House update: Legislative snow day will be added back later in session
By DAVID FLOYD
50th State Representative
Monday, Jan. 25, 2015, 10:01 a.m. — Your General Assembly is three weeks into this year’s 60-day session, but “three weeks” is a little misleading. Weekends don’t count against the number of days, so we’ve had only 12 legislative days so far; one weekday we were out for a federal holiday and then the huge snowstorm on Friday resulted in cancellation of that legislative day so that members could get back home Thursday night before the snowstorm hit. The storm was so significant that state offices closed on Friday.
Cancelling a day of session is highly unusual, but it doesn’t mean we lose a legislative day. We just add the “lost” day somewhere in the calendar, probably in March. And we will definitely finish the session by April 15, because that’s what the constitution requires.
No bill has yet made it to the governor’s desk, but that’s normal for this point in the session. It takes time for legislation to make it through committees and onto the floor of either chamber. After a bill passes the House the bill is sent to the other side on the third floor of the Capitol. The Senate then assigns it to a Senate committee. But they’ll normally put House bills at the back of the queue, so that their own members can have their bills voted on and sent over to the House. (The same process, in reverse, is normal for any bill that originates in the Senate.)
Here is the official summary of action on some bills that took steps forward last week:
CANCER. House Bill 115 would expand eligibility for screenings under the state’s Colon Cancer Screening Program to uninsured Kentuckians between the ages of 50-64 or uninsured persons deemed at high risk for the disease. Eligibility would be based on current American Cancer Society screening guidelines. The bill was approved by the House and has been sent to the Senate.
DRUNKEN DRIVING. Senate Bill 56 would strengthen penalties for habitual drunken drivers by changing what is known in legal circles as the “look back period” from five years to 10 years. That means if someone is convicted of drunken driving multiple times in a 10-year period the penalties for the crimes can be increased. The bill has been approved by the Senate and has been sent to the House.
ELECTIONS. Senate Bill 10 would move elections for governor and other statewide constitutional offices to the same years as presidential elections. The bill has been approved by the Senate and has been sent to the House for consideration.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING. House Bill 229 is aimed at improving investigation and prosecution of human trafficking by including the Kentucky Attorney General among those with jurisdiction over those crimes. The bill has been approved by a House committee and is expected to be voted on by the full House this week.
INFORMED CONSENT. Consultations between a woman seeking an abortion and the surgeon performing the abortion are required 24 hours prior to the procedure. Senate Bill 4 would clarify that the consultation must take place in a face-to-face meeting, the same as in all other surgical procedures in Kentucky. (Abortion consults are currently done through recorded phone messages.) The bill has been approved by the Senate and has received two readings in the House.
LEGISLATOR PENSION. Senate Bill 45 would disclose the value of state legislator’s public pensions by making those figures subject to open records laws. The bill was approved by the Senate and has been received by the House.
VICTIM PROTECTION. House Bill 59 would make it easier for those at risk of violence to shield their home addresses from people who could harm them. Kentucky already has an address protection program that allows domestic violence victims and those at risk of violence to use a substitute address in cases where public records could make their home addresses accessible to those who pose a risk. House Bill 59 would allow people at risk of violence to apply for a substitute address without first obtaining a domestic violence order. A sworn statement would suffice for program eligibility. The bill was approved by the House and has been sent to the Senate for consideration.
COFFEE WITH DAVE. “Coffee with Dave” is Saturday at High Grove Grocery. Senator Higdon and I will be there at 9:00, I buy the coffee, and we hope to see you there. Meanwhile, you can leave a message for any legislator by calling the toll-free Message Line at 800-372-7181.
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