorific number 1 usually a designation of chamber priority – is a constitutional amendment to allow lawmakers to overturn a governor’s executive orders though a joint committee when the Legislature isn’t in session. That discussion will be historic, on many levels. The Democratic-led House has as its priority House Bill 1, raising the state minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 over a three-year period, a proposal to help working families slapped and stunned economically by the Great Recession, but with a bit more push-back because of its potential impact on small business. Beyond that, let’s concede this is a deeply politicized year. The entire House and half the Senate are up for re-election, and the majority-minority split in the House has significantly narrowed. A hot U.S .Senate race is already on TV. It’s not hard to see deep politics in play this session -- politics defined as the people expressing their wishes and their will through representation and elections, not a bad thing in any sense. Other issues with front burner status, at least for debate: A statewide smoking ban, legalizing medical marijuana, regulating law-enforcement drone flights over citizens just living their lives, and extending domestic-violence protection to dating partners, a bill that in the session’s first week passed a House committee. Mayors – especially Louisville’s mayor – are calling for a local-option sales tax that could be imposed for specific projects. The governor is once again pushing expanded gambling. Its chances may be slightly better than in past attempts, but still in deep doubt. The last (and only) time a casino gambling bill had an up-down vote on the Senate floor, it was beat, badly. The recent emergence of a heroin epidemic, in a state previously concerned with meth and prescribed painkillers as abuse drugs of choice, will also likely be discussed. That’s another significant issue that seems to have bipartisan, bi-chamber support. If you live in a certain slice of the state, surely you’ve seen ‘No Eminent Domain’ signs tacked on trees. Opponents of the proposed Bluegrass Pipeline will be vocal in support of a bill that restricts developers of the proposed natural gas liquid pipeline so they don’t have condemnation powers to seize the easements they need. But, as has been drearily true for many years, the main focus will be on the budget, where many say too few dollars chase too many perceived needs. Whether dollars or needs are the true issue is a debate that will play out as it always does, in dueling perspectives and ideologies. One plain statement is already on the table, though: The administration’s Budget Office says every dollar of new revenue growth next year – and we’re seeing some -- will be eaten up by current obligations like public-employee pensions and Medicaid. The newspapers are full of their usual budget clichés: Austere, bare-bones, lean. We'll eschew those for simply: challenging. The governor, in his State of the Commonwealth address on the session’s opening day, once again called for tax reform to raise public money more effectively. Most consider that a long shot. Many a blue-ribbon commission has proposed reforms similar to the ones on the table now, and – as the governor noted in his speech, though not with these words -- all have flamed out like meteors over Russia. In this charged political and recession-gashed environment, it’s a reach at best to predict major tax reform this session.
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jan 17, 2014 21:35:44 GMT -5
Senate President Pro Tem Katie Stine, R-Southgate, follows testimony by Col. Wayne Turner, Bellevue Chief of Police, before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee, and later the full Senate, passed a bill sponsored by Stine to combat Kentucky's growing heroin addiction problem. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
LRC eNews Press Release This Week in Frankfort By Scott Payton
Any description of any Legislature begs for metaphor, or, if you like, simile. Here’s one: Full legislative sessions, 60 working days with a budget to write and an election year ahead, are like supertankers. Slow to start. Slow to turn. Not graceful at launch. But once on high seas, pure, heavy momentum, straight with purpose and intent. By February and March, this 2014 General Assembly will be at flank speed. The Orders of the Day will grow longer. Bills will flow and fly. But this month, it’s mainly a matter of getting this huge thing, this Kentucky Legislature, out of dockage and into free water. Much of that is the simple challenge of process. A legislature is and ought to be a deliberative body. It takes time for committees to call up bills, debate them, hear from citizens, amend them, and trickle them to the full chamber floors for further debate, passage -- or death, however temporary or permanent. Passed bills are then sent across the marbled Third Floor, to the other Chamber, where the whole process is repeated. And then there’s working out differences between Chamber versions, in conference committees. And even that’s not the end. A governor must sign or veto, and if the latter, the Chambers vote again, to override or not. That’s process. But part of January’s seeming early lull is simply political. The filing deadline for this year’s legislative races is month’s end. Controversial bills normally wait till the electoral landscape is in focus, especially true this year with districts now redrawn. Last week’s opening days were mostly taking care of business, the usual housekeeping and administrative matters, ethics training, saying hello to old friends, and digesting a Governor’s report, in a joint session speech, of how he surveys the Commonwealth’s landscape. It was, however, just a foretaste. The meat will be served in his Budget Address this coming Tuesday. This week was different than last. It saw a hothouse bloom of committee meetings, and the first floor votes on a few bills. Senate committees considered measures representing that chamber’s priorities. The House was similarly active, getting business up to speed, with bills already on the floor and budget subcommittees readying for what may be bloody work. A leader in both Chambers discussed casino gambling, a perennial gubernatorial priority but a legislative no-go for years, positively this week, with bills filed. That’s a tale unfolding we’ll surely revisit here. An unsure ‘stay tuned’ moment, but intriguing in its implications. This is just a beginning that, as described above and here before, is a journey of many hurdles, hills and rivers. The trip to the law books is a long one. A bill that wants passage stands in the rain for months till the door opens and it’s accepted into law. It may never be, or may take years. But at week’s end several important measures were on their way. One of the first major bills approved in one chamber this year was a Senate bill, a forceful but thoughtful move in our never-ending war on drugs. It addresses what might be called an unintended