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Updated June 24, 2009 Some releases have related photos available.
June 24, 2009
FRANKFORT -- As
Senate leaders had warned, the Beshear-proposed and House-passed racetrack slots bill was
DOA in the upper chamber this week, failing to even get out of committee, but the other
three items on the governor's call were agreed on and passed in good order as the special
legislative session wrapped up work in just eight days. Passed: An economic
incentive-package probably best known for seeking to lure a major NASCAR event to Northern
Kentucky, coupled with the so-called 'Bridges Bill' to create a finance-and-control
authority for massive transportation megaprojects like the $4.1 billion Ohio River
twin-bridges project in Louisville, and a rebalanced state budget to fix what Gov. Steve
Beshear and some predictors called a near-$1 billion shortfall in the coming fiscal year. The
economic-incentive measures lawmakers agreed to include $75 million to boost existing
incentives that encourage the expansion of businesses already operating in Kentucky. Plus,
in addition to tax credits to help Kentucky Speedway in Gallatin County land a NASCAR
Sprint Cup race, it also includes tax incentives to attract the Breeders' Cup horse racing
championships to Louisville, and creates a tax credit for small businesses and for film
and TV productions shooting in the Commonwealth. It also exempts
active-duty military from state income taxes. The initial reason
Beshear called the special session for June 15 was to revise the state budget. His
proposal called for using $741 million in federal stimulus funds to fill most of the
projected shortfall. He also proposed across-the-board spending cuts for most state
agencies -- but sparing education -- of 2.6 percent. Those steps lawmakers approved. But in the agreement
reached between House and Senate negotiators late Tuesday,
the governor's proposal to suspend three paid holidays for state workers
making less than $50,000 a year and five holidays for those making $50,000 or more was
deleted from the final bill. Overall, observers
hailed the session as highly productive, given quick and relatively painless agreement on
three major issues. But the biggest newsmaker in the room -- video lottery terminals, or
video slots – came up short when it landed in the Senate. The governor had
added VLTs to the session call to help save the state's troubled Thoroughbred industry, by
drawing more patrons to tracks and injecting new money into race purses. The hope was to
keep racetracks open, and horses and horsemen in the state. The VLT idea has
been bubbling under the legislative surface for a decade or more, but no full chamber has
ever actually voted on it -- until the House voted 52-45 last week to approve the measure.
But House leaders added a sweetener this year: a sudden proposal to tie most slots
revenues to debt service on bonds for more than $1 billion in school-building
construction, both at state colleges and in school districts statewide where crumbling
elementary and secondary buildings need replacement. However, Senate
leaders felt relying on slot-machine revenue was bad public policy, and had their own
proposal to help the horse industry without expanded gambling: Taxing state lottery sales
and adding a surcharge for simulcasting signals from Kentucky horse racing tracks. In the end, neither
chamber could agree to the other's proposal. Editor's note:
Even with this special session adjourned, the work of the Legislature continues. Soon,
between-sessions committee meetings will begin to study and debate possible legislation
for the next regular session in January. The Legislature
is committed to year-round citizen involvement in its work. Kentuckians are encouraged to
visit the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov. They will find there a wealth of resources pertaining to the current
legislative session, as well as past sessions and the legislative process in general. They may also
call the General Assembly's toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181, to leave a message
for their legislator.
June
24, 2009 Incentives, bridges bill goes to governor FRANKFORT
– Legislation is on its way to becoming law that would help Kentucky finance billions
of dollars in construction of mega highway projects along with millions of dollars in
incentives to expand business, tourism and give tax breaks to Kentucky’s military and
car buyers. House
Bill 3, sponsored by Rep. Tommy Thompson, D-Owensboro, won final passage in the House by
an 86-10 vote. The bill, which includes changes agreed upon by a committee of House and
Senate conferees over the past couple days, passed the Senate by a 35-0 vote earlier
today. It now goes the governor for his signature. Transportation
provisions in HB 3 would allow a newly-created state transportation infrastructure
authority to approve in-state and bi-state projects included in the state’s current
biennial highway construction plan that cost at least $500 million, such as the $4.1
billion Louisville bridges project, although the Kentucky General Assembly would control
creation of the authorities, approval of state authority projects and changes to a
project’s scope. Bi-state projects would relate only to those road or bridge projects
co-funded by Kentucky and Indiana, with tolls authorized to pay for bonds issued for
bi-state or in-state projects. “This
… affirms the power and responsibility of the Legislature to control state
appropriations for these large projects, and to monitor plans and activities of the
authorities that may be created,” said Rep. Don Pasley, D-Winchester, who filed the
mega-project legislation. “We can do this without micromanaging.” New
economic incentives, tax breaks and tourism provisions added by the House and Senate to HB
3 include a motor vehicle use tax incentive that would only tax car buyers on the
difference between a new car purchase and the owner’s trade-in, loan support for
certain economic incentive projects, an extension of tourism development incentives and an
income tax exemption for Kentucky’s active-duty military, beginning Jan. 1. “With
the extension of the deployments that we’re seeing… this will be a real benefit
to our military families,” Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, said
before the Senate vote on HB 3. Other
provisions in the bill include incentives for reinvestment in existing manufacturing
facilities, streamlining of business incentives while creating new jobs, increasing the
cap from $3 million to $5 million for historic preservation projects, incentives to draw
film and Broadway play productions to the Commonwealth, incentives to attract a NASCAR
Sprint Cup race to Kentucky Speedway and the Breeders’ Cup to Churchill Downs, small
business tax credits and income tax incentives for railroad improvement and transport. “The
main emphasis will allow for our existing industry to retool and retrain,” said
Thompson. Also
added to the bill by the House and Senate is a tax credit of up to $5,000 for new home
buyers, capped at $25 million. “Of
the 10.6 percent unemployment rate that we presently have, a good portion of those people
are in the construction industry. This will allow a lot of them to get off the
unemployment rolls and go back to gainful employment,” Thompson said. June
24, 2009 Final budget reduction plan passes, headed to governor FRANKFORT — A final plan to bring
the state’s budget in line with expected revenues was passed today by both the House
and the Senate, sending it to Gov. Steve Beshear for his signature. The governor called a special session,
which began June 15, after state economists projected next year’s revenues to
come in more than 5 percent under the previously approved budget’s expectations. House Bill 4, written by a conference
committee of lawmakers from both chambers, reconciled differences between the House and
Senate’s budget plans and added language on certain economic development projects. The budget agreement largely follows
the original proposal put forth by Gov. Beshear, but changed some sections. While most
executive branch agencies would be cut by 2.6 percent, K-12 SEEK funding, colleges and
universities, and local jail funding will be kept constant. The state’s Medicaid
program will also be fully funded, while the governor’s proposal to require state
employees to forgo some holiday pay was removed. The judicial branch will send $22.6
million back to the treasury as its part in the budget reduction plan, while the
legislative branch will send back more than $2.6 million. The plan also increases funding to
county attorneys, Commonwealth’s Attorneys, and public defenders, whose expenses are
largely personnel-driven. County PVAs, another office whose spending goes mostly to
salaries, are forbidden from being cut, while state parks received a boost of $4.9
million. HB 4 now also includes language
authorizing Jefferson Community and Technical College to purchase nearby land, the
University of Kentucky to borrow $100 million to finish its medical center expansion, and
UK to work with a private company to update other facilities, including its athletics
campus. Finally, the bill approves a 1,550
acre site in Hardin County to be used for a proposed advanced battery plant. The bill passed 35-0 in the Senate and
97-0 in the House.
June
22, 2009
VLT legislation voted down in Senate committee FRANKFORT — Legislation to allow
video lottery terminals at horse racing tracks across Kentucky failed to clear a crucial
hurdle Monday, losing a 10-5 Senate committee vote. “All 138 members of the
Legislature, without exception, want to help the horse industry,” said Sen. Charlie
Borders, the Appropriations & Revenue Committee chair. “Regardless of House Bill
2’s success… this state legislature is determined to help the horse
industry.” The Senate on Friday passed its own
plan, without slots, to aid the state’s horse industry as part of House Bill 3. The
Senate changes to that bill, which also includes economic development incentives and a
proposal to fund transportation megaprojects, were rejected by the House and could be
studied by a conference committee. In addition to allowing video slots,
HB 2 would also have decreased the state’s motor vehicle tax and repealed the state
income tax on active military pay.
June
22, 2009 Ky. House honors slain woman, condemns violence in Iraq FRANKFORT
-- Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives today passed a resolution sponsored by
Rep. Tom Riner honoring an Iranian woman who was killed while protesting suspected
corruption in her country’s presidential elections. Images
of the Neda Soltani’s final moments of life were captured on a cell phone camera
after she was shot in the chest in Iran on June 20. The graphic images spread throughout
the world’s online community within hours as she became the face of Iran’s
struggle and her name became a rallying cry for fellow protesters in Iran. “She
wasn’t doing anything other than observing and being part of the freedom
movement,” said Riner, D-Louisville, while presenting his resolution in the House.
