The Kentucky Senate has approved a measure that marks a step toward building a nursing home for veterans in Bowling Green.
Senate Bill 13, which passed 37-0, authorizes $10 million in state bond funds to construct the Bowling Green Veterans’ Center Nursing Home. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will also provide $20 million in federal funding for the project, said Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, the bill’s sponsor.
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, spoke in favor of the bill, but also noted that Eastern Kentucky has approximately 800 veterans for each available nursing home bed, about twice the number in Western Kentucky.
The approved bill includes an amendment expressing Smith’s hope that future funding for such projects will be directed toward a veterans’ nursing home in Magoffin County.
The measure now moves to the House of Representatives, which has already approved similar legislation this year.
Senate approves juvenile record expungement bill
Juvenile offenders would be able to have their criminal records expunged under a bill passed by the Kentucky Senate.
Currently, children convicted of a misdemeanor must file a motion and go through a court process to have their records expunged, or erased completely, giving them an opportunity for a fresh start and the ability to pass criminal background checks as adults.
But Senate Bill 195 expands Kentucky’s current system, creating a process for expungement of felony juvenile records two years after the offender reaches adulthood or is released from commitment. However, anyone who has convictions for felony or public offenses in the two years prior to applying for expungement or who has pending charges would not be eligible for expungement.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, said the bill seeks to bring the juvenile expungement process in line with changes made to the process for adults during last year’s legislative session.
The bill passed the Senate 37-0 and now moves to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
House approves changes to Casey’s Law
The Kentucky House advanced legislation that supporters say would improve a state law that allows involuntary treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.
Rep. Kim Moser, a primary sponsor of House Bill 305,, said the legislation, would improve treatment options and costs associated with involuntary treatment under Casey’s Law, passed in Kentucky in 2004 in honor of Matthew Casey Wethington who died of a heroin overdose at age 23.
HB 305 “allows for better outcomes for those in need of treatment of their addiction” who are served by Casey’s Law, said Moser, R-Taylor Mill. The bill’s fellow chief sponsor, Rep. Danny Bentley, R-Russell, praised HB 305 for addressing what he called the “multi-dimensional” problem of addiction.
“It helps the sick,” he said of the bill.
Proposed changes to Casey’s Law under HB 305 would allow a judge to order a person to undergo treatment for up to a year (while allowing a petition to be renewed beyond a year) and would clarify that someone who petitions the court for involuntary treatment of a friend or family member under the law is only responsible for evaluation and treatment costs that aren’t covered by a third-party payor, such as private insurance and Medicaid, said Moser. The bill would also allow court-ordered treatment to be changed, where appropriate, at no additional costs to the petitioner, among other provisions.
“It eliminates any delay in treatment,” she explained.
HB 305 passed by House 95-0 now goes to the Senate for consideration.
From LRC Public Information