consequence of earlier legislative crackdown on so called Pill Mills, where addictive painkillers were dispensed freely to addicts. Street heroin emerged over time as the drug of choice among the painkiller-deprived. Heroin overdose deaths have jumped more than sixfold since 2011. Senate Bill 5 takes a many-pronged approach to combat the new epidemic. It increases treatment funding for heroin and opiate addiction, requiring Medicaid to cover it. It also allows emergency first-responders to administer Naloxone, a life-saving breath-restoring drug to overdose victims. And it gives Good Samaritans some shield of legal immunity when seeking medical care for someone who’s overdosed. Other provisions of SB 5 address drug peddling. It puts new backbone in penalties for big-time heroin -- and methamphetamine -- traffickers. They’ll have to serve at least half their sentence before being eligible for probation. Prosecutors have more leeway to charge traffickers with criminal homicide in cases of fatal overdose. A second Senate bill moving this week would help give Kentuckians in medically underserved areas better access to quality healthcare. Senate Bill 7 would allow some nurse practitioners to independently prescribe non-scheduled – or routine non-narcotic, non-addictive – medicines. Nurse practitioners with at least four years’ experience would be cut loose to prescribe common daily medications without a doctor’s collaborative consent. Many Kentuckians, especially in rural parts of the state, rely on nurse practitioners for routine care. Across the Capitol, House Bill 70, a long-sought House measure that would allow Kentucky voters to decide whether to automatically approve restored voting rights for nonviolent felons who’ve paid their debt to society, passed the full Chamber. This being a budget session, and since the budget bill must originate in the House, the hot center of House action will be in budget review subcommittees that will soon begin hearing from state agencies and others concerning their financial needs for the next two years. Given revenue growth said to be already claimed by existing necessities, the subcommittees’ work will be, at best, challenging. As mentioned, lawmakers will also hear from the governor on Tuesday, Jan. 21 when he outlines his take on the state’s biennial budget needs and his suggestions to meet them, in his Budget Address. That should be a pivotal moment, at this outset, as the session gets to fourth gear. Then this session will define itself, as history watches. For questions, scott.payton@lrc.ky.gov
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jan 22, 2014 19:09:57 GMT -5
Rep. Tim Couch, R-Hyden (left), speaks with U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers, R-KY, on the floor of the Kentucky House of Representatives. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
Informed consent bill approved by Senate LRC eNews Press Release
A bill that would mandate an in-person meeting with a doctor, nurse or social worker at least 24 hours prior to an abortion procedure was approved 33-5 today by the Kentucky Senate. Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Sen. Sara Beth Gregory, R-Monticello, would require the informed consent process mandated prior to abortion procedures occur in face-to-face meetings. According to Gregory, informed consent process is currently sometimes conducted through a pre-recorded phone message. She said the measure would provide women a more meaningful opportunity to consider information and ask questions prior to the procedure. The bill now goes to the House for consideration. Bill to abolish Treasurer’s office clears Senate panel
A bill that would abolish the state constitutional office of Treasurer was approved by the Senate State and Local Government Committee today. Senate Bill 58, sponsored by Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Latonia, would amend the state constitution to dissolve the State Treasurer’s office at the end of the current term. According to McDaniel, most of the office’s duties could be performed by the state’s Finance Cabinet. He called the measure a “common sense and financially-prudent update to the constitution” that would save the Commonwealth $1.4 million annually. If the measure becomes law, the question will be posed to voters for final ratification in the 2014 general election in November. SB 58 now goes to the full Senate for consideration. Egg bill passes House Committee
Legislation that would revise Kentucky law governing egg marketing passed the House Agriculture and Small Business Committee unanimously today. House Bill 181, sponsored by House Agriculture and Small Business Committee Chair Tom McKee, D-Cynthiana, and Rep. Wilson Stone, D-Scottsville, would define “lot consolidation” as removal of damaged eggs from consumer-labeled cartons and replacement of those eggs with products of the same grade, size, brand, lot, and source. It would call for lot consolidation to be performed by someone registered with the Department of Agriculture and trained in a department-approved course. Changes would be overseen by the Kentucky Egg Marketing Program, which performs random inspection of eggs sold in the Commonwealth to protect consumers. State law requires that businesses and shippers of shell eggs and egg products be licensed by the Commonwealth. HB 181 now moves to the full House for consideration.
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jan 24, 2014 8:30:37 GMT -5
Rep. Rita Smart, D-Richmond, speaks on an anti-bullying bill on the floor of the Kentucky House of Representatives. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
Bill to establish state anti-bullying month advances LRC eNews Press Release
A bill that would designate October as Anti-Bullying Month in Kentucky has passed the state House unanimously. October is currently National Anti-Bullying Month. HB 40, sponsored by Rep. Rita Smart, D-Richmond, was the idea of students at Madison Middle who wanted to play a role in creating a state designation. “The school colors at Madison Middle are purple and yellow,” Smart said. “With this, they also included that they would be the official colors of Anti-Bullying Month. “Purple would represent the victims of domestic violence and yellow would represent victims of suicide,” said Smart. The bill will now move to the Senate for consideration. Legislative pension bill heads to House The Kentucky Senate approved a bill today that would limit some legislative pensions. Senate Bill 4, sponsored by Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Latonia, would permit lawmakers to opt-out of a 2005 law that allows legislative pension calculations to include other, possibly higher-paying, government jobs. “This is a fundamental matter of trust with voters who send us here to be public servants, who expect us to utilize their tax dollars wisely,” McDaniel said. The measure could save the state up to $6.1 million, he said. SB 4 was passed unanimously and now goes to the House for consideration.
