At the end of a legislative session, months of preparation and weeks of debate give way to a handful of days where the General Assembly and governor decide what will become law and what will have to wait.
It’s a predictably busy time, especially when the budget is in the mix during even-numbered years.
That was the scenario last week, as the House and Senate began finding common ground on how to move the commonwealth forward. There was agreement on some major issues, but there was also a fairly wide gulf between the two chambers’ spending plans as legislative leaders sat down Thursday afternoon to begin working out those differences.
With all of this attention on the bottom line, there was also a flurry of activity as we worked in committee and on the House floor to reconcile differences and consider approval of dozens of bills flowing back and forth between the two legislative chambers.
As budget talks continued, the House and Senate did agree on major bills last week. Under Senate Bill 56, we crack down on repeat DUI offenders by doubling the look-back period from five years to 10. Under current law, these offenders aren’t charged with a felony until the fourth offense, and those have to occur within a five-year period.
Two families who lost loved ones because of repeat DUI offenders were in the House chambers to watch us unanimously pass this bill. This measure should take more drunk drivers off the road and will hopefully lead to more getting the treatment they need.
With House Bill 309, the state will soon have another major economic development tool known as public-private partnerships, or P3. In short, this will streamline how the state and local governments team up with the private sector to carry out a public function, from building large bridges to running a utility.
With the federal government providing much less help these days, this has become the only viable way to get some of these projects done. Other states have long used this to do things that would have been all but impossible under traditional government financing.
The goal is to make sure all agencies follow the same guidelines and that the public is more aware and involved along the way. As such, there is considerable oversight built into the bill.
A bill aimed at increasing government transparency passed favorably out of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government last week. House Bill 80 narrows open records exemptions for private firms providing public services. The bill would require entities offering services traditionally performed by government agencies and receiving at least a quarter of their revenue from taxpayers to adhere to the same open records laws as their government counterparts. The legislation, which recently passed the House on a 92-0 vote, now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
Senate Bill 43 that would provide $80,000 lump-sum state death benefits to families of emergency medical services personnel killed in the line of duty as of Nov. 1, 2015. This is named in memory of fallen EMS worker John Mackey and is on the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
SB 195 would allow firefighters with certain types of lung or other cancer presumed to be tied to their employment to be eligible for lump-sum state benefits. This is also awaiting the Governor’s signature.
This week, legislators are only scheduled to meet on Monday and Tuesday and then return home for a 10-day veto recess while Gov. Bevin decides whether to sign the bills we sent him into law or to veto them. We will return to the Capitol on April 11 and 12 to consider any possible vetoes and finish our work.
If you would like to contact me during this time, or throughout the year, I am easy to reach. You can address letters to Room 329E, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601; or you can email me at Mike.Denham@lrc.ky.gov.
To leave a message for me or for any legislator by phone, please call 800-372-7181. For those with a hearing impairment, the number is 800-896-0305.
I hope to hear from you soon.
State Rep. Mike Denham is a Democrat from Maysville and has represented House District 70 (Bracken, Fleming and Mason counties) since 2001.