Hidgon: Senate passing important bills as session passes halfway mark
By SEN. JIMMY HIGDON
14th District State Senator
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, 2 p.m. — Visits from advocacy groups, a ceremonial bill signing, and rallies in the Capitol Rotunda, along with the bipartisan passage of bills, marked a busy Week Four of the 2017 Legislative Session. We were excited to welcome the children of Kentucky National Guard members from across the state for the First Annual Kentucky Military Kids Day.
SEN. JIMMY HIGDON
It was an honor to host these families who have sacrificed so much to serve our state and our country. I was very proud to be joined by Jessica Johnson, a sixth-grader from Liberty Elementary in Casey County. She was accompanied by her father, Captain Jeff Johnson, 149th MEB Unit of the Kentucky National Guard stationed at Ft. Campbell. I was also joined by Maggie Mattingly, an eight-grader from St. Joseph School in Bardstown. She was accompanied by her father, Mason Steve Mattingly, Join Force HQ Company of the Kentucky National Guard in Frankfort.
On February 20 we observed President’s Day, also celebrated as President George Washington’s birthday. Governor Matt Bevin ceremonially signed Senate Bill (SB) 3 this week. The bill, which easily passed both chambers during the first week of January, provides transparency for taxpayers by making legislative pensions public. We also introduced the “Sunny Page” Program this week, which encourages special needs students from across the state to page in the Senate and be a part of the legislative process.
In addition to all these events, we spent a large amount of time in committees and passing bills on the floor. Friday marked day 18 of 30 of the 2017 Session, so the window of time to pass legislation is closing. We passed quite a few important bills through the Senate, including:
— Senate Bill 10 removes PSC regulatory authority over retail phone service in all exchanges not previously deregulated;
— Senate Bill 21 allows for the use of experimental treatments not yet approved by the FDA if the patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness;
— Senate Bill 107 gives the General Assembly a check-and-balance means of ensuring balanced boards of postsecondary institutions. This is another step to ensure the leadership at our state universities follow the law and act in the best interest of the students.
— Senate Bill 120 is comprehensive criminal justice reform;
— Senate Bill 122 establishes a Gold Star Sons and Gold Star Daughters special license plate for children of the armed forces who were killed overseas;
— Senate Bill 159 requires all public high school students to pass a civics test in order to receive a regular diploma. This passing score would be a minimum of 60 percent and the questions would be pulled from the test required of all people seeking to become U.S. citizens.
Members of the Senate took action on one of the issues of greatest interest to Kentuckians when we passed a major education bill this week that would starting aligning university funding with the state’s top postsecondary education goals.
Supporters of the bill, Senate Bill 153, say that postsecondary funding has historically been based on what each school received in the previous budget cycle. Under the proposal that the Senate approved this week, funding would instead be based on how well schools are helping the state reach major postsecondary education attainment goals. Among the goals the legislation focuses on are:
— Increasing student progress toward the completion of degrees or certification.
— Increasing the number and types of degrees and credentials earned by students, with a focus on those that lead to higher salaries, such as science, technology, engineering, math, health, and other areas of industry demands.
— Closing achievement gaps by increasing the number of credentials and degrees earned by low-income students and minority students.
Boosting the accumulation of credit hours and the transfer of students from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to four-year postsecondary institutions.
Under the legislation, which was approved by the Senate on a 36-1 vote, the postsecondary funding formula would appropriate 35 percent of funds based on student success tied to outcomes, 35 percent would be tied to total student credit hours, and 30 percent would be based on supporting vital campus operations. I was the lone “No” vote. I voiced my concerns about potential negative effects on Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State, and Kentucky State University.
The new funding model would be phased in over four years to provide stability to postsecondary schools as they move to the outcomes-based formula.
The legislation also calls for a postsecondary work group to review the results of the new funding model every three years to make sure it’s achieving its goals. The work group would make recommendations to the General Assembly as needed. Senate Bill 153 has been sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.
In other business, the Senate approved a measure this week that would ensure that Kentuckians who want to quit smoking have access to treatments to help them do so. Senate Bill 89 would require that all health plans, including Medicaid, cover smoking cessation treatments, specifically the services and medicines approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions, concerns, and your ideas for the future of our commonwealth. It is an honor to represent you in the State Senate.
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, on my home phone at 270-692-6945, or email me at Jimmy.Higdon@LRC.ky.gov. You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.
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