Senate panel approves electronic warrant bill A bill that would allow search warrants to be completed electronically cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Senate Bill 45, sponsored by Committee Chair Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, would expand the state’s electronic arrest warrant program to also include search warrants. Westerfield told committee members the electronic system would be more convenient and secure for police officers, prosecutors and judges. A person being served a search warrant would still receive a paper copy, he said. SB 45 now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
Programming language bill clears Senate committee The Senate Education Committee approved a measure today that aims to increase participation in computer programming language courses in high schools across the state. Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg, would make programming language courses eligible to meet the foreign language requirement in high school courses of study and for admission to postsecondary schools in Kentucky. Allowing students to use computer programming courses to meet an already-established requirement for graduation will increase participation in the courses and help more students prepare for lucrative and in-demand software programming jobs, Givens said. The measure passed 10-1 and now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jan 25, 2014 11:39:51 GMT -5
Sen. Dennis Parrett, D-Elizabethtown (left), speaks with Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, after adjournment of the day's legislative session in the Kentucky Senate. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
Frankfort Week in Review LRC eNews Press Release By Scott Payton
A governor’s Budget Address is a momentary snapshot defining a version of reality. It has also, for ten years or more, been a painful picture from a bad family trip, often rock-back-on-your heels disturbing. But it’s also the necessary opening statement in a discussion that will consume Frankfort’s deep Capitol winter, throwing terms of debate on the table, and saying ‘Now what?’ Only the Legislature can write the budget. The governor can just propose. So now we launch. The limited money available is explained. The felt needs and priorities are laid out, with challenges to make you sigh. That’s what happened in a joint session Tuesday night, with 138 lawmakers packed in the House Chamber to hear a fifty-minute gubernatorial speech that told the terms of their coming, bloody budget work. A budget’s like an amoeba, moving but soft, not hard and fast. The state Constitution requires it to be balanced. But there’s tricks to do that. Not long ago, state employees were paid one day late at the end of the Fiscal Year. It saved enough money to keep the previous year in balance. That’s called ‘structural imbalance.’ There’s not really enough money for what everyone wants. But we do one-time stuff to patch the holes. The governor proposed a form of that legerdemain this year in the face of our drearily predictable shortfalls. It will balance the budget. But some may feel pain. The tactic? Take money from one place to put another. The newspapers call it ‘raiding funds.’ The budget before us targets 51 government funds specified for certain things to move $370 million to the General Fund, to kick start funding for K-12 education – a main gubernatorial priority -- and give state workers and teachers long-lost and longed-for raises. Examples: $93 million from the Public Employee Health Insurance Trust Fund (which is said to be sound and able to absorb that) to comparatively minor nips like $100,000 from the Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Actual plain spending cuts total $99 million, proposed. State universities would stare down the barrel of a 2.5 percent cut, though bonded debt for construction on campuses statewide might alleviate the sting. Other state agencies, many of them, face 5 percent cuts. Another grim picture in a steady march of cuts stretching back years. Budget officials say fund transfers are a normal and accepted practice in the budgeting process, and have been routine in past years. Still, this year’s transfers seem to have significant scope. They reflect the gravity of this session’s challenge: Though revenues are indeed trending up, the proposed new commitment to education -- $474.4 million in new money for elementary and secondary education – means something has to give, given the pension and Medicaid obligation already claimed. House budget review subcommittees are assembling. The January’s-end filing deadline is near. This General Assembly is about to get deeply real, real fast.
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jan 30, 2014 18:38:20 GMT -5
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester (left), explains a bill to the Senate State and Local Government Committee that he sponsored to strengthen legislative oversight of administrative regulations as Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer looks on. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
Minimum wage measures move to full House LRC eNews Press Release
Legislation that would raise the state’s minimum hourly wage of $7.25 to $10.10 by July 2016 has cleared the House Labor and Industry Committee. The wage would be increased incrementally to $8.10 an hour this July, $9.15 per hour in July 2015, and $10.10 an hour the following July under House Bill 1, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg.
Panel approves informed consent bill A measure that would change the informed consent process for the abortion procedure in Kentucky was approved by the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee today. Senate Bill 8, sponsored by Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, would require an ultrasound prior to informed consent being given for an abortion. Under provisions of the bill, the physician would be required to display the ultrasound images and provide a medical description of the images. A woman would not be required to look at the images if she prefers not to, according to the legislation. The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
School finance bill clears House, 58-41 A House bill that would require certification of Kentucky school finance officers, change annual in-service training requirements for school board members and superintendents, and require both monthly and yearly public financial reports from districts has passed its first major hurdle. House Bill 154, sponsored by Rep. Mike Denham, D-Maysville, cleared the House by a 58-41 vote today. It now goes to the Senate for consideration. New annual in-service training for school board members required by the bill would be 12 hours for members with up to 8 years of board service and 8 hours for members with more than 8 years’ service. All board members would be required to have two hours of school finance training, two hours ethics training, and two hours superintendent evaluation training annually. Superintendents would have to complete at least three hours’ annual training in school finance and at least three hours of ethics training annually. Annual district financial reports would be required by the state within six months of the close of the fiscal year, and would be required by local school boards on a monthly basis. Both the monthly reports and yearly reports would be posted online. The state Department of Education would be required to review each district’s annual financial report and, within two months, respond to the local board of education with a written report on the financial status of that district.
Senate Bill 1 passes Senate committee A Senate committee today approve legislation that would allow voters to decide on a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the General Assembly to prohibit the adoption of administrative regulations it finds deficient. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Joe Bowen, R-Owensboro, and Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, was approved by members of the Senate State and Local Government Committee on a 7-4 vote. “It is important because it preserves the basic tenants of a democratic form of government— that being a balance of power, a system of checks and balances,” Bowen said of the legislation. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
Felony expungement bill clears committee A bill that would allow low-level one-time Kentucky felons to ask the courts to seal—or “expunge”—their felony record has passed the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 64, sponsored by Rep. Darryl T. Owens, D-Louisville, would apply to “Class D” felons whose conviction was not based on a sex offense, crime against the elderly, or crime against child; who completed their sentence or probation at least five years prior; and who was not convicted of a felony before their conviction and has not been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, or violation since. It would also apply to those for whom felony charges did not result in an indictment, and would provide discrimination protection for felons whose records have been expunged. The bill would apply to any eligible felon, regardless of how many decades have passed since their conviction. As many as 94,000 individuals could be eligible for expungement under the legislation, according to Owens. Current Kentucky law only allows expungement in misdemeanor cases.
Electronic warrant bill heads to House The Senate unanimously approved a measure today that would allow search warrants to be completed electronically. Senate Bill 45, sponsored by Committee Chair Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, would expand the state’s electronic arrest warrant program to include search warrants. The bill would require a person being served any search warrant to be provided a paper copy. According to Westerfield, the electronic process is “identical” to the traditional process. “In addition to preserving the Constitutional safeguards, it also makes government more efficient,” he said. SB 45 now goes to the House for consideration.