“She was standing for the rights of all Iranians to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.” Riner
was joined by 93 co-sponsors in supporting the resolution, which was approved without
opposition. Soltani’s
death has “shown the world the consequences of government leaders placing their own
lust for power above the God-given rights of their people to be treated with truth,
justice, and mercy,” the resolution states. The
resolution condemns the recent violence committed by the government of Iran against its
own people and the suppression of information in that country. It also states that
Kentuckians do not support suppression “of God-given freedoms and rights by the
Iranian government and are praying for the safety and welfare of the Iranian
people...”
June 19, 2009
Gov. Steve Beshear
finally reckoned that projected state finances were indeed that dire -- this despite
skepticism on that point by some key legislative leaders, who said the real deficit was
much less if calculated properly, and did not require legislative intervention.
Regardless, the governor called the Legislature into special session, beginning June 15,
to put the budget back in balance. After issuing
the original session call limited to that topic, he added some other items:
Economic-development incentives that would in part attempt to lure a major NASCAR race to
Kentucky Speedway and The Breeders Cup to Churchill Downs, as well as a so-called
megaprojects measure (commonly called the 'bridges bill') that would provide a funding and
control mechanism for huge and expensive infrastructure projects like the multi-year,
multi-billion dollar Ohio River bridges proposal in Louisville. And, working
without a net politically – since no consensus existed on the issue, and in fact it
faced powerful resistance – the governor also added video lottery terminals
(otherwise known as video slots) at Kentucky racetracks to the session call. The putative
reason for this was to save the state's troubled Thoroughbred industry, by drawing more
patrons to tracks and injecting new money into race purses, thereby keeping racetracks
open and horses and horsemen in the state. An underlying
rationale, though not as frequently cited in the discussion that evolved, was that slots
could rake hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing fees and taxes into the
chronically strapped State Treasury, at a time when the phrase 'billion-dollar budget
shortfall' had entered Kentucky's public-policy lexicon for the first time. The VLT idea
has been with us for years, and it's always been controversial. The same is true this
year. Advocacy groups instantly mobilized both pro and con, with TV and radio ads and
demonstrations in Frankfort, and Senate leaders signaled all along that if any VLT
legislation made it down the hall to them it would face severe uphill sledding in that
chamber. The House had
never voted to endorse the idea in previous legislative sessions, despite multiple
attempts. But as the session's first week wore on, the VLT proposal taken up by the House
had morphed into a potent, politically alluring form for that chamber: A huge chunk of
VLT-generated revenue would be devoted to debt service on bonds for more than $1 billion
in school-building construction, both at state colleges and in school districts statewide
where aging elementary and secondary buildings need replacement. When the
measure came before the full House on Friday, it was approved on a 52-45 vote. As a
result, the chamber will include the school-construction provisos in the budget-balancing
bill it plans to take up next week. It's not clear what form that bill will take, but the
governor has proposed that most of the shortfall be made up with federal stimulus money,
coupled with 2.7 percent across-the board agency cuts – with important exceptions:
Basic funding for public schools and universities would be spared the axe. Aside from the
VLT drama, last week saw legislative action on economic development measures and
legislation to support transportation mega-projects. After receiving bills on these topics
from the House, the Senate added a state budget-balancing plan to one measure while
rolling together plans for economic development incentives, transportation megaprojects
and aid for the horse industry into the other. The Senate
budget plan largely mirrors the governor’s budget reduction proposal, including cuts
to most state agencies but eliminating unpaid holidays for state employees. Under the Senate’s approach to helping the state’s horse industry, lottery tickets would include a 10 percent surcharge, while tracks and off-track betting centers would pay a 1.5 surcharge for their simulcasting signals from Kentucky horse racing tracks. The money raised — projected at more than $85 million — would benefit purses at Kentucky racing tracks, horse breeders, local horse shows, and the state’s KEES scholarship programs. Efforts to iron
out differences between House and Senate approaches to the issues of the current session
are sure to be underway when lawmakers return to Frankfort next week. In the meantime,
lawmakers are seeking feedback from their constituents. Citizens can find contact
information on lawmakers – as well as a wealth of resources pertaining to the current
legislative session -- on the Legislative Research Commission Web site at www.lrc.ky.gov or can
call the General Assembly's toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181, to leave a message
for their legislators.
Senate approves special session items FRANKFORT
— The Senate approved legislation concerning the issues behind the governor’s
call for a special session today. Senate
changes to House Bill 4 largely mirror the governor’s plan for budget reduction,
including cuts to most state agencies but eliminating unpaid holidays for state employees
called for by the governor. The budget
bill passed on a 33-0 vote, with one senator passing. The Senate
rolled plans for economic development incentives and transportation megaprojects, along
with Senate President David Williams’ plan for aid to the state’s horse
industry, into an omnibus substitute for House Bill 3. The Senate
economic development plan is substantially similar to the version passed by the House,
which revised state programs to better help small businesses, high-tech businesses, and
projects needing tax increment financing. The plan also includes targeted incentives to
attract an advanced battery factory to Hardin County, a Sprint Cup race to Kentucky
Speedway in Gallatin County, and Breeders’ Cup races to the state’s thoroughbred
tracks. House Bill 3
would also allow the creation of local authorities to plan transportation megaprojects on
the order of $500 million or more. Such authorities would be subject to legislative
ratification both in the scope and the funding model for their projects. “The General
Assembly will not be micromanaging,” said Sen. Ernie Harris, R-Crestwood, but would
exercise oversight as it does with other bonded projects across the state. In addition,
the plan authorizes a bi-state authority to allow Kentucky officials to work with Indiana
officials concerning bridges across the Ohio River. Finally,
House Bill 3 includes a proposal to aid the state’s horse industry. Under the
Senate-approved plan, lottery tickets would include a 10 percent surcharge, while tracks
and off-track betting centers would pay a 1.5 surcharge for their simulcasting signals
from Kentucky horse racing tracks. The money raised — projected at more than $85
million — would benefit purses at Kentucky racing tracks, horse breeders, local horse
shows, and the state’s KEES scholarship programs. “With
the money that’s available… Kentucky will have the richest purses in
America,” said Williams, R-Burkesville. HB 3 passed
32-0, with one senator abstaining. Both bills now return to the House for its concurrence
in the Senate changes.
June 19, 2009 Video lottery machine bill passes House FRANKFORT --
The Kentucky House voted 52-45 today in favor of an expanded gaming bill that would allow
the state’s racetracks to be licensed to operate video lottery terminals in hopes of
boosting the horse industry and state programs like public education. House Bill 2,
sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, is projected to yield over $1
billion in state revenue over the next five fiscal years, including $194.3 million in
fiscal year 2010. Initial licensing fees paid by tracks with VLTs would add another $102
million per year over five years, Stumbo said, giving the state what he described as a
“conservative” total of around $300 million a year for individual income tax and
horse farming tax breaks, regional infrastructure, education and job growth. “If this
bill becomes law, it will not only save the signature industry (horse industry) in this
state, it will save thousands of jobs,”
Stumbo told the House. “Kentuckians need to go back to work, and we have the ability
and the tools to put them back to work today.” HB
2 now goes to the Senate for its consideration. The bill is
designed to help the state’s ailing horse industry by funding breeder incentives and
attracting more horse races through bigger purses, or race winnings. Planned uses for
anticipated state revenue in HB 2 includes, but is not limited to, income tax relief for
the military, income tax relief of $250 per person or $500 per couple from the state motor
vehicle property tax, horse farming sales tax relief, a fund for treatment of problem
gamblers, a tourism and infrastructure fund and billions of dollars for education. The legislation
is expected to provide at least $143 million a year to pay off future bond issues for
capital construction at both public schools and state colleges and universities. Funding
for educational technology and equipment and an increase in funding per pupil funding for
school districts is also planned under HB 2. Rep. David
Osborne, R-Prospect, spoke in favor of the bill as a Kentucky horseman. Osborne told the
House before the vote on the bill that HB 2 would help decide the fate of a centuries-old
industry. “These are not strangers,” he said. “This is an industry that has
been here before we were a state.” Opponents of
the HB 2, including Rep. Danny Ford, R-Mt. Vernon, questioned estimates of how much
revenue the bill would create. He also said the bill would add over $1 billion in new debt
by authorizing more bond issues. “We’re
talking about $1.3 billion in new bonding in this bill,” said Ford. Ford added that
Governor Steve Beshear’s initial call this special session required state lawmakers
to pass a revised state budget in light of a nearly $1 billion shortfall. “To my
knowledge we haven’t discussed or debated a bill that would address a budget
shortfall,” he said. House Minority
Floor Leader Rep. Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, said he opposes expanded gaming in Kentucky,
and HB 2, because he doubts the General Assembly’s “fiscal discipline” with
such revenue. “This body…would not be able to be fiscally responsible to take
the revenue and address current problems,” said Hoover. House
Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair Rep. Rick Rand, D-Bedford, explained that expected revenue shortfalls in fiscal year
2010 and a current state unemployment rate of around 10 percent support the need for HB 2.
