The Governor updated Kentuckians on bills he has acted on recently. Gov. Beshear was joined by former University of Kentucky basketball star and NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and bill sponsor Sen. Whitney Westerfield to ceremonially sign Senate Bill 111, which requires health insurance coverage for speech therapy as a treatment for stuttering. Kidd-Gilchrist used his personal story to advocate for the legislation.
“Back in 2010, I made a commitment to UK, but also to this state,” Kidd-Gilchrist said. “And I’m fortunate enough to help the state and adults like myself who stutter in the future.”
“I’m honored to have been the sponsor of Senate Bill 111, and I’m glad that Kentucky gets to be first of the states in the country where Michael is going to bring this important work and this important change,” said Sen. Westerfield. “Michael, thank you for your advocacy. Using your story and your platform to do good for others is what we are all called to do.”
Gov. Beshear has signed 144 bills so far, including:
• House Bill 377 establishes a Teacher Recruitment Student Loan Forgiveness Pilot Program and a pilot Student Teacher Stipend Program.
• House Bill 453 establishes a requirement so that when child abuse or neglect is reported to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, they must determine the military status of the parent or guardian. This will allow the proper military Family Advocacy Program to intervene, providing quicker and more consistent services to military children and families.
• House Bill 30 establishes the Kentucky Service Members, Veterans and their Families Suicide Prevention Program.
• House Bill 752 appropriates funding from the Eastern and Western Kentucky SAFE Funds to help communities recover from historic flooding and tornadoes. It directs $48 million to the city of Mayfield to rebuild a fire station, police station, electric and water system facilities and city hall; $6.1 million to Graves County for its administrative building; and $11 million to the Breathitt County school district to help those schools continue to recover. The Governor noted that although this is a good bill, the budget as it stands includes no replenishment to the Eastern Kentucky SAFE Fund, which will keep affected counties from being able to provide funds for FEMA matching funds.
• House Bill 15 establishes rights relating to personal data, including letting Kentuckians know when their data is being used and allowing them to opt out of targeted advertising.
• House Bill 52 ensures all Kentuckians will have insurance coverage for any cancer screening, test or pre-diagnostic procedures.
Gov. Beshear has vetoed 27 bills, including:
• House Bill 5 is an act relating to crimes and punishments. The Governor said that the bill has some positive components, such as requiring the destruction of firearms used in murders. Still, these policies were combined with many negative measures, including criminalizing homelessness and significantly increasing incarceration costs without any additional appropriation. See the Governor’s full veto message.
• Senate Bill 349 establishes the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission that would be attached to the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research. Gov. Beshear said that the bill would place roadblocks that jeopardize economic growth. He also stated that numerous entities and organizations have expressed opposition. See the Governor’s full veto message.
• Senate Bill 299 attempts to remove the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the Department of Charitable Gaming from the Public Protection Cabinet. The Governor said this bill would have unintended consequences on Kentucky’s horse racing, sports wagering and charitable gaming industries, including disrupting the positive rollout of sports wagering in the commonwealth, declassifying current Horse Racing Commission employees as state employees, causing them to lose job protections, possible fee increases for race tracks and exempting the new corporation from the Open Records Act. See the Governor’s full veto message.
• House Bill 513 would strip the authority of the Historic Properties Advisory Commission over monuments and art in the State Capitol rotunda and give final approval to the General Assembly. Gov. Beshear said under this bill, the commission would have had no authority to have voted for removing of the Jefferson Davis statue, which stood as a negative symbol in the state Capitol. See the Governor’s full veto message.
Of the 27 bills the Governor vetoed, six were line-item vetoed, including House Bill 6. The Governor said that he line-item vetoed the parts of the bill that put limits on responding to natural disasters as well as the lines that limit the financial resources necessary to fight forest fires.
The General Assembly convenes today and Monday for their last chance to override vetoes — and to potentially pass unfinished legislation that the Governor can sign or veto with no opportunity for the General Assembly to override.
Governor’s Office and staff report