Higdon: Senate approves bills to protect children’s credit, bicycle users
By JIMMY HIGDON
14th District State Senator
Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, 1 p.m. — Hollywood stars, national organizations and winter weather greeted the Kentucky General Assembly during week six of the 2016 Session. With many guests, packed committee meetings, and energetic rallies, it was another exciting week in Frankfort.
SEN. JIMMY HIGDON
The national organization Save The Children, which promotes early childhood learning, had its Action Network President Mark Shriver and actress Jennifer Garner testify in Frankfort on behalf of the organization and their work throughout Kentucky.
We also welcomed the Kentucky Right to Life Association to the Capitol and joined them for a Rally for Life in the Capitol Rotunda. Governor Bevin held a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill (SB) 4, the first piece of pro-life legislation the Kentucky General Assembly has considered in over 12 years.
We passed several key pieces of legislation this week:
· Protection of children’s identity was embodied in Senate Bill 23. SB 23 would give parents the right to place a “security freeze” on their child’s credit report if they felt the need. SB 23 also allows guardians of vulnerable citizens to place freezes on those citizens’ credit reports.
· Cat and dog welfare was embodied in Senate Bill 53. The bill would provide civil immunity for damaging a vehicle to a person who enters the vehicle with the reasonable, good-faith belief that a dog or cat is in immediate danger of death if not removed from the vehicle.
· The legislators’ retirement plan was the subject of Senate Bill 73. It allows a onetime irrevocable opt-out for legislators from the prevision known as reciprocity inside the legislators’ retirement plan.
· Colon cancer prevention was tackled in Senate Bill 78. The bill would broaden the charter of the Kentucky Cancer Foundation and the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Fund.
· Senate Bill 80 calls for drivers to respect a three-foot passing distance when encountering a bicycle on the road. It would also allow motorists to cross the double yellow line to honor the three-foot rule.
Another priority bill we passed out of committee was SB 1. This bill is bipartisan education reform that would take control of our own standards and allow Kentucky teachers to teach by removing crippling standards and review programs that only hinder student growth.
With nearly half the session under our belt, some noteworthy dates are approaching. The last day for legislators to request a bill is fast approaching. It is Feb. 19. The last day for new Senate bills to be introduced is March. 3. Leaders from the State House of Representatives – where spending bills must originate – have said they hope to get their budget bills to the Senate by the end of the second week of March. The Senate will then get a chance to amend those budget bills.
The Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations and Revenue recently held its first meeting on the governor’s proposed budget. The challenge in crafting a new 24-month budget is the billions of unfunded pension liabilities and the costs of expanded Medicaid.
On another note, Pfizer RxPathways increased its income eligibility limit to help more patients seeking helping getting their Pfizer medicines through its Patient Assistance Program. If you are struggling to pay for your Pfizer medicines, visit their website at www.PfizerRxPathways.com or call 1-866-706-2400.
If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at Jimmy.Higdon@LRC.ky.gov. You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.
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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