“Just 12
short months ago, we had just completed our 2008 session and things were pretty
good,” but that changed as the nation fell into recession, he said. June 18, 2009 Gaming legislation passes House budget committee An expanded
gaming bill that would allow video lottery terminals at Kentucky racetracks cleared the
House Appropriations and Revenue Committee today. House Bill 2,
sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, is projected to yield over $1
billion in state revenue over the next five fiscal years, including $194.3 million in
fiscal year 2010. Initial licensing fees paid by tracks with VLTs would total $102 million
per year over five years, Stumbo said. “We need
to have as much stability in our revenue stream as we possibly can,” Stumbo told the
committee. Through the 5-year payment plan on fees, Stumbo said the state would be assured
at least $100 million a year in revenue during what could be a period of continued state
budget shortfalls. The bill is
designed to help the state’s ailing horse industry by funding breeder incentives and
attracting more horse races through bigger purses, or race winnings. Planned uses for
anticipated state revenue in HB 2 includes, but is not limited to, income tax relief for
the military, income tax relief of $250 per person or $500 per couple from the state motor
vehicle property tax, horse farming sales tax relief, a fund for treatment of problem
gamblers, a tourism and infrastructure fund and billions of dollars for education. Under HB 2, at least $143 million a year would go toward education to fund capital construction at public schools and state colleges and universities, educational technology and equipment, and increase state funding per student in school districts across the state.
HB 2 now goes
to the full House for its consideration.
June
17, 2009 Economic development and mega-projects bills pass House FRANKFORT
– The Kentucky House passed bills today that would create financing authorities for
transportation mega-projects costing over half a billion dollars and create incentives to
both keep and attract new jobs, and tourism, to the Commonwealth. House
Bill 4, sponsored by House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation Vice Chair Rep.
Don Pasley, D-Winchester, passed by a vote of 89-9. It would allow bi-state authorities to
be created between Kentucky and Indiana to finance and build projects connecting the two
states, like the $4 billion Louisville bridges project and the I-69 bridge project near
Henderson. It would also allow authorities to
be created for other mega-projects solely within Kentucky. “We
have some $12-$13 billion in projects now on the radar that we have no feasible way to pay
for,” said Pasley. Projects within
Kentucky that could be funded under the bill could include construction of bridges in West
Kentucky’s lake region, a proposed I-66 through Southern Kentucky and expansion of
other state highways, Pasley said. A
Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority would be created to approve and
oversee all mega-project construction and financing, which could include revenue bonds
paid for with tolls. Pasley said the bill has safeguards to ensure that authorized tolls
are used only to retire debt on bonded projects. Pasley
said the legislation is needed now to move ahead with desired projects like the Louisville
bridges project, which includes building two new spans between Kentucky and Indiana and
reworking a Louisville interchange known as Spaghetti Junction. It could also help attract
more federal dollars for such projects, he said. “We
need to have this in place…so we can seek more federal funds for projects we have on
our books,” Pasley said. HB 3,
sponsored by Rep. Tommy Thompson, D-Owensboro, passed the House 97-1. The legislation would expand tax incentives for
existing businesses to help them expand, add small business tax credits and tax credits
and refunds for high tech businesses, expand the kinds of properties that qualify for tax
increment financing (TIF), establish a refundable income tax credit for films produced in
Kentucky, increase the cap on incentives for historic preservation from $3 million to $5
million, provide incentives to bring a NASCAR Sprint Cup race to Kentucky Speedway the
Breeder’s Cup to Kentucky and secure funding for an advanced battery manufacturer
proposed for Hardin County. Incentives to upgrade short line rail tracks and other
provisions are also included. The
bill was amended to reduce base wages required in the original bill for certain economic
development incentives to 125 percent of the federal minimum wage in counties with
enhanced incentives and 150 percent of the federal minimum wage in other counties. The 125
percent rate, Thompson said, would amount to a base wage of $9.06 per hour. He told a
House budget committee on Tuesday that the change reflects recent increases in the federal
minimum wage. Rep.
Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, called the 125-percent rate wage “a poverty wage” and
proposed raising the rate to its original 150
percent, increasing base pay slightly to $10.87 per hour . Lawmakers rejected the proposal
after lengthy debate about its possible effect on economic development recruitment in
rural Kentucky. Thompson
called HB 3 as passed “responsible policy,” adding “I think it will help
Kentucky expand our economic base.” HB 4
and HB 3 are two of four House bills that Gov. Steve Beshear has asked state lawmakers to
consider during a special session that began Monday. The other two bills, which are
expected to come before the committee later this week, would modify the state’s
budget to address a shortfall next fiscal year and propose expanded gaming at racetracks. HB 4
and HB 3 now go to the Senate for consideration.
June
16, 2009 Mega-projects, incentives bills clear House budget hurdle FRANKFORT
– Legislation that would help Kentucky finance mega-transportation projects and allow
the state retain and retool existing businesses while attracting business and tourist
attractions passed the House budget committee this afternoon. House
Bill 4, sponsored by House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation Vice Chair Rep.
Don Pasley, D-Winchester, would allow bi-state authorities to be created between Kentucky
and Indiana to finance and build projects connecting the two states, like the $4 billion
Louisville bridges project and the I-69 bridge project near Henderson. Each project would be developed separately, Pasley
told the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, and establishment of the bi-state
authority would be subject to approval by a Kentucky Public Transportation Authority
created by the bill. Bi-state authorities with other states, like Ohio, are not mentioned
in the bill. HB 4
and HB 3, an economic incentives bill sponsored by Rep. Tommy Thompson, are two of four
bills proposed by Gov. Steve Beshear for state lawmakers’ consideration during a
special session that began Monday. The other two bills, which will come before the
committee later this week, would modify the state’s budget to address a nearly $1
billion shortfall next fiscal year and propose expanded gaming at racetracks. “Projects
like the Louisville bridges are not going to move forward without some sort of alternative
financing,” Pasley told the committee. The
bill would also allow financing authorities to be created for other projects within
Kentucky that are not shared with Indiana. KPTA
would oversee construction and financing of the projects, which could include issuing
revenue bonds and tolls. Pasley said the federal government “will have the final say
on what can be tolled.” The
General Assembly would oversee the projects, Pasley said, by ensuring that eligible
projects are included in Kentucky’s six-year plan for highway and bridge
construction, through Senate confirmation of KPTA gubernatorial appointees and by KPTA
annual reports to state lawmakers. HB 3,
sponsored by Rep. Tommy Thompson, D-Owensboro, would expand tax incentives for existing
businesses to help them expand, add small business tax credits and tax credits and refunds
for high tech businesses, expand the kinds of properties that qualify for tax increment
financing (TIF), establish a refundable income tax credit for films produced in Kentucky,
increase the cap on incentives for historic preservation from $3 million to $5 million,
provide incentives to bring a NASCAR Sprint Cup race to Kentucky Speedway the
Breeder’s Cup to Kentucky and secure funding for an advanced battery manufacturer
proposed for Hardin County. Incentives to upgrade short line rail tracks and other
provisions are also included. Thompson
said Kentucky is approaching a 10-percent unemployment rate, and his bill will give the
Commonwealth a chance to grow. “Not
one credit or one refund will be provided until someone does something to make an
investment in Kentucky,” he told the committee. “We will give a dividend back to
them for making an investment.” The
bills now return to the full House. June 3,
2009 Tobacco
funds for early childhood program benefiting families FRANKFORT
– More than 90 percent of Kentucky tobacco settlement dollars spent on a home
visitation program for first-time, at-risk parents are used for front-line services, not
administration, a panel of state lawmakers heard today. State
officials who coordinate the state’s early childhood initiative called, KIDS NOW
(Kentucky Invests in Developing Success NOW,) told the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund
Oversight Committee today that at least 90 percent of the $9.2 million budgeted over the
past year for the HANDS home visitation program benefit families directly. The
overall KIDS NOW budget for the year totals around $30 million. “This
money is meant to deliver services to people… That is our focus,” said Dr. Ruth
Shepherd, M.D., director of the state’s Division of Maternal and Child Health, in
response to a question from Sen. David Givens about how much of the HANDS budget goes
directly for services to families. “So
those dollars are touching people, they’re not paying staffers who are supporting
back services,” said Givens, R-Greensburg. HANDS
is one of several components of KIDS NOW, which is funded by 25 percent of
Kentucky’s share of a $206 billion settlement reached in 1998 between 46 states
and the nation’s large tobacco companies. Shepherd said HANDS is a national model for
helping first-time overburdened parents and serves around 11,000 families a year. The
program is voluntary for any parent who meets certain risk criteria, regardless of income,
Shepherd said. Other
components of the early childhood initiative include a folic acid program designed to
prevent the birth defect spina bifida--or open spine--in newborns; a substance abuse
prevention and treatment program for pregnant women; newborn hearing and metabolic
screenings; eye exams; oral health services; immunizations; child advocacy and early child
care and education assistance programs. Kentucky
Child Care Assistance Program official Robin Herring said approximately 43,000 Kentucky
children receive subsidized child care each month through the KIDS NOW initiative.
