House update: Deadline passes, more than 900 bills filed for 2016 session
By DAVID FLOYD
50th District State Representative
STATE REP. DAVID FLOYD
Tuesday, March 1, 2016, 3 p.m. — Friday was the 40th day in this 60-day legislative session. Any legislator can introduce a bill, but we self-impose a deadline for the introduction of new bills. That deadline passed last week, and so the total number of bills introduced this session is 937, which is the highest total since 2008.
Perhaps one-third of introduced bills will be posted in a committee. Of those, maybe half will get a hearing and be voted to the floor of the House or Senate. And not very many (80?) will eventually become law. Remember, the website lrc.ky.gov gives you access to all bills introduced. If you want to follow a particular bill, you can sign up to be notified of any change in its status.
Meanwhile, some bills continued working their way through the process. Bills that advanced last week include measures on:
ULTRASOUNDS. Senate Bill 152 requires an abortionist to offer a view and explanation of the ultrasound image they use prior to starting an abortion procedure. The patient would not be required to view the image. The bill also sets penalties for doctors failing to comply: $100,000 for a first offense and $250,000 for each subsequent violation, as well as being reported to the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. SB152 passed the Senate and was received in the House. The House assigned the bill to the Health & Welfare Committee, where similar bills have died every year.
EMERGENCY PERSONNEL FITNESS. House Bill 384 would allow local governments to create and adopt voluntary health and fitness programs for their emergency personnel staffers. The bill does not include any mandate or appropriation for the programs, but allows local governments to accept private monies to set up such programs instead of using tax money. HB384 passed the House and is now in the hands of the Senate. The bill is probably not necessary, since (I believe) local governments can do this already and don’t need authorization from the state to do it.
NUCLEAR POWER. Senate Bill 89 would change several requirements that have had the effect of preventing construction of nuclear power plants in Kentucky since 1984. The bill would change the requirement that facilities have means of permanent disposal of nuclear waste. Instead, they would only be required to have a plan for its safe storage, and that the plan be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The bill passed a Senate vote on Tuesday and was forwarded to the House. The coal lobby naturally prefers coal-fired power production, and exerts a great deal of influence in the House. Most environmental groups apparently prefer coal-fired to nuclear. So the bill probably won’t go anywhere again this year.
PROTECT FIRST-RESPONDERS. On Tuesday, the House passed a bill that would increase the amount of time someone convicted of the attempted murder of a police officer or firefighter would be required to serve before being eligible for parole. Under House Bill 137, at least of 85 percent of a prison term would have to be served. House Bill 210, which adds health department inspectors and other staff to a class of protected professions, also passed a floor vote. HB210 would upgrade an attack on a health department employee to a third-degree assault. Both bills are now being considered in the Senate.
CONCEALED CARRY. The House Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 314, which would allow off-duty and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons in all locations on-duty officers can. HB 314 now faces a vote before the entire House.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH ETHICS. House Bill 608, passed Thursday by the House State Government committee, is an update to the Kentucky Executive Branch code of ethics. The bill includes language that would require state employees and Executive Branch officials to report suspected ethics code violations to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission. This bill is almost a duplicate of a bill filed in 2014, which passed committee but was never brought to the House floor for a vote. It’s interesting to note that there was a different governor at that time; this session, HB 608 is sponsored by the chairman of the state Democratic Party. We shall see if the bill is allowed to come up for a vote this year with a different governor in place.
NEXT COFFEE WITH DAVE. Hearing from you is the best part of my job. Senator Jimmy Higdon and I will be at Rooster Run for “Coffee with Dave” beginning at 9:00. We hope to see you there. Don’t forget that you can also call me at home, or leave a message at 1-800-372-7181.
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