Dog owner definition bill clears Senate panel The Senate Agriculture Committee approved a bill today that would amend the state’s legal definition of a dog owner. According to Sen. Chris Girdler, R-Somerset, who sponsored Senate Bill 78, the bill would prohibit rental property owners from being held liable for attacks by dogs owned by their tenants. The current definition of a dog owner includes landlords that allow the pets on their properties, he said. “This is a common sense personal responsibility issue. Individuals should be responsible for their own pets. A landlord or property owner should not be held liable for another person’s dog,” Girdler said. SB 78 now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
School insulin bill clears House, 91-0 The Kentucky House voted 91-0 today to make Kentucky one of over 30 states that allows non-licensed school employees to be trained to administer insulin to students. House Bill 98, sponsored by Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, would allow school personnel trained per guidelines developed by the American Diabetes Association to administer insulin to students or help students self-administer insulin. Currently, only medically-licensed school employees—i.e., school nurses—may administer insulin to students in schools under Kentucky law. “It provides a mechanism to where children can receive their insulin in a school setting—especially their neighborhood school setting—from trained school personnel that are able to give insulin,” said Damron. Parents or guardians would be required to give written permission and provide written authorization by the student’s health care provider before insulin could be administered by staff or self-administered by a student at school, according to HB 98. The bill would also clarify that diabetes or a seizure disorder shall not keep a student from attending one school over another. Similar legislation, Senate Bill 30, sponsored by Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, has been filed in the Senate for consideration. HB 98 now goes to the Senate for consideration. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Jan 31, 2014 22:39:09 GMT -5
Rep. Ryan Quarles, R-Georgetown (middle), confers with Rep. W. Keith Hall, D-Phelps, as they present legislation on youth referees at a meeting of the House Labor and Industry Committee as Anthony Russell, Commissioner of Workplace Standards in the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, looks on. (Photo courtesy of Mike Sunseri, Photography Director, Legislative Research Commission)
THIS WEEK IN FRANKFORT By Scott Payton, LRC PUBLIC INFORMATION
It was written 414 winters ago that ‘If’ was the key word in politics. And not as a bad thing. ‘Much virtue in If.’ Now that January has mercifully blown through – and with it Tuesday’s candidate filing deadline -- the landscape in Frankfort should clear of its cold, uncertain fog. Time to address the virtue in questions of If. We can wonder: If last year’s bipartisan cooperation will be sustained through a longer, more rigorous full session, with a budget on the table and elections in the air? If a budget can go through both chambers and gets the governor’s signature without a session’s-end trainwreck? If tax reform will be discussed or dismissed, again? If casino gambling is seriously debated – or, a historic long-shot, passed? And if passed, will that profoundly change Kentucky’s treasure and Treasury and soul? If dozens of issues important to someone, or to many, will make it through a process deliberately designed to throw up slowing speedbumps? Because our shared future is at stake and no public act of law should be undertaken casually or too easily. If the process seems ponderous and hard, it’s meant to be. There are no Kingly dictates in a peoples’ democracy. We meet on shifting ground. We live in civic possibility, in the word ‘if.’ The week in Frankfort saw a stepped up committee meetings schedule, and a clear sense of purposeful movement with the session a fourth over. It’s time. One interesting piece of news relating back to last session came down from Washington this week. It seems the Feds are indeed going to allow pilot projects in growing industrial (non-marijuana) hemp. Since the last Legislature passed enabling legislation allowing us to proceed in that eventuality, experimental hemp farming may without further legislative action be a reality in Kentucky as soon as this year. Tobacco farmers, wrecked by loss of the old Tobacco Program and looking for ways to feed their kids, are well equipped to transition to hemp if they choose. That story will unfold. Administration budget officials told the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee this week that their spending recommendation includes $19.8 billion in expected General Fund revenues. But their overall proposal is a complex affair. It includes $370 million in fund transfers, $166.8 million in savings from the federal Affordable Care Act, $98.6 million in state spending cuts (including five percent cuts for most state agencies and 2.5 percent cuts for state universities and the Kentucky State Police), a carryover from fiscal year 2014, and other money from other resources or funding lapses. There’s lots of digging, and moving parts. And plenty for lawmakers to look at in coming weeks of hopeful thaw till a budget’s drawn in March. The budget as proposed from the Administration does not count on funding from casinos or expanded gaming. Nor the Rainy Day Fund, more formally known as the state Budget Reserve Trust Fund, which has $98 million socked away for the worst of times. Nor tax reform money either. But there’s more than a budget happening in Frankfort. The Senate this week passed an interesting bill that reflects the digital age all kids seem to understand instinctively, but we grownups struggle with. It’s a bill that would allow computer-programming language courses to meet the foreign-language requirement in high school. It’s estimated more than a million good-paying software-programming jobs will be unfilled by 2020. Kentucky kids should be lined up for them. This may help. Another education bill in the Senate would ensure that SEEK funding – the formula used to calculate General Fund dollars to local school districts – could not be withheld from schools as a punishment for perceived transgressions. A House committee approved a measure to raise the state minimum wage. The bill would raise it from the current $7.25 an hour by 95 cents on July 1 and by another 95 cent each of the next two years. It will land at $10.10 on July 1, 2016. This seems to be an emerging issue nationally, and one worth watching in Kentucky. We may feel like a bellwether. If it happens. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Feb 5, 2014 19:28:00 GMT -5
House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook (left), confers with Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, in the Kentucky House of Representatives. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Research Commission)
Ultrasound bill clears Senate LRC eNews Press Release
The Kentucky Senate passed a bill today that would change the informed consent process required prior to abortion procedures. Senate Bill 8, sponsored by Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, would add an ultrasound to the informed consent requirement for abortions performed in Kentucky. The bill would require physicians to verbally describe the ultrasound images. The woman could choose not to look at the images. “This is about informed consent. It is about being informed before making a procedure decision,” Westerfield said. The bill was approved 33-5 and will now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Missed appointment bill passes committee A bill that seeks to create a missed appointment fee pilot program for Medicaid patients was approved today by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. Senate Bill 52, sponsored by Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, would require the state to seek a waiver from Medicaid to start a pilot program in Jefferson, Letcher and Pike counties permitting health care providers to charge a $10 missed appointment fee. “The biggest complaint that providers have and the biggest reason they drop out of Medicaid is because of the high no-show rate amongst that population of patient,” Denton said. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
Anti-bullying measure advances A bill that would recognize October as Anti-Bullying Month in the state was approved in the Kentucky Senate today. Senate Bill 20, sponsored by Sen. Jared Carpenter, R-Berea, would also make the purple and yellow ribbon a symbol of anti-bullying awareness. “As a father of two young children and an uncle of middle school and high school students, I can see how [bullying] affects their lives,” Carpenter said. The measure was a result of two years of work by Madison Middle School Students.