Approximately 29 percent of those children, Herring said, are cared for in a center that
is quality-rated by the state through KIDS NOW. When
asked by Committee Co-Chair Rep. Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave, if KIDS NOW’s current
budget includes any federal funding, Shepherd said it didn’t, although she added that
budgeted dollars are used to draw federal Medicaid matching funds for the HANDS program. “We
do a really good job of spending our dollars, and many of our programs actually pull down
large amounts near the end of the year,” Kentucky Division of Early Childhood
Development Director Annette Bridges told lawmakers.
June 3,
2009
Lawmakers updated on stimulus road money FRANKFORT — More than half of
Kentucky federal stimulus money for road projects has already been awarded for work ready
to begin, a panel of lawmakers learned yesterday. The American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, commonly known as the federal stimulus plan, designates $421.1 million for highway
infrastructure improvements in Kentucky, State Highway Engineer Mike Hancock told the
Interim Joint Committee on Transportation. Of that total, $40.6 million goes to the
state’s four metropolitan areas and $367.8 million is distributed statewide. The
General Assembly decided which projects across Kentucky would be funded through House Bill
330 earlier this year. Ten projects have already been let,
Hancock said, with many more ready to be let in the coming months. More than 50 percent of
the road stimulus must be obligated by June 30, he added, and the state is well past that
threshold. Hancock told committee members that of the more than $800 million in road
projects eligible for stimulus money in the current six-year road plan, Transportation
Cabinet officials put an emphasis on projects that were ready to proceed immediately, so
that the June 30 deadline could be met. All money must be obligated by March,
2010, and the projects must be completed by September 30, 2015, to receive stimulus money. A similar situation exists for the
state’s $51.5 million in stimulus money designated for buses and other mass transit,
Hancock noted.
May 6,
2009 State
tobacco panel hears benefits of switchgrass FRANKFORT—State
lawmakers heard today about how a native Kentucky grass could mean extra money for farmers
and reduced emissions from coal-fired power plants in the Commonwealth. The
plant is switchgrass, a warm season grass that is being reestablished in the state as part
of a four-year pilot project overseen by the University of Kentucky and funded by a grant
from the Kentucky Forage and Grassland Council with state tobacco settlement dollars.
Twenty farms in 12 counties are involved in the project, which sent 70 tons of ground-up
switchgrass to an East Kentucky Power plant in Mason County last year to be burned as
biomass with coal in hopes of lowering plant emissions. Researchers,
farmers and the power industry are hopeful that switchgrass could become a supplement to
coal at coal-fired generating plants, UK agronomist Tom Keene told the Tobacco Settlement
Agreement Fund Oversight Committee today. One East Kentucky Power official on a UK video
shown by to the panel by Keene said the grass “could become a very viable economic
opportunity to help us achieve our mission of low cost energy supply to our
customers.” It
could also supplement farm income. Keene said UK is crunching numbers on the potential
payment per ton to farmers for switchgrass, adding that many would like to see farmers
receive $60 per ton. Since the grass is a perennial and has so many uses—biomass,
grazing, hay, and even conversion to cellulosic ethanol—lawmakers were excited about
its possibilities. “As
an agricultural crop, I think the future could be very exciting,” said House
Agriculture and Small Business Chairman and tobacco committee member Rep. Tom McKee,
D-Cynthiana. “I hope a lot of our research will continue to center on the profit
potential per acre.” Sen.
Charlie Borders, R-Russell, was hopeful that use of switchgrass could give some relief to
Kentucky’s coal industry, which might face stringent federal regulations on carbon
emissions in the near future. Keene said burning switchgrass in coal-fired plants reduces
carbon, sulfur and nitrogen while sequestering carbon in the soil. “Going
in this direction with emissions,” said Borders, “hopefully that would take some
of the pressure off some of the (people) in Washington, D.C. who want to do harm to our
coal industry. Maybe some of these folks wanting to outlaw coal…better stop and
realize we’re doing some things that are being very helpful here.” Keene
said there are no hard numbers on how much the switchgrass burned by East Kentucky Power
last year lowered carbon emissions, because the amount burned was so small. He said the
project hopes to increase the amount burned this year. What
was delivered to East Kentucky Power was enough to supply “green energy” to a
half million Kentuckians, he added. Generally,
Keene said the work being done with switchgrass in Kentucky now is laying a foundation for
future decades. “I think the worst thing we can do is paint a panacea for Kentucky
farmers of Kentucky industry that this is a silver bullet, or magic wand.” Senate
Agriculture Chairman and tobacco committee member Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg,
responded, saying, “so it does bear potential, but let’s not get ahead of
ourselves.” But
Keene did say that many farmers are interested in the project, and there are plans to ask
for its expansion. Tobacco
Oversight committee Co-Chair Rep. Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave, thanked Keene for his work on
the project. “I’ve
looked over some of the papers on the switchgrass, and it’s very interesting,”
Sims said.
March 27, 2009
FRANKFORT -- Anticlimactic it may have been, since the largest and
stickiest issues on the table had been well disposed of earlier. But the scheduled final
two days of this year's legislative session did convene in Frankfort Thursday with a bit
of uncertainty hanging over it -- and some drama at the end. The question going in: Would the House take up any of the bills that
were still pending between chambers when the Legislature adjourned two weeks ago for its
veto recess? Three bills in particular were being talked about: An overall
economic-incentive package aimed partly at luring a major NASCAR race to the state; a
measure creating a River Bridges Authority (or some other mechanism) to oversee the
massive Louisville project or other large bridge projects; and a bill to fund public
defenders in Kentucky, who warn they may have to start turning away clients because of
budget shortfalls. With two working days left when lawmakers returned to Frankfort, the
Senate and the governor took the position that those measures were important enough and
near enough resolution for the Legislature to wrap up work on them and pass them before
final adjournment. The House had a different take. Earlier in the session, that chamber
passed rules of operation that included a stipulation the final two 'veto days' of the
session would be limited to just that: Considering overrides of any vetoes the governor
might impose on passed legislation during the 10-day recess built into the schedule
specifically for that purpose. The Senate and the governor countered that rules of legislative
procedure are suspended regularly for important and even minor matters, and they could and
should be suspended in this case because of what they considered an urgent need to finish
and sign those bills. The House pointed out that such a last-minute rush to pass bills has
caused problems and confusion in past -- including 'stopping the clock' at midnight and
the lawsuits and litigation that resulted -- and that the rule in question was designed
specifically to prevent such hasty 11th-hour practices. In the end, the House decided that the bills, while good ones, did not
require immediate action, and chose not to take them up at this time. And since neither
the House nor Senate felt it was necessary to contest the one minor veto Gov. Beshear had
imposed on a section of Road Plan language, the Legislature's work for this year was over.
Both chambers adjourned sine die before sundown
Thursday, after using 29 of their allotted 30 days for this year's session. Despite this procedural difference in the final hours, all parties
agreed that this year's session was a highly productive one, notable for its spirit of
harmony and bipartisan cooperation in the face of hard times. In addition to passing a revenue package of targeted
tobacco-and-alcohol taxes to help close a major budget shortfall, the session will be
remembered for finally voting to eliminate the controversial CATS school-accountability
testing program, replacing that test with something better able to track and compare
individual student progress. An ambitious Road Plan for Kentucky was passed and funded. Other
bills too will have their impact, either now or down the road:
Although the 2009 regular session is now in the history books, already there is speculation that a special session may be needed later this year to deal with a projected continuing deficit in the budget for next fiscal year beginning July 1. Only a governor can call a special session, so that will be his call. Meanwhile the legislative interim resumes: The period between sessions when joint committees of the House and Senate meet monthly to study issues and prepare legislation for the next session.
Citizens can stay informed of legislative activity year-round by on logging onto the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov . To find out when a committee meeting is scheduled, they can call the LRC toll-free Meeting Information Line at 800-633-9650.
Anyone wanting to share a comment or concerns with their legislator can call the toll-free Legislative Message Line at 800-372-7181, also year-round.
The next regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly will convene Jan. 5, 2010.
