Sen. Higdon: Senate honors Medal of Honor recipient during session’s 8th week
By JIMMY HIGDON
14th District State Senator
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 — With each passing day of the session, you can feel legislative efforts intensifying as lawmakers seek to enact bills that are important to them and, most importantly, beneficial to their constituents. Budget and road plan review continues in the state Senate, and in week eight of the session, we introduced and passed significant bills to help people across the commonwealth.
This week, the Medal of Honor recipient was lovingly remembered with a memorial resolution on the floor of the Kentucky Senate.
Senate Resolution 83 reads: “Ernie was a fast friend to all who knew him. He was modest, unassuming, and reliable and shared his hearty laugh and sharp tongue with anyone he met.”
Ernest “Ernie” Edison West was born in Russell, Kentucky in 1931. According to the resolution, he was later drafted into the United States Army as a private first class in the 14th Infantry Regiment.
In October 1952, he rescued his wounded unit commander by carrying him out of direct combat before returning to the battlefield to save two more soldiers. In response to his heroic actions, he was presented the Medal of Honor by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
His name is one of 60 Medal of Honor recipients listed on a bronze plaque in the Kentucky Capitol, and his example provided a critical moment of reflection this week.
On the legislative front, several measures cleared the Senate this week. They were:
Senate Joint Resolution 150 cleared the Senate in week eight. It aims to end the COVID-19 state of emergency declared by Governor Andy Beshear on March 6, 2020. We have reached the point where we need to leave this state of emergency behind us. Terminating the state of emergency on March 7 strikes a fair balance.
Senate Bill 24 allows commercial driver’s license holders to renew expired licenses less than five years old without taking knowledge and skills tests. This only applies to CDL license holders whose license was not suspended, revoked or disqualified. Drivers must submit medical clearance, self-certification, a criminal background check, a review of driving history, and a vision test. Any former commercial driver’s license holders whose license was suspended because of a failure to submit a medical evaluation may renew their license. Finally, it allows drivers to keep their hazardous materials endorsements if they retake the required examinations.
Senate Bill 48 would recoup taxpayer money designed to help Braidy Industries, now known as Unity Aluminum, establish a $1.3 billion, 2.5 million-square-foot aluminum mill in Greenup County near Ashland.
Senate Bill 63 provides an exemption for records that would reveal the address or location of public officers, including but not limited to first responders, judicial and prosecutorial officers, public defenders, peace and safety officers, public defenders and more.
Senate Bill 138, known as the Teaching American Principles Act, would provide social studies instruction that aligns with a list of concepts such as “all individuals are created equal” and “Americans are entitled to equal protection under the law,” among several others.
About two dozen documents will be taught if the legislation becomes law. They include The Mayflower Compact, The Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg Address and a Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Senate Bill 148 is a necessary bill for Kentucky agri-businesses. The bill redefines “controlled environment agriculture facility” to allow the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction to make exemptions related to building codes. The new definition emphasizes the agricultural nature of the facilities, as the threat of a fire is minimal.
Senate Bill 151 would provide the opportunity for schools that participate in the Federal School Breakfast Program to allow students up to 15 minutes of the attendance day to eat breakfast in the morning.
Other bills clearing the Senate included Senate Bills: 80, 91, 133, 152 and several resolutions.
Don’t hesitate to contact me at (502)-564-8100 (office), (270) 692-6945 (home), or email Jimmy.Higdon@LRC.ky.gov if you have any questions or concerns. You can also share your opinions on legislation by calling the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.
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