Constituents gather Monday for coffee with state Rep. Chad McCoy, Sen. Higdon

Sen. Jimmy Higdon and state Rep. Chad McCoy greet Bullitt County Clerk Kevin Mooney at Monday’s legislative coffee in the fiscal court meeting room of the Old Court house.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Monday, Jan. 9, 2016, 12:15 p.m. — State Sen. Jimmy Higdon and state Rep. Chad McCoy met with a large number of constituents and public officials Monday morning for a “Legislative Coffee” at the Old Court House.

Both legislators gave updates on legislation that their chambers is working on, and details about the bills that were passed during an unusual legislative session on Saturday.

McCoy, who called himself “a newbie” legislator in his first session of the General Assembly, told the group that with the change in control of the House, the GOP members who once had offices on the fourth floor are moving to the better third-floor offices formerly occupied by the Democratic majority.  But as a freshman legislator, he’s not going to get one of the better office spaces.

State Sen. Jimmy Higdon, left, and state Rep. Chad McCoy, listen to questions at Monday’s Legislative Coffee at the Old Court House. The pair was introduced by Kim Huston, president of the county economic development agency.

“I don’t have an office yet, I don’t have a phone yet, and I don’t have a secretary yet,” he said. When the dust settles, his office will be 416B on the fourth floor.

“You guys are welcome to visit me when I’m up there — when and if they ever they let me in there.”

After their opening statements, the audience had questions for the legislators on a variety of topics.

TORT REFORM. County Attorney Matthew Hite asked McCoy and Higdon about the purpose behind tort reform — particularly medical review panels, which would review legal claims filed against health care providers and issue an opinion in an effort to deter frivolous lawsuits.

“Why are we giving insurance companies a break at the expense of everyone else?” Hite asked.

McCoy said some of the discussion about review panels is driven by a perception that large legal firms’ television ads targeting healthcare providers are generating greater numbers of frivolous lawsuits. Healthcare providers say the panels will help lower liability insurance rates.
Speaking as an attorney, McCoy said review panels are more likely to healthcare providers costs that lower them.

McCoy said the medical review bill sent to the House has been put on pause, and it would not be rushed through to the Governor’s desk.

CHARTER SCHOOLS. Higdon said there’s a lot of discussion about legislation to allow charter schools in Kentucky. Higdon he would be in favor of a charter school law that puts the local boards of education in charge of creating them, rather than turn over their administration to an outside organization.

Charter schools may not be necessary in Nelson County, but would be appropriate for Jefferson County. Of the 30 lowest-performing schools in Kentucky, 16 of them are in Jefferson County.

“It’s a drastic measure, but we really need to do something for them,” Higdon said. “We need to give them some tools to work with.”

PENSION & TAX REFORM. Pension reform will likely require a mix of changes, and the group studying the state pension problem will have recommendations in its report when it is released later this year. Neither would commit to what possible changes they would support seeing in how the state handles its pensions.

Higdon said that tax reform will look to increase state revenues without increase the tax on individuals. For example,e the state’s sales tax may be expanded to include services and possibly other currently exempt goods. Higdon said the sales tax, which is a tax on consumption, is the fairest tax and also one of the state’s largest revenue streams.

The state loses a lot of sales tax revenue due to online sales, he said.

Higdon said he said he would support making the sales tax apply to more good and services if it could be coupled with a decrease in the state’s business and personal income tax rates.

Some sort of tax reform is needed to make the state more competitive when recruiting new industry to the state, he said.

Both legislators discussed the bills approved last week that were sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

McCoy said he heard complaints about the new Republican-controlled General Assembly moving too fast on legislation.

“Keep in mind these bills have been around for years and years with no change in their language,” he said. “If it looks like it was fast and uninformed, I assure you it was not.”

Both men reviewed legislation that had moved forward through their respective legislative bodies in the past week.

HB 1, which makes Kentucky the nation’s 27th right-to-work state. The law prohibits mandatory union membership or payment of dues to labor unions. As Higdon explained, the new law will allow employees to opt-in for union membership rather than opt out.

HB 2 will require a woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound of her baby explained by a health care provider. Women can decline to see the image or hear the baby’s heartbeat.

HB 3 repeals the state’s prevailing wage law that requires union scale wages for construction workers hired for certain public works projects.

SB 3 creates transparency with legislative pensions. The law will give the public access to the retirement benefits of current and former members of the General Assembly.

SB 5 prohibits abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The wording of the new law models that of other states. McCoy said the use of that language was intentional; if the event of a challenge of another state’s 20-week abortion bill, the outcome of that challenge will also determine the fate of the Kentucky law.

SB 6 will require employees to request members in a labor union in writing, and adds that union dues can’t be withheld without the employee’s approval. The law would not affect existing labor agreements made before the legislation takes effect.

SB 12 will abolish the University of Louisville’s board, establish parameters for board membership and require state Senate confirmation of board appointments.

The 2017 legislative session adjourned on Saturday and will re-convene Tuesday, Feb. 7. The session ends on March 30, though Higdon said the chambers may elect to save five days out of this session and use them in the expected special session this fall. The move would save taxpayers the majority of the costs required to have the minimum five-day special session.

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