March 26, 2009
General Assembly’s 2009 session
ends FRANKFORT
— The Kentucky General Assembly’s 2009 session gaveled to an end today, capping
29 days of legislative activity that included the passage of bills on school testing
reform, drug screening and treatment for felony offenders, and tracking for payday
lenders. More than
700 bills were introduced in the two legislative chambers this year, including legislation
to plug shortfalls in the state budget. Measures sent to the governor to be signed into
law include the following: CATS testing. Senate Bill 1 overhauls the
state’s end-of-year school accountability exams, eliminating writing portfolios as
well as arts and practical living exams. Those elements would be retained as school
programs, however. Drug diversion. SB 4 directs jail officials to
screen certain drug abuse offenders as soon as they are booked. Judges can then order
outpatient drug counseling, while serious addicts can volunteer for inpatient treatment.
Those who complete a follow-up program and stay clean can have the felony wiped from their
record. Penal code. Senate Joint Resolution 12 continues a
study of the state’s criminal laws, putting it under the jurisdiction of the
legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary. Personal services. SB 22 requires home health
agencies and other personal service businesses to conduct criminal background checks on
their employees and bans anyone convicted of abuse, drug crimes, or sex crimes from being
hired. Flags. SB 33 requires all U.S. and Kentucky flags
purchased by state and local governments to be made in the U.S. ATVs. House Bill 53 requires all-terrain vehicles
to be titled, just as motor vehicles are. Oil and gas. SJR 67 directs a study of potential
benefits from oil and gas exploration on state lands. Local government pensions. HB 117 allows employers
in the County Employees Retirement System to phase in their health care payments over 10
years, just as the state government does. Budget revisions. HB 143 deals with state budget
shortfalls with 4 percent cuts for most state agencies. The Medicaid program, corrections
and SEEK funds for schools were protected from the cuts. Higher education received 2
percent cuts. The budget revision plan also uses some of the state’s “Rainy
Day” funds to close the budget gap. Revenue. HB 144 will generate additional revenue
for the state by doubling the state’s tobacco tax, increasing the tax on cigarettes
to 60 cents a pack, and extending the state’s 6 percent sales tax to retail alcohol
sales. Sex offenders. HB 315 bans convicted sex offenders
from MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites where minors are allowed. It
also requires them to register their e-mail addresses, screen names, and other online IDs
with state authorities. School days. HB 322 allows school districts to ask
the Education Commissioner to waive 10 school days from the school calendar due to school
closings caused by the winter ice storm and the windstorms caused by last fall’s
Tropical Storm Ike. Gasoline tax. HB 374 sets the current gas tax of
22.5 cents per gallon as the new base, rather than allowing it to fall with gas prices on
April 1. School athletes. HB 383 requires high school
coaches to become certified in student safety. Beginning next school year, one certified
coach must be present at every practice and game. Payday lending. HB 444 sets up a database to
enforce the state’s two loan/$500 maximum on payday loans. The bill also puts a
10-year moratorium on new payday lending stores. Student loans. HB 480 mandates that when money is
tight, the state restricts access to new loans by the Best in Class program, which
forgives loans for teachers who enter the fields of math, science, and special education.
Current teachers whose loans need forgiveness would have priority in the program, which
will also add nurses and public-service attorneys to the program.
March 13, 2009
FRANKFORT -- The last day before the veto recess of a General Assembly session almost always vibrates with urgency – and a big dose of uncertainty. Normally, a raft of major, controversial bills remain unresolved in conference committees from each chamber, as lawmakers struggle, sometimes late into the night, to work out differences between versions passed by the House and Senate so the unified bills can go to the governor. Getting to that step is key to why the Legislature started building a 10-day 'veto recess' into its schedule. Since the governor must veto a bill within 10 days of receiving it, saving a day or two of its allotted 30 for after recess gives the General Assembly a chance to override that action. This year, that last-day urgency was muted – in a way that reflected something leaders and observers have remarked upon: A cooperative spirit of 'get things done in the face of tough times' that has descended on Frankfort this long winter. Consider what the Legislature faced when it went to work that last day, Friday, and how it played out: · The biggest sticking point anticipated for this year's session – how to plug a half-billion dollar hole in the state budget – was resolved weeks ago. Cigarette and alcohol taxes were raised, further but not Draconian agency spending cuts were authorized, and Rainy Day funds were temporarily transferred to make up the difference. House and Senate leaders worked with the governor to get this done, and the bill passed without much drama. · An issue that in past years would have almost surely caused deadlock – dumping the controversial CATS testing system in state schools and replacing it with something different, more focused, and more able to track individual student achievement – had broad bipartisan support this year. A bill to that end passed both chambers, with minor differences. A conference committee worked Friday to iron out some technical details of its implementation, including timing of the changeover and what to use for testing in the transition to a new state test. Agreement was arrived at later in the day. · The one sticking point still out there Friday on an ambitious $3.7 billion multi-year road package was, 'when to pass the pennies?' Even this, one leader called 'just a disagreement over process.' The state gas tax is based largely on the price of gasoline. It's currently 22.5 cents. The Senate wanted to pass the bill to freeze the state gas tax at its current level (four cents a gallon higher that it will otherwise be April 1, when it's scheduled to drop because gas prices have plunged) only after the governor signs the Road Plan bill itself. The House wanted the pennies passed now and sent to the governor as part of the overall transportation package, since the road projects will need that money. Failure to freeze the tax rate would cost the Road Fund $128 million in lost revenue. Both bills were stalled Friday as the final process was negotiated in conference committee, with agreement reached later in the day to pass the tax freeze now. Otherwise, in a busy week, several other bills of note cleared both chambers, including: · Passed and sent to the governor was House Bill 489, which requires that judges include health insurance or health coverage for children as part of child support arrangements. · Heading for the governor is Senate Bill 4, under which persons charged with a felony would be screened for substance abuse before they go to trial. At a judge’s discretion, the offender could be ordered into an outpatient recovery program as a condition of bail. Upon completing the pretrial diversion program (and assuming no further offenses) the charges could eventually be dropped and no felony listed on his or her record. The bill is aimed in part at reducing the population of our clogged and costly prisons, while returning substance abusers to productive lives in the community. · HB 444, a bill to regulate so-called payday lending, would require that a state database be created by July 2010 for lenders to search for any outstanding loans a customer might have. It would impose penalties on businesses that violate the two-loan/$500 or less per-customer limit now on the books, and prohibit new payday loan stores from opening over the next ten years. It’s been sent to the governor. · Schools that missed many instructional days due to this winters ice storm and last fall’s Hurricane Ike will welcome HB 322, which allows school districts to ask the state to waive up to 1- “disaster days” once all planned makeup days are used. It would also allow schools to extend the instructional day by 30 minutes to prepare for statewide testing, and lengthen school days to make up any days missed due to bad weather. As mentioned, the Legislature leave today on a planned recess, a 'veto recess' while the governor reviews bills for any he'd like to strike. Lawmakers then return for the final two days of this session March 26-27, to consider overriding those vetoes, and to tie up loose ends and pass – or not – any bills not agreed to by both chambers at day's end Friday. You can stay informed of legislative action on bills of interest to you this session by logging onto the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov or by calling the LRC toll-free Bill Status Line at 866-840-2835. To find out when a committee meeting is scheduled, you can call the LRC toll-free Meeting Information Line at 800-633-9650. March 13, 2009 CATS reform
passes, ready for governor FRANKFORT
— A comprehensive overhaul of the state’s system of student assessment is headed
to the governor’s desk following final passage by the House and Senate today. Senate Bill
1, sponsored by Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray, and Senate President David Williams,
R-Burkesville, would put emphasis on individual student test scores, allowing parents and
teachers to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and design a curriculum for their
needs. “We’ve
established a new day in the education of our young people,” Winters declared. Open-response
questions will be removed from the state’s end-of-year student assessments in favor
of a national norm-referenced test augmented by additional multiple-choice tests to cover
the state’s core content. The focus on multiple-choice exams is designed to allow
quicker feedback and allow changes to a student’s education plan the next school
year. Writing
portfolios will no longer be used as part of the assessment program, beginning
immediately, although they will be retained as a teaching tool in grades 5-12. Likewise,
end-of-year tests in the arts and vocational skills would be eliminated beginning with
next school year, although schools as a whole will be evaluated on their offerings in
those areas, with a spotlight on performance-oriented courses. As the state
makes a transition to national norm-referenced tests, students will be required to
complete Kentucky Core Content exams in math, reading, science, and social studies used
for school and district accountability. They will also take survey norm-referenced exams
to measure their individual readiness. When the new exam system is in place for the
2011-2012 school year, testing time will be cut in half to five days. The
compromise bill, worked on by a conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers, passed
each chamber unanimously and now heads to the governor’s desk. March 12, 2009
Drug treatment plan approved, heads to governor
FRANKFORT --
A proposal to treat arrested drug addicts before heading to trial won final passage today,
sending it to the governor for his signature. Senate Bill 4, co-sponsored by Senate Majority
Floor Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, and Senate Minority Floor Leader Ed Worley,
D-Richmond, had earlier passed each chamber unanimously. With the Senate concurring in
House changes today, the program is one step from becoming law. “This is an outstanding piece of
legislation,” Worley said. “It pays for itself.” Under the plan, those charged with a felony would
be screened for substance abuse problems before they appear at trial. At the judge's
discretion, the offender could be ordered into an outpatient recovery program as a
condition of bail. If they completed the pretrial diversion program and did not commit any
other offenses, the charges could eventually be dropped and no felony listed on their
record. The state corrections system would also set aside
at least 200 beds for an inpatient facility — similar in restrictions to a minimum
security prison — for people who have been charged with a felony and have substance
abuse issues. Prisoners in the program would voluntarily undergo intensive counseling for
at least 90 days to make sure they can overcome their addictions. An aftercare plan would
also be in place for each participant, including referral to a local substance abuse
counselor, to make sure they stayed away from their vices upon leaving the facility. The General Assembly provided funding for the
program in the budget last year, Kelly said. He gave credit to state Justice and Public
Safety Secretary J. Michael Brown with initiating parts of the program already, giving the
state a head start in its implementation. “There
could soon be people across the commonwealth whose lives will be affected for the
positive,” Kelly said.
