By Sen. John Schickel
Special to the NKyTribune
With 60 percent of the 2016 General Assembly under our belts, the pace in the Kentucky Senate is really picking up.
As chairman of the Senate Licensing, Occupations & Administrate Regulations Committee, I have witnessed 15-plus bills referred to the committee so far this session. I put the bills on the committee’s agenda.
If the measures pass out of committee, they move on – sometimes to the Senate floor for a vote by the full membership. I enjoy my work as committee chairman because I act as gatekeeper for legislation that is assigned to my committee.
One of the most controversial bills assigned to the committee this year has been Senate Bill 13, concerning the legalization of marijuana. SB 13 would regulate the cultivation, testing, processing, taxing and sale of marijuana to people 21 and over.
I receive 20 to 40 telephone calls, emails and Tweets per day on SB 13.
Overwhelmingly the messages are in support of the legalization of marijuana. I would be interested to hear from constituents who oppose legalization and their reasoning for that stance.
Also recently assigned to my committee is a measure to license midwives, known as Senate Bill 85. The bill previously passed out of the Senate Health & Welfare Committee and was reassigned to my committee for further review. Such a maneuver usually means Senate leadership want to have more information on a particular bill.
As a cosponsor of SB 85, I support the legislation and look forward to hearing from all sides of the issue during upcoming hearings. My committee usually meets at 10 a.m. every Tuesday during session in Capitol Annex, Room 169. Visitors are always welcomed.
I’m happy to report that Senate Bill 115, which I sponsored, passed the full Senate this week. The bill would put the penalties for trafficking in heroin back to the same levels they were before we passed an infamous House Bill 463 in 2011.
Many people are still not aware that five years ago, we substantially reduced the penalties for trafficking in heroin. The fallout has been the worst drug crisis in our state’s history. I hope SB 115 will also pass the state House of Representatives, but I’m not optimistic.
Another success this week was the passage of Senate Bill 8 from the State and Local Government Committee. The measure is a proposed constitutional amendment to require the judiciary to redistrict every 10 years just like the state legislature. Redistricting would cause a redistribution of Kentucky’s judges to counties with the most population and largest number of criminal and civil court cases.
This is of critical importance because it hasn’t been done in more than three decades. In Kentucky, we currently do not have equal justice under the law.
We spend more than $250 million annually on the judicial system; it is time that we allocate that money wisely. Growing counties like Boone have been getting the short end of the stick for a long time.
You can stay up-to-date on all the bills, and other legislative actions, throughout the session by logging onto the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) website here or by calling the LRC toll-free bill status line at 866-840-2835.
For committee meeting schedules, please call the meeting information line at 800-633-9650. To comment on a bill, please call the legislative message line at 800-372-7181.
You can write me by sending a letter to: Legislative Offices, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601. And don’t forget you can find me on Twitter under the handle @SenatorSchickel.
Senator John Schickel (R-Union) represents the 11th District in Boone County