Bill to abolish Treasurer’s office clears Senate The Kentucky State Senate approved a measure, 23-15, today that would abolish the state office of Treasurer. Senate Bill 58, sponsored by Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Latonia, would amend the state constitution to dissolve the State Treasurer’s office at the end of the current term. McDaniel told lawmakers the office has become obsolete. “Today, the office performs very few functions that are not also performed by the Governor’s Finance Administration Cabinet,” he said. McDaniel said the duties would be transferred to the Finance Cabinet and state Auditor’s Office. Those opposing the bill included Senate Democratic Floor Leader Sen. R.J. Palmer, D-Winchester, who said the Treasurer’s Office provides a needed check and balance for the state’s finances. If the measure becomes law, the question will be posed to voters for final ratification in the 2014 general election in November. SB 58 now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Coal county scholarship and grant bill heads to House Legislation that would help college students from Kentucky’s coal counties complete four-year degrees in their home areas with help from a “Kentucky Coal County College Completion Scholarship” has cleared the House Education Committee. House Bill 2, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, and Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, would fund scholarships mostly for students living and attending school in the state’s coal-producing counties in both Eastern and Western Kentucky. The bill would provide five percent of total scholarship funds for students who want to attend an approved program outside of those coal counties, according to the bill. Scholarships available to eligible students under HB 2 for the 2014-15 academic year would total a maximum of $6,800 per academic year for students attending an independent college or university in the coal counties, $2,300 per year for students of a public extension campus or regional postsecondary center in those counties, or $3,400 per year for those students eligible to attend a program located in Kentucky but outside the coal counties. The legislation would also create student services grants for Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges located in the coal regions. Grant amounts would total $150,000 per institution per year, according to HB 2. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Feb 28, 2014 19:49:07 GMT -5
School calendar bill clears House committee LRC eNews Press Release
School districts would have more flexibility in dealing with snow days and other events that require changes to the school calendar under legislation approved yesterday by the House Education Committee. House Bill 383, sponsored by Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Florence, would maintain the same requirement for 1,062 instructional hours annually that schools have now. The minimum number of student instructional days would go from 175 to 170 annually, but school boards that have to to amend school calendars would be given the flexibility to adjust school days by 30 minutes or more if needed to ensure that they are meeting state requirements on student instruction. “It does not diminish or take away the 1,062 instructional hours that we require…but allows (districts) flexibility in planning their school calendar,” Wuchner said. The minimum school term of 185 days—including student attendance days, teacher professional days, and school holidays – would not change if HB 383 becomes law. Wuchner and others testifying on the bill said the legislation would help schools that have lost student attendance days this winter due to bad weather. HB 383 would also prohibit a district from scheduling a student attendance day on election days. The bill would also clarify that the commissioner of education can waive up to 10 days from a school calendar when bad weather or other emergencies cause a district to create an approved alternate instructional plan “so that no education is lost during that process,” Wuchner said. The bill now goes to the full House for further action. It would take effect immediately if it passes both the House and Senate and becomes law.
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Mar 16, 2014 6:50:38 GMT -5
FRANKFORT— Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, presents a constitutional amendment in the Senate Committee on State and Local Government to alter the length of future legislative sessions. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Research Commission)
This Week at the State Capitol March 10 – 14, 2014: House puts its stamp on budget, sends proposal to Senate LRC eNews Press Release
“Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak…” Time and again, as debate on the state budget stretched into Thursday evening, House members rose from their seats and took their turns. Maybe there was a new idea to share. Or a need to respond to another member’s comments. Or a point that needed emphasis before votes were cast. For any number of good reasons, lawmakers kept their discussions going, eager to provide a voice for their constituents. Point. Counterpoint. Dinner hour came and went with lawmakers still making cases for and against the $20.3 billion spending plan in front of them. This is what a marketplace of ideas looks like. In the end, the House passed its version of the proposed budget on a 53-46 vote and sent it to the Senate, where more changes are likely to come quickly. There are only two weeks before the lawmakers’ scheduled veto recess, and they intend to get the budget to the governor’s desk before then. Considering that it usually takes tremendous efforts and negotiations to iron out difference between the House and Senate on budgets, it’s likely that lights will be burning well into the night at the Capitol in the days to come. At this point, the budget plan still looks a lot like the one submitted by the governor in January. Per pupil school funding would go up more than $70 million in the first year of the budget cycle and an additional $30 million the next year. Spending would increase on textbooks and preschool programs, but at levels lower than the governor proposed. Capital construction plans at postsecondary schools would go forward. Most state agencies would see 5 percent cuts. Universities, community and technical colleges and the State Police would see 2.5 percent funding reductions to their operating budgets. On the Senate side of the Capitol, this week’s activity included the passage of SB 124, which would allow medical use of cannabis oil to treat pediatric seizures and other diseases. In recent weeks, lawmakers have heard emotional testimony from parents desperate for a new treatment for their children’s seizures. SB 124 was approved by the Senate and sent to the House for further action. Other bills that were approved in legislative chambers this week include: * SB 170, which was approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee, would allow more poisonous weeds and invasive plants to be targeted for eradication from state right-of-ways. Supporters of the legislation note that some plants that no longer pose a major threat are on the list for eradication while noxious plants that cause bigger problems are not on the list. In addition to targeting plants like kudzu and poison hemlock for removal from roadsides and other areas, the legislation also would give the Department of Highways authority to regularly review and make changes to its list of unwanted plants. * SB 108 would prevent those convicted of rape from claiming parental rights to children born as a result of the assault. The bill, which has been approved by the Senate and sent to the House for consideration, would require child support