Legislative week in review
The issue is roads,
and the question is: What will the state Road Plan look like for the next few years, and
how will it be paid for? Specifically, what to do about a little-remarked downside to
collapsing gasoline prices? The answer -- unveiled Thursday and passed by the House Friday before heading to the
Senate for a vote early next week -- came in the form of an ambitious roads package
hammered out in talks between House and Senate leaders and the Beshear Administration over
the past few weeks. The road plan would
commit to significant spending -- some $3.7 billion -- to give a major boost to road
building across the state, which has slowed markedly in the current recession. Of that
money, some $400 million would come from issuing bonds, and another $400 million from the
recently passed federal stimulus package. The balance will
come from the State Road Fund, which is now facing a difficulty also addressed in the bill
-- falling revenue. Here's why: The state gasoline tax raises money for the Road Fund,
which is dedicated exclusively to highways and bridges and road maintenance across the
state. The gas-tax rate is based largely on the wholesale price of gas. Without going into
the math of it, a portion of the tax is variable, so rates go up periodically as the price
goes up, rates drop as the price goes down. Because gas prices
have plummeted dramatically since last summer, to under $2 a gallon from a high of over
$4, the tax is scheduled to be cut by 4 cents a gallon April 1. Those four pennies would
cost the Road Fund – already strapped for cash – some $128 million in lost
revenue. One legislative leader said the potential loss of that revenue would be
'catastrophic.' To fix that, the
roads package passed by
the House keeps the four
pennies and freezes the gas-tax rate at its current level, 22.5 cents per gallon. Proponents say the
vigorous building plan will not only create jobs related to the construction work itself,
but be a long-term economic stimulus by encouraging business and industry to remain or
locate in areas well-served by good transportation. Meanwhile, as the
Legislature faces a final full week of work devoted mostly to considering bills sent over
from the other chamber, several other bills made that penultimate step last week. The House this week
passed a bill in response to a tragedy: The heat-related death of 15-year-old Max
Gilpin, a Pleasure Ridge Park High School football player who died last summer during
practice on a hot August day. House Bill 383 instructs the Kentucky Board of Education to
review and revise, if necessary, its hot-weather policies for athletic practices and
events. The bill was amended
to remove a requirement that an ice-pool be available for athletes in hot weather, after
other possible health problems were cited concerning that particular treatment for
apparent heat stroke. The Senate passed a
bill to expand KEES, the achievement-based program that has given thousands of Kentucky
students financial help to earn a college degree. While both public and private school
students are eligible for the program -- which awards up to $2500 for each year of college
-- home-schooled students have not been. SB 180 would give
those students the same opportunity as their public and private school counterparts. Under
the bill, home schoolers' KEES award would be based on their standardized ACT score rather
than their GPA, until after the first year of college. Then, the portion of their KEES
award normally based on their high school GPA would be based on the GPA from their college
freshman year. You can stay
informed of legislative action on bills of interest to you this session by logging onto
the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov or by calling the LRC
toll-free Bill Status Line at 866-840-2835. To find out when a committee meeting is
scheduled, you can call the LRC toll-free Meeting Information Line at 800-633-9650. If you would like to
share your comments or concerns with me or another legislator about a particular bill
under consideration this session, you can call the toll-free Legislative Message Line at
800-372-7181. February 27, 2009
Legislative week in review
FRANKFORT
-- After an urgent first push dealing mostly with the state's budget crisis, and a week
with no chamber action so committees could re-focus attention on the remaining big issues
facing this winter's session, the rhythms of the legislative process resumed and quickly
gained impetus in the Capitol this week. Both
chambers reconvened and passed significant bills, and the sense of precious time passing
sharpened: Only 12 legislative days remain of the constitutionally allotted 30 before the
2009 session, as now scheduled, adjourns March 27. In
news not directly related to this week's action -- but certainly of major import to a
Legislature constantly struggling with money woes -- it was announced this week that
Kentucky expects to get a bit more than $3 billion from the just-passed federal economic
stimulus package over the next 28 months. The
stimulus bill stipulates that $924 million in federal dollars will be used for education
in the state, $421 million for roads and bridges, and about $990 million for Medicaid --
the latter welcome money indeed, since the program already faces a $232 million shortfall
this year even as demand for services grows dramatically in the recession. Additionally,
about $272 million is designated for human services, $71 million for water and sewer
projects, and $66 million for workforce development, among other targeted areas. Some $120
million will go to the General Fund, to help mitigate cuts in key programs and services
feared for next year's budget. Just
two weeks ago, facing a $456 million budget shortfall by the June 30 end of this fiscal
year, lawmakers passed legislation raising taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco
products and extending sales taxes to package alcohol, while authorizing spending cuts
even beyond those already imposed. But further significant shortfalls are expected in the
next two-year budget cycle, and the underlying structural imbalance remains. In
light of the ongoing problem, legislative leaders this week were quick to caution that the
massive injection of federal money, while welcome, was no long-term solution to Kentucky's
chronic budget woes. Their underlying cautionary message: We must not become dependent on
one-time money, or mislead ourselves into thinking it solves our long-term budgetary
problem. In
floor action this week, the House
approved legislation that would allow school districts who lost significant instructional
days to last September's Hurricane Ike or last month's ice storm to get waivers for making
up as many as 10 missed days. Under current state policy, districts that miss fewer than
20 days must make up those days or add minutes to each day to make up the lost time. That
means some hard-hit districts this year face having to continue classes into summer. The
bill does require that the state education commissioner approve such waivers on a
case-by-case basis. The bill now goes to the Senate. A
bill to bring more transparency to campaign fundraising and advertising passed the Senate
this week. Senate Bill 53 requires that so-called 527 groups -- political advocacy groups
created under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue code -- file campaign finance
reports during state campaigns. Basically,
the bill requires such groups to follow the same campaign-finance reporting schedule as
candidates for statewide office. Federal law doesn't require such reporting until after
the campaign -- meaning large amounts of money, sometimes millions, can be raised and
spent on advertising that essentially supports one candidate or the other, without the
public knowing specifically who's paying for them. Citizens
can stay informed of legislative action on bills of interest to them by logging on to the
Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov or by calling the LRC
toll-free Bill Status Line at 866-840-2835. To find out when a committee meeting is
scheduled, they can check the website or call the LRC toll-free Meeting Information Line
at 800-633-9650. To
share comments or concerns with a legislator about a particular bill or issue, they can
call the toll-free Legislative Message Line at 800-372-7181. February 27, 2009
Executive Branch ethics bill passes
House 92-0 FRANKFORT – A pared-down version
of a former House bill that would improve state employee job protections and ethics in
hiring passed the House today by a vote of 92-0. House Bill 304, sponsored by Rep. Mike
Cherry, D-Princeton, is a revised version of Cherry’s Public Employee Protection Act
which was considered in 2007 and 2008 but did not become law. The 2009 bill has fewer
provisions than the two earlier bills since most provisions have been implemented by the
governor, Cherry said, but several areas left unaddressed are the bill. HB 304 now goes to the Senate for its
consideration. Provisions in HB 304 include covering
Personnel Cabinet board members under the Executive Branch ethics code, requiring that
former non-merit employees serve a 12 month probationary period before being appointed to
a merit system position, with few exceptions, and allowing employees to seek nonpartisan
elected office (such as a school board position) if there is no perceived conflict and the
employee has fully disclosed their intent to run for office to their employer. The bill would also place limits on
compensatory time block payments for non-merit employees, limit comp leave payments for
any employee who leaves state government service to 240 hours (the equivalent of 10 days),
and allow state employees who have been on leave for active military duty or training to
return to their job and appeal any possible dismissal. The state merit system is a classified
employment system that is designed so employees are hired based on their qualifications.
