Higdon: Senate gets to down to business as General Assembly begins
By JIMMY HIGDON
14th District State Senator
Senate Republican Majority Whip Jimmy Higdon of Lebanon discusses legislation on the floor of the Kentucky Senate during the opening days of the 2016 General Assembly in Frankfort. (LRC photo)
Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, 3 p.m. — Floor votes, committee hearings, and spirited debate highlighted an action-packed second week of session in the Kentucky Senate. Guests from all corners of the Commonwealth were welcomed to Frankfort to speak on behalf of various bills.
On Thursday we were visited by hundreds of young and energetic faces celebrating Children’s Advocacy Day, sponsored by Kentucky Youth Advocates. The group hosted a rally in the Capitol Rotunda where several Senate majority members were recognized for their efforts in standing up for Kentucky’s children.
From Senate committee meetings this week, two of our priority bills—SB 4 and SB 10—were reported favorably. SB 4 would require women seeking an abortion to have a face-to-face meeting with a doctor at least 24 hours in advance of the procedure as a measure to help further promote the value of life. SB 10 would move statewide elections to even-numbered years, thus promoting greater voter turnout and saving the Commonwealth money.
Senate Bill 72, which clarifies when the Executive Branch must come before the Legislature to make appropriations and protects the separation of powers in state government, also passed out of the Licensing and Occupation Committee this week.
The Health and Welfare Committee passed SB 20, which would create an appeals process for Medicaid claims denied by a managed care organization, and SB 33, which would require students to receive CPR training one time while enrolled in grades 9-12.
Senate Bill 56, which would extend the look-back window for DUI’s from five years to 10, and SB 60, which would add further protections for vulnerable victims of sex crimes, were both reported out of the Judiciary Committee this week.
In the Education Committee, SB 52 passed, which would allow veterans to receive a provisional teaching certificate after meeting certain criteria. The same committee also passed SB 81, which would require the Department of Education to create a system identifying students with military parents or families.
Last week’s big Powerball was the buzz around the state. If you ever wondered where some of the money goes, I have some of those numbers from 2015. In Senate District 14, 4,137 scholarship grants were awarded, totaling $7,465,635. In our counties specifically: 627 grants and scholarships worth over $1.1 million were awarded in Marion County; 467 grants and scholarships worth over $780 thousand in Casey; 1,418 grants and scholarships worth over $2.4 million in Nelson; 607 grants and scholarships worth over $1 million in Spencer; and 19,855 grants and scholarships worth almost $32 million in Jefferson.
This legislature will gavel back into session on Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend. Our most important task of the 60-day session still lies ahead – passing a new $20-21 billion budget to carry Kentucky through the next two years. But first, Governor Matt Bevin will present his budget recommendations during a combined State of the Commonwealth and Budget Address on January 26.
As we look forward to another busy week of session, I am proud of the bipartisan demeanor displayed thus far in the Senate and I will continue to commit myself to legislation that will move our Commonwealth forward.
If you have any questions or comments about the issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181. You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.
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Senator Jimmy Higdon (R-Lebanon) represents the 14th District including Casey, Marion, Nelson and Spencer counties, as well as part of Jefferson County. He is the Chairman of both the Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee, and the Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation. He is the Vice Chair of the Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee and the Transportation Committee, as well as a member of the 2012 SS HB 1 Implementation and Oversight Committee; the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance, and Public Protection; the Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee; the Education Committee; the Health and Welfare Committee; the Program Review and Investigations Committee; and the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee.
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