McCoy: Road plan focuses on both old and new roadways, infrastructure
By CHAD MCCOY
50th District State Representative
Friday, March 9, 2018 — This week in Frankfort was a tremendous success. With the budget passed and awaiting Senate approval, the other representatives and I turned our attention to the road plan. The road plan is one of the most important pieces of legislation we pass every other year and this year is no different.
The road plan this year includes more than $545 million which will be invested in improving worn down and aging bridges. $545 million is a lot of money to go around, which means that nearly every one of Kentucky’s 120 counties will have at least one bridge replaced or repaired. A truly amazing feat.
REP. CHAD MCCOY
Bridges will not be the only thing that will be repaired in this plan. Our plan calls for $365 million to be invested in road paving and resurfacing. Kentucky has a tremendous backlog of roads that need repaving and this budget will allocate money to reduce that buildup.
Not only are we investing in the infrastructure we have, but we’re making sure to set ourselves up for a successful future. $18 million will be invested in roads to support EnerBlue in Pike County and the Amazon PrimeAir Hub in northern Kentucky. Both of these facilities are expected to bring a plethora of jobs to the region once they get built. We want to make sure we have the roads already created before these companies get up and running.
Other than the road plan, a few other notable events that happened in the House this week include:
• The passage of House Bill 128, which will guarantee that public middle and high schoolers in Kentucky will learn about the Holocaust tragedy and other genocides. This particular legislation was very notable because a Holocaust survivor, Fred Gross of Louisville, was present on the floor of the House of Representatives for its passage. The bill will be named after Fred and Ann Klein, another Holocaust survivor who passed away in 2012
• We welcomed Robert Goforth as the newest member of our chamber. Goforth, a Republican from East Bernstadt was elected to represent the 89th district, which is all of Jackson County and a portion of Laurel and Madison Counties. We are glad to have him join our winning team.
• We passed major Medicaid and food stamp reform with House Bill 363. This bill will enable numerous departments of our state government to come together monitor those who are receiving Medicaid or food stamps and review that information on a regular basis. This will cut down on fraud and wasteful, unnecessary spending by our government.
• House Bill 454, sponsored by Addia Wuchner, R-Florence, passed the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. The bill would prohibit the brutal form of abortion that involves the crushing and dismembering of an unborn child older than 11 weeks after conception. It is important to note that this is not an outright ban on abortion after 11 weeks, because other abortion procedures exist.
• Pension update: Senate Bill 1, also known as the “Pension Bill” is being considered by the Senate. Once it passes the Senate, it will come to the House for a vote.
You can reach me through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181, or you can contact me via e-mail at chad.mccoy@lrc.ky.gov. You can keep track of committee meetings and potential legislation through the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at www.lrc.ky.gov.
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