February 27, 2009
Oil, gas leasing
on state lands moves forward FRANKFORT — State land could be leased for oil and gas
exploration if a bill passed by the Senate today become law. Senate Bill 138, sponsored by Sen. Tom
Jensen, R-London, would allow state agencies and universities to lease their property for
drilling. Any leasing fees or royalties would go back to the agencies for their own use,
and the process would make sure that the state receives a fair price for the mineral
rights, Jensen said. The state’s scenic beauty and
other concerns would come into play, Jensen said. “The state will have a higher
standard than normal,” he stated. “We’ll consider the aesthetic effects.
We’ll consider the safety of citizens when they’re on state lands.”
Regulations in the bill require any lease to be in the “best interest of the
Commonwealth” and maintain environmental quality of the land. Many other states already allow such
leases, and federal land in Kentucky is already eligible, Jensen said. “The
University of Kentucky is currently drilling on property in another state that it has an
interest in,” he noted. The bill, which passed 36-0, now moves
to the House for its consideration.
February 27, 2009
Senate approves
executive branch ethics bill FRANKFORT — State contracts would be essentially forbidden to
anyone giving money to candidates under comprehensive ethics legislation passed today by
the Senate. “Ethical government and ethical
elections are crucial to the success of self-government, and legislation to promote those
core American values is as important as anything we do here,” said Sen. Damon Thayer,
the sponsor of Senate Bill 2. SB 2 includes business partners as
those who cannot benefit from the actions of a state official. Currently only the official
and their family members are included in the prohibition. The bill also extends the ban on state
officials going to work for a business they regulated to two years. The current
prohibition is six months. Among the most notable elements of SB
2 is the ban on any business entity receiving a state contract within 18 months of
donating more than $500 to a candidate for office. Individuals acting as their own
business would have a limit of $50, and both limits would apply to the entire length of
the contract as well. “One of the strongest provisions of Senate Bill 2 would end the
practice of ‘pay to play,’” said Thayer, R-Georgetown. The makeup of the Executive Branch
Ethics Commission would change under the bill, giving other constitutional officers a
greater role in its membership. While the first appointment under SB 2 would be made by
the governor, the next three appointments would be chosen from a list submitted by the
Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Auditor of Public Accounts. The bill, which passed 32-4, now moves
to the House for its consideration. February 13, 2009
House Bill 144, the
tax measure, passed the House Wednesday and the Senate Friday. It was then sent to the
governor for his expected signature. It represents a bipartisan consensus worked out over
the past few weeks by leaders from both chambers to cope with a projected $456 million
revenue shortfall this fiscal year. The bill doubles the
state cigarette tax, to 60 cents a pack from 30 cents. It also doubles current taxes on
chewing tobacco, snuff and other tobacco products. To spread the burden and avoid an even
more dramatic cigarette-tax jump (to a dollar a pack, as proposed by the governor) it also
extends the state's 6 percent sales tax to retail purchases of package beer, wine and
liquor. By-the-drink sales in bars and restaurants are already subject to that tax. While these new user
fees could generate as much as $180 million a year, it's estimated they will only raise
$52 million this fiscal year – the immediate shortfall year – which ends June
30. They will take effect April 1. The two other fixes
in this week's overall budget package are transfers of money from other state accounts
(including $219 million from the budget reserve 'rainy day' fund) and around $147 million
in cuts from state agencies and the legislative and judicial branch budgets. Basic elementary and
secondary schools funding would be spared further reductions this year, and corrections,
mental health services, and Medicaid, along with a few other core functions, dodged this
winter's bullet. It was felt that previous dramatic cuts in this year's budget – cuts
that already have many agencies struggling to provide services – precluded a 'cuts
only' approach to dealing with this latest shortfall. Most of this week's
public and legislative debate centered on the alcohol tax instead of the tobacco tax,
possibly reflecting the fact Kentucky has long had one of the lowest cigarette tax rates
in the nation (fourth lowest nationally until now), while alcohol taxes are said to be
among the highest. In addition to the new sales tax contained in the bill, Industry spokesmen
and other opponents of the move were vocal in their contention that one of Kentucky's
signature industries should be spared this increase. But supporters countered that the tax
would be paid at the retail level by consumers, not the industry, and there is little
indication sales would suffer much because of the levy. Ultimately, a
supermajority in both the House and Senate agreed. (Any tax measure proposed in a 30-day
non-budget session requires 60 votes in the 100-member House and 23 in the 38-member
Senate). The final tally was 66-34 in the House, 24-12 in the Senate. Meanwhile, one other
bill emerged from the Senate this week that could generate headlines as the session
continues: Senate Bill 1, which would dramatically revamp the controversial
school-accountability testing system in Kentucky public education. The bill, stated
simply, would eliminate the current system of school testing known as CATS -- a
test specific to Kentucky and filled with largely open-ended questions -- and replace it
in part with a national standardized multiple-choice test. The intent: Have a test that
can empirically compare individual student to individual student (and school district to
school district) here in-state, and With a growing sense
among lawmakers that some revisiting of CATS in an idea whose time may have come, the
exact form such revision takes could emerge as a major issue as the Senate bill now goes
to the House for its consideration, and the session moves past the immediate budget crisis
to other issues. One item of note:
Legislative leaders have amended this year's session calendar to build more 'committee
work only' days into the schedule (thereby saving official 'legislative days' while still
working to get bills in shape for floor action). As a result, the chambers will not
convene in full session this coming week. The revised calendar now extends final
adjournment to March 27. Kentuckians can
check that calendar and stay informed of legislative action on bills of interest to them
by logging onto the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov
or by calling the LRC's toll-free Bill Status Line at 866-840-2835. To find out when a
committee meeting is scheduled, you can call the LRC toll-free Meeting Information Line at
800-633-9650. Citizens can also
share comments or concerns with any legislator by calling the toll-free Legislative
Message Line at 800-372-7181.
February 13, 2009
Tax plan squeaks through Senate; budget headed to governor
FRANKFORT
— A package to cut state spending and increase revenue to address a $456 million
deficit narrowly passed the Senate this morning, sending it to Gov. Beshear’s desk
for his signature at a 1 p.m. event. House Bill
144, the tax portion of the plan, passed 24-12 vote, one more vote than constitutionally
necessary. HB 143, concerning the revenue cuts, passed 35-1. “People
on both sides of this issue understand the dire circumstances we’re in,” said
Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville. The plan
would double the tax on tobacco products and subject alcoholic beverages to the
state’s 6 percent sales tax. Meanwhile, most state agencies would face 4 percent
cuts, with the remainder of the deficit filled with fund transfers. Under the
plan, cigarettes would be taxed at 60 cents per pack, while snuff would be taxed at 19
cents per tin and other products would see a 15 percent wholesale tax. Alcohol currently
faces an 11 percent wholesale rate, but is exempt from the retail tax. Both
increases would begin on April 1. While most
state agencies, including the legislative and judicial branches, would see their budgets
trimmed by 4 percent, colleges and universities would be cut only 2 percent, while
Medicaid, corrections, and P-12 education’s SEEK funding would be spared. Local
economic development funding, including coal severance receipts, will also be protected
from the cuts and transfers. “Cuts
of a half billion dollars have already been made, with more to come,” said Sen.
Charlie Borders, R-Russell. “The road is not going to get better any time soon.” The lengthy
debate — more than half of all senators rose to speak — centered on the need for
a more comprehensive look at the tax structure in the future. “This
is a stopgap measure, and that’s OK,” said Williams. “We’ve set the
stage for a new day.” Sen. Tim
Shaughnessy, D-Louisville, said the vote was simply a preview of what lies ahead.
“This is the easy part,” he said. “The real difficulty will come in the
next biennium.” Criticism of
the tax package focused on the targeted items. “My problem is with the equity and
fairness,” said Sen. Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort. “I came here prepared to vote
for a tax, but not this tax.” Sen. Julie
Denton, R-Louisville, pointed out that alcohol is not sold everywhere in the state.
“It’s targeting the big counties that happen to be wet,” she said.
“This is a 120-county problem that we’re strapping to the backs of 30
counties.” The bill
will also allow the governor to make use of any emergency funding passed by Congress.