to be ordered in those cases unless waived by the mother. * SB 157 would create a pilot program to encourage transparency in certain juvenile court proceedings by allowing in members of the public. Those viewing the proceedings would not be allowed to share with others the identity of children involved in court cases. The bill was approved by the Senate and sent to the House for consideration. * HB 207 is aimed at curbing the growing number of complaints against roofing contractors by requiring them to be licensed, insured, bonded, and knowledgeable of roofing issues. Supporters of the legislation say botched roofing jobs are a top source of complaints reported to the Better Business Bureau. * HB 410 would allow school districts to excuse up to 10 instructional days missed this school year due to snow days and other weather-related emergencies. Although students would be excused on the waived school days, teachers and other school employees would still work. There are several easy ways citizens can stay in touch with the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov, provides information on each of the Commonwealth’s senators and representatives, including phone numbers, addressees, and committee assignments. The site also provides bill texts, a bill-tracking service, and committee meeting schedules. Feedback on the issues can be shared with lawmakers by calling the General Assembly’s toll-free message line at 800-372-7181. People with hearing difficulties may leave messages for lawmakers by calling the TTY Message Line at 800-896-0305. Citizens may write any legislator by sending a letter with the lawmaker’s name to: Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Mar 16, 2014 6:56:18 GMT -5
FRANKFORT— (Clockwise, from top) Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg, Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, Senate Democratic Floor Leader R.J. Palmer, D-Winchester, Senate President Pro Tem Katie Stine, R-Southgate, Senate Majority Whip Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, and Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, discuss a bill in the Kentucky Senate to offer relief to school districts that have missed a multitude of days due to weather this year. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Research Commission)
Snow day waiver bill clears House, 82-8 LRC eNews Press Release
School districts would be allowed to excuse up to 10 instructional days missed this school year under legislation that today passed the Kentucky House. House Bill 410, sponsored by Rep. John Will Stacy, D-West Liberty, would take effect immediately upon becoming law. Although students would be excused on the waived days, teachers and other school employees would still work. Many of the state’s 173 public school districts have missed over 10 days of school this winter due to snow, ice, or bitter cold. “HB 410 is simply the bill that allows some relief for our struggling school districts after the disastrous winter that we’ve had,” Stacy said. “It allows them to go ahead and plan the remainder of their school year.” Supporting the bill was Rep. Brian Linder, R-Dry Ridge, who explained that it will be a help rural school districts like his that “don’t have delays (when there is bad weather). If the weather is bad, we miss the whole day.” Rep. Adam Koenig, R-Erlanger, who voted against the bill, said that in the eight years he has served in the Kentucky House “this is the third time we will have forgiven 10 days. And I vote against it every time. And it’s bound to catch up with us at some point.” HB 410 passed the House 82-8 and now goes to the Senate. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Mar 29, 2014 21:13:53 GMT -5
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, discusses state trooper staffing in the state budget during conference committee negotiations. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Research Commission)
This Week at the State Capitol LRC eNews Press Release
There are usually three main drivers of state budget negotiations during the late days of a legislative session: the Senate, the House and the ticking clock. Lawmakers from each chamber had already passed their preferred spending plans when they arrived at the negotiating table this week to hammer out a budget compromise. They arrived with a veto recess scheduled to begin April 1 drawing ever-closer. (Sending a budget to the governor before the veto recess preserves lawmakers’ ability to override vetoes cast by the governor.) As you’d expect with a $20 billion, two-year spending plan, there are plenty of areas for agreements and differences among members of the Senate and House. The version of the budget approved by the House two weeks ago resembles the plan Gov. Steve Beshear unveiled in January in many ways. Additional changes were made as the plan moved through the Senate this week, most notably a reduction in the amount of debt the state would incur through bond funds for construction projects. The Senate also removed a proposed 2.5 percent budget cut for universities, while scaling back construction plans at the schools. Community and Technical Colleges would still face 2.5 percent cuts under the Senate plan, but could move forward on many capital projects as long as projects funded by increased student fees were located at the school where the fees were collected. The Senate also proposed stashing an additional $25 million in the state’s “rainy day” budget reserve trust fund. Areas of agreement between the Senate and House versions of the budget plan include raises for state employees, full contributions to the state employee pension system, 5 percent cuts for many state agencies, and an increase in per pupil funding for public schools. At the time of this writing, budget conference committee members still had differences to iron out before arriving at a deal that both chambers could agree on. In other General Assembly activity this week, the Senate and House reached a compromise on the “snow days” bill that will give schools flexibility in adjusting their calendars to make up for the unusually high number of days schools were closed due to snow in recent months. In many districts, schools were closed more than 20 days this winter, leading to questions about how long students would need to attend classes before summer break would begin. House Bill 211 will allow school districts to increase the length of their school days to a maximum of seven hours for the remainder of this school year. Schools that aren’t on track to reach the required number of instructional hours required by the state by June 6 can ask the commissioner of education to waive some of their instructional hours. Some of the big issues of the 2014 session – including juvenile justice reform and an anti-heroin measure – are still moving through the process and might clear final hurdles before the veto recess starts next week. Citizens can follow these and other issues on the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at: www.lrc.ky.govFeedback on the issues under consideration can be shared with lawmakers by calling the toll-free legislative message line at 800-372-7181. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Apr 4, 2014 21:57:47 GMT -5
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, speaks with reporters in the Kentucky Senate. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Research Commission)
This Week at the State Capitol Lawmakers reach agreement on state’s next two-year budget LRC eNews Press Release
