The Kentucky General Assembly, under the leadership of House Speaker Jeff Hoover and Senate President Robert Stivers, passed critical “worker freedom bills and a repeal a wasteful prevailing wage law.”
“Kentuckians sent us to Frankfort to work, and we take their direction very seriously,” said Hoover. “The days of wasting precious time and taxpayer dollars are over.”
Kentucky joined 26 other states to pass Right to Work legislation, which will eliminate the requirement to join a union as a condition of employment. Additionally, repeal of the state’s prevailing wage law will finally create a free enterprise market on all projects funded with taxpayer dollars.
SB 3, a bill disclosing retirement plans of legislators, was the first bill passed by the Kentucky House of Representatives on Saturday.
“I am pleased that a common sense and long overdue bill like legislative pension transparency has passed through the General Assembly,” said Chairman of the Public Pension Oversight Board, Representative Brian Linder. “In a time of underfunded state pensions and widespread belt-tightening, the people of Kentucky deserve a look at the retirement plans of their elected officials.”
The bill passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner, with just one dissenting vote, 95-1. It will now be sent to the Governor for his signature.
“With the passage of these critical bills, Kentucky sends a strong message to job creators that we are very serious about attracting and retaining the best jobs in the country,” said Hoover. “For years, workers in Kentucky have been hampered with job and wage killing laws, and we’ve fallen behind our neighboring states. We owe it to every hard working Kentuckian to do everything within our means to make sure they have to access to great jobs to support themselves and their families, and that’s what these bills will do.”
The House and Senate also passed a paycheck protection bill that will allow workers to “opt in” to have union dues withheld from their paychecks. The current practice requires a worker to “opt out” of having an employer withhold their dues.
“I’m incredibly proud to deliver these results in the first five days of the 2017 Session,” said House Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Shell. “We simply cannot wait one more day on the backs of workers while politicians play games, like has been done so many times in the past. . . I expect Governor Bevin will sign these bills immediately.”
The bills have been sent to Governor Bevin for his signature.
Lawmakers have returned to their home districts and are scheduled to come back to Frankfort for the second part of the 2017 session on February 7.
The second part of the session is still scheduled for final adjournment, as originally planned, on March 30.
However, under a change to the session schedule, March 9 has been added to the days on which lawmakers will not be gaveled into session.
From LRC
The Governor, The House Speaker and the Senate President all proclaimed that the major goal of this session would be JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! And what do you give us in the first week: Anti-abortion bills to strip women of their healthcare rights, Bills to bust the unions and lower worker’s wages, and a bill that tries to legitimize the mismanagement of the Governor with regard to the U of L Board. And lets do it on Saturday which is pretty much the day to bury news that you don’t want to get out. I can hear cheers from the headquarters and boardrooms of ALEC, The Heritage Foundation, the Koch Brothers and Mr Burns from The Simpsons.