“I can only hope the stimulus package … will add some help to our state’s
situation,” said Sen. David Boswell, D-Owensboro. February 10, 2009
School testing reforms, early graduation program passed in Senate
FRANKFORT
— Broad changes to the state’s system of student testing and a program to allow
motivated students to graduate high school in three years were both approved by the Senate
today. Senate Bill
1, sponsored by Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray, and Senate President David Williams,
R-Burkesville, would remove open-response questions from the state’s end-of-year
student assessments in favor of a national norm-referenced test augmented by additional
multiple-choice tests to cover the state’s core content. Winters
noted that focusing on multiple-choice questions would allow parents and teachers to
receive feedback more quickly and immediately adjust to individual students’ learning
needs. “The CATS test as we know it now provides very little information on
students,” he said, because school accountability is the major focus. Open-response
questions are also subject to the judgment of those grading the answers, rather than very
clear answers on multiple-choice exams. Kentucky
students could also be compared to students in other states and nations, said Senate
Majority Floor Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield. Under SB 1,
writing portfolios would no longer be part of the assessment program, but would be
retained as a teaching tool in grades 5-12. Likewise, end-of-year tests in the arts and
vocational skills would be eliminated. Instead, schools’ programs would be evaluated
to make sure students were able to pursue those courses effectively. “This
program will put us many, many years ahead,” Winters said of the bill, which passed
36-0. Winters
spoke of the urgency in getting the bill to the House before next week’s legislative
recess, which will allow various parties to discuss the final version before it receives
final passage. SB 3, also
sponsored by Winters and Williams, would allow students who complete 15 core courses to
graduate high school in three years. Currently, all students must complete 22 credits over
their four-year scholastic careers. “We want to give students the opportunity to opt
out of the electives and aggressively concentrate on the core courses,” Winters said.
Among the 15 required credits are four years of English, two years of a single foreign
language, and two years of algebra along with geometry, chemistry, biology, and U.S.
history. Students who
graduate early would be granted unconditional admission to any state college or university
with a 3.0 grade point average, ACT scores that meet or exceed benchmarks in math and
English, and completion of two Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses. Students who
graduate early would be given an extra year of KEES scholarship money based on their first
three years’ awards, and the per-pupil funding ordinarily given to their local school
district would go to their college or university instead. “If there are students who
aren’t interested in extracurriculars, who don’t want to join the band or play
sports, who want to focus on their studies and want their college education to me more
affordable, we should make that possible,” Williams said. SB 3 passed
on a 24-12 vote. Both bills now move to the House for its consideration. February 10, 2009 House
budget committee passes tax, budget bill to reduce
shortfall FRANKFORT—
The House budget committee approved a tax bill today that would help plug a $456 million
hole in the state budget this fiscal year with over $150 million in new revenue. The
revenue created by House Bill 144, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg,
now goes to the full House where it is expected to be voted on tomorrow. At least 60 House
members will have to approve the tax measure before it can be sent to the Senate for
consideration. Projected
new revenue from HB 144 would come from two sources: an increase in tobacco taxes, which
would raise the state tax on each pack of cigarettes by 30 cents to 60 cents and double
the taxes on chewing tobacco and snuff, and a 6 percent sales tax on package alcohol sales
at liquor stores and groceries. The bill would
not increase taxes on alcohol at the wholesale level, according to House Appropriations
and Revenue Committee Chairman Rep. Rick Rand, D-Bedford. A
budget modification bill, House Bill 143 sponsored by Stumbo, was also passed by the
committee and goes to the full House tomorrow. Rand explained that HB 143 would help cover
the rest of the shortfall without the use of coal severance or tobacco settlement funds
and without state employee furloughs. It would instead authorize the governor to make a
one-time transfer of up to $50 million from the state employee health trust fund if
actuarially sound, give the governor authority to make necessary spending cuts among state
agencies, authorize cuts of up to 4 percent in the legislative and judicial branches and
allow the state to use up to $219 million from its reserves this fiscal year to fill the
budget hole. Rand
added that HB 143 includes a list of areas that lawmakers hope the governor will hold
harmless--or not cut—including teacher’s retirement, Medicaid, SEEK per pupil
funds for school districts among others. He also said that lawmakers hope millions taken
from the state budget reserve trust fund can be replaced next fiscal year with revenue
created by HB 144. House
Appropriations and Revenue Committee First Vice Chair Rep. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, said the
budget plan passed by the committee also leaves room for any federal funds Kentucky might
receive from a federal stimulus plan now before Congress. The stimulus plan passed the
U.S. Senate today and is now being reconciled with a bill in the U.S. House. “We
have addressed the possibility of federal stimulus money. Although that is a fluid
process…we have included language (for) that potential revenue enhancement,”
said Webb, adding that any funding received should be used in a “prudent
manner.” February 6, 2009
Legislative leaders amend 2009 session calendar
FRANKFORT -- Kentucky Senate and House leaders today
approved changes to the calendar for the General Assembly’s 2009 legislative session.
The session is now scheduled to conclude on March 27, three days later than
previously planned. In
addition to observing the Feb. 16 Presidents’ Day holiday by not convening that day,
the General Assembly will also not be in session on Feb. 17, 18, 19 and 20, according to
the amended calendar. The
veto recess – the period of time during which lawmakers return to their home
districts to wait for potential gubernatorial vetoes – will be held from March 14 to
March 25. After the recess, lawmakers will return to the Capitol on March 26 and 27 for
the final days of the session. A copy of the new 2009 legislative calendar can be viewed here. February 6, 2009 In a week that saw
Gov. Steve Beshear deliver his State of the Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the
House and Senate, key leaders in both chambers seemed in basic accord on one aspect of the
governor's budgetary analysis: Cuts alone would not be a practical fix, coming as they
would with a fiscal-year deadline looming, and state agencies are already struggling to
deal with economies previously imposed in this year's spending plan. The budget faces a
$459 million shortfall this fiscal year alone, a period ending June 30. To deal with the
immediate crisis, the governor has proposed – and reiterated in his speech Wednesday
– a package of spending cuts and fund transfers coupled with a sharp rise in the
state cigarette tax, from 30 cents a pack to a dollar a pack. The proposal also calls for
significant tax increases on other tobacco products. Kentucky's cigarette
tax is the fourth lowest in the nation, and as the governor noted, the state consistently
ranks first in the number of smoking-related deaths. But in a subdued
speech with heavy emphasis on bipartisanship and cooperation, the governor emphasized that
specifics of his plan remain open to discussion – which if nothing else reflects the
political reality that a full 70-cent hike in cigarette taxes seems a hard sell at best
with many lawmakers. Within the
Legislature itself, talks continued last week among key leaders and budget panel members
of both chambers, as they work to arrive at a consensus proposal that can pass the
Legislature before adjournment -- perhaps well before adjournment. At a press conference
this morning, Senate President While details of
such a negotiated package have not been finalized, the idea has been raised that some
combination of a cigarette and alcohol taxes could prove palatable to the membership this
year, given the seriousness of the situation and the fact that scorched-earth cuts seem
needed if cutting is undertaken in isolation. Beyond the budget
question, one indication that the road ahead could be busy this session is that
legislative leaders approved a proposal to alter the session calendar to build more
'committee work only' days into the schedule (thereby saving official 'legislative days')
and extend final adjournment to March 27, three days later than previously planned. One surprise in
Beshear's speech was his call to conduct a comprehensive review of KERA -- the Kentucky
Education Reform Act of 1990. KERA, while
considered a national model by some and praised in many quarters, has also been
controversial. It dramatically increased funding for public schools and totally overhauled
how they are governed and how student achievement – and overall school success or
failure -- is measured through testing. But the testing
program, in particular, has been heavily criticized for not giving teachers reliable
statistics for gauging student progress, or comparing Beshear offered no
specifics about what the proposed review would involve, or when it would be undertaken.
But after nearly 20 years it may be an issue whose time has come; there is already a
strong push underway this session to revamp the testing component of KERA. Kentuckians can stay
informed of legislative action on bills of interest to them by logging onto the
Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov
or by calling the LRC toll-free Bill Status Line at 866-840-2835. To find out when a
committee meeting is scheduled, you can call the LRC toll-free Meeting Information Line at
800-633-9650. Citizens can also
share comments or concerns with any legislator by calling the toll-free Legislative
Message Line at 800-372-7181.
Senate approves drug diversion program, drugged driving plan FRANKFORT
— Arrested drug addicts could be treated for their problem before heading to trial
— and potentially head off a lengthy prison sentence — under a plan passed today
by the Senate. Senate Bill
4, sponsored by Senate Majority Floor Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, and Senate Minority
Floor Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond, would require local jails to screen felony offenders
when they are first booked. Those with drug problems could be required by a judge to seek
outpatient addiction treatment and counseling as a condition for bail. Kelly said
that without treatment, many if not most offenders will be arrested again before their
trial, leading to a lengthier sentence. More serious
addicts could voluntarily enter a secure facility, much like a minimum-security prison,
for three months to a year to get the help they need. Follow-up supervision would be a
crucial component of both programs, Kelly said. If the offenders stayed clean, they could
have the felony charge wiped from their record, allowing them to lead a normal life and
hold a steady job. “This
provisions of Senate Bill 4 are a smart way to deal with this problem,” Kelly said.
He noted that of Kentucky’s 22,000 prisoners, around 5,000 are in jail simply for
drug possession, while 80 percent of all prisoners are in for some drug-related offense. Worley said
the program could make a difference