A statement on education. That’s one way the state budget approved this week by the General Assembly has been described. After years of holding steady, the primary funding source for kindergarten through twelfth-grade education will receive a much-welcomed boost under the two-year, $20.3 billion spending plan lawmakers approved this week. The school funding formula -- known as Support Education Excellence in Kentucky, or SEEK – guarantees a set funding amount to schools for each student. While SEEK funding has been protected from the budget cuts that hit many parts of state government in recent years, schools have been increasingly feeling the pinch from the flatlined appropriations combined with enrollment increases and rising expenses. Close to $6 billion in state general fund support will go toward SEEK funding over the next two years. The SEEK base is slated to rise from $3,827 per student in the current fiscal year to $3,911 in the next fiscal year and $3,981 the year after that. Teachers and other school employees will see 1 percent raises in the first year of the biennium and 2 percent raises the next year. The budget includes a $10 million increase in education technology funding and provides an additional $18.7 million in FY 2016 for preschool services for four-year-old children whose family income is within 160 percent of the federal poverty level. While funding for universities and community and technical colleges will be cut by 1.5 percent, the budget will allow plans for bond-funded capital construction to go forward on many campuses. Many state agencies will face 5 percent budgets cuts, though some critical areas, such as Medicaid, will be protected from reductions. Funding for child care subsidies for low income families will be restored for households with incomes up to 125 percent of the federal poverty levels in 2015 and expanded to families earning up to 160 percent of the poverty level in 2016. The budget also includes raises for state employees and full contributions to the state employee pension system. Lawmakers have now left Frankfort and returned to their home districts for the ten-day veto recess, the period of time in which lawmakers wait to see whether the governor vetoes any recently approved bills. The governor has the authority to veto a bill in its entirety or veto specific lines in legislation that make appropriations, such as the budget bill. Lawmakers can override any vetoes cast by the governor with the votes of a majority of members in both the Senate and House. Members of the General Assembly will return to the State Capitol on April 14 and 15 for the final two days of the 2014 legislative session. Citizens who want to stay connected with legislative action have several easy ways to stay in touch with the General Assembly. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Apr 16, 2014 12:33:06 GMT -5
Senate Majority Whip Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, makes a floor speech in the Kentucky Senate. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Research Commission)
General Assembly's 2014 session ends LRC eNews Press Release
The Kentucky General Assembly's 2014 regular session ended this evening, capping off a session in which lawmakers approved the state's next two-year budget and measures that will impact people throughout the state. Since the session's start in early January, lawmakers have approved measures to allow medical use of cannabis oil, create an adult abuse registry, prevent children from buying electronic cigarettes, establish a two-year plan for road and bridge construction, improve the juvenile justice system, and establish legal protections for victims of human trafficking. Most new laws that don't come from legislation with emergency clauses or different specified effective dates will go into effect in 90 days. Bills approved this year by the General Assembly include measures on the following topics: Acupuncture. Senate Bill 29 will require acupuncturists to be licensed. Adult protection. SB 98 will create an adult abuse registry to help employers in the adult care profession determine if a prospective employee has a previous history of substantiated adult abuse, neglect or exploitation. All terrain vehicles. House Bill 260 will allow an ATV operator 16 years of age or older to cross a public roadway if the speed limit is 45 miles per hour or less without protective headgear in order to get from one ATV trail to another. Boaters. SB 66, known as the 'Boater Freedom Act,' will require boating enforcement officers to have a reasonable suspicion of violation of the state's boating laws before boarding and inspecting a boat on Kentucky waterways. Budget. HB 235 is the $20.3 billion budget that will guide state spending for the next two years. Many state agencies will face 5 percent budget cuts, though some critical areas, such as Medicaid, will be protected from reductions. Per pupil school funding at K-12 schools will go up. Funding for universities and community and technical colleges will be cut by 1.5 percent, though plans for bond-funded capital construction can go forward on many campuses. State employees and teachers will get raises and full contributions will be made to the state employee pension system. Bullying. SB 20 will designate October as Anti-Bullying Month and a purple and yellow ribbon as the symbol for anti-bullying awareness. The bill was the idea of students at Madison Middle School in Richmond. Cannabis oil. SB 124 will allow doctors at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville to research and prescribe cannabis oil for medical purposes, such as treatment of pediatric epilepsy. Child abuse. HB 157 will require more training for doctors on recognizing and preventing abusive head trauma among children. Concealed weapons. HB 128 will allow anyone who has been granted an emergency protective or domestic violence order to receive a provisional concealed carry permit in one business day. The petitioners would undergo the same background checks and application requirements as other applicants but would have up to 45 days to complete the necessary training for a full concealed carry license. Consumer protection. HB 232 requires businesses and other entities to notify consumers if a security breach might have resulted in the unauthorized acquisition of consumers' personal or financial information. Cybersecurity. HB 5 will improve electronic safeguards in state agencies and require that people be notified if a security breach occurs on a government computer system. Diabetes. HB 98 will allow school staff trained by health professionals to assist diabetic students with insulin administration. Driver safety. HB 90 will require parents or guardians to make a court appearance when a driver under 18 is cited for a traffic violation. Electronic cigarettes. SB 109 prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to those under the age of 18. Health care. SB 7 will broaden the prescribing authority of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. Human trafficking. SB 184 will allow a person's record to be cleared of a non-violent offense if a judge determines the offense resulted from being a victim of human trafficking. Invasive plants. SB 170 will update and expand the state's list of invasive and noxious plants, such as kudzu and poison hemlock, targeted for eradication from roadsides and public right-of-ways. Jobs retention. HB 396 expands eligibility for Kentucky Jobs Retention Act benefits to include manufacturers of appliances. The legislation is expected to help GE invest up to $325 million in its Appliance Park operations in Louisville. Juvenile justice. SB 200 will increase and strengthen evidence-based early intervention programs and services provided to young offenders of certain non-violent crimes, such as truancy. It will also increase education and training of certain employees in the juvenile justice system. The measure calls for data collection and reporting to measure the effectiveness of programs and policies, and would create a committee to oversee implementation of the legislation, monitor effectiveness and make recommendations for improvements based on outcomes. Legislative Research Commission. HB 81 will implement an employee suggestion system for employees of the Legislative Research Commission and require that the national motto, 'In God We Trust,' be prominently displayed in legislative committee rooms. Newborn health. SB 7 will require periodic reporting of health statistics relating to drug-addicted or dependent newborns. Road plan. HB 237 outlines the state's $5.2 billion plan for road and bridge projects throughout the state for the next two fiscal years. School calendar. HB 211 gives schools flexibility in adjusting their calendars to make up for the unusually high number of days schools were closed due to snow in recent months. The bill will allow school districts to increase the length of their school days to a maximum of seven hours for the remainder of this school year. Schools that aren't on track to reach the number of instructional hours required annually by the state by June 6 can ask the commissioner of education to waive the requirement for some of their instructional hours. State parks. HB 475 will allow residents near state park lodges and golf courses in counties where alcohol sales currently aren't allowed to vote on whether by-the-drink alcohol sales should be allowed at the facilities. Tax zappers. HB 69 would make it a Class D felony to possess a 'tax zapper,' a device that could be used on a computerized cash register to help a retailer hide sales subject to tax from tax collectors. Veterans. HB 337 will make it easier for veterans with applicable military experience to become licensed as an HVAC professional. Voyeurism. SB 225 will update the state's voyeurism laws to outlaw a practice called 'up-skirting' in which a cell phone is used to take pictures underneath a woman's skirt without her consent. Wineries. SB 213 will allow Sunday alcohol sales at small farm wineries if authorized by a fiscal court vote or a local option election. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|
|
Post by Press Release on Apr 19, 2014 7:29:46 GMT -5
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, adjourns the 2014 legislative session "sine die" at the stroke of midnight in the Kentucky Senate. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Research Commission)
General Assembly’s 2014 session ends, new laws’ impact will be far-reaching LRC eNews Press Release
When the final gavel falls on a legislative session, it’s often seen as a time to start looking back – a chance to review what passed, what failed, who won and who lost. We’ve had a few days for such assessments since the 2014 Kentucky General Assembly adjourned. So, now, let’s turn our gaze forward and see the ways lawmakers’ recent work will touch Kentuckians’ lives in the days and years to come. School kids across the commonwealth will be attending better-funded schools, thanks to a two-year state budget that provides increases the funding schools get for each student. Students will also see improvements from increased funding for education technology. Teachers will get raises, too. On university and college campuses, students will see physical improvements since many capital construction projects were authorized to go forward. The postsecondary schools’ operating budgets, however, might still feel tight since the schools will experience 1.5 percent budget cuts. Whether this could have a future effect on tuition prices remains to be seen. Senior centers and others who provide services to elderly citizens will be better safeguarded against those who aren’t suitable to work in the adult care industry. An adult abuse registry will be created so that these employers can better vet potential employees and ensure they don’t have a history of adult abuse or neglect. Children with uncontrollable seizures may have a promising new treatment within reach since doctors at UK and U of L will be allowed to prescribe cannabis oil for medical purposes. Researchers at the schools will also be able to learn more about the oil and its potential to alleviate medical problems since they will now have authority to conduct research on the product. Domestic abuse victims who feel like they need to better protect themselves will have quicker access to concealed deadly weapons permits. A change to state law will allow anyone who has been granted an emergency protective or domestic violence order to receive a provisional concealed carry permit in one business day. The petitioners will undergo the same background checks and application requirements as other applicants but will have up to 45 days to complete the necessary training for full concealed carry licenses. Residents near some state park lodges and golf courses in counties where alcohol sales currently aren’t allowed now might get to vote on whether by-the-drink alcohol sales should be allowed at the facilities. Tax cheats will have a new reason to worry: It will soon be a Class D felony to possess a “tax zapper,” a device that could be used on a computerized cash register to help a retailer hide sales subject to tax from tax collectors. Kentucky’s small farm wineries might soon be able to lure in more weekend visitors and sell their products on Sundays. By mid-summer, Sunday alcohol sales at small farm wineries could be authorized by a fiscal court vote or a local option election. Parents will be in the loop if their children are caught driving in an unsafe manner. The parents will now be notified and expected to appear in court if a child under 18 receives a traffic violation. Just as children aren’t able to buy cigarettes, they soon won’t be able to buy electronic cigarettes that are growing in popularity. A change in state law will make it illegal for retailers to see e-cigarettes to those under 18. There may be a bit less kudzu and other invasive plants along Kentucky roads in the days ahead. The list of plants targeted by the state for eradication from public right-of-ways is set to grow to include these and other nuisance plants. Victims of the underground crime of human trafficking will have a little more help from the state when they come forward. A new law will ensure the victims can have their records cleared of a non-violent offense if a judge determines the offense resulted from being a victim of human trafficking. Those served by the juvenile justice system also have reason to expect better results. The state is now on track to increase and strengthen evidence-based early intervention programs and services provided to young offenders of certain non-violent crimes, such as truancy. Recently approved legislation will also increase education and training of certain employees in the juvenile justice system and data collection that will help point out areas for future improvements. While the impact of lawmakers’ work this year will be felt across the state for years to come, the 2014 session – like all sessions – left some issues unresolved. Many of those issues will no doubt continue to be discussed in the days ahead and may again be proposed in the form of a bill in a future legislative session. With that in mind, citizens are encouraged to stay connected with their lawmakers and activity at the State Capitol. Your feedback can be shared with lawmakers by calling the General Assembly’s toll-free message line at 1-800-372-7181. People with hearing difficulties may leave messages for lawmakers by calling the TTY Message Line at 1-800-896-0305. You may also write any legislator by sending a letter with the lawmaker’s name to: Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601. The preceding was a press release from LRC eNews. For more information on items before the Kentucky Legislature contact your local senator Robert Stivers (left) and/or representative Tim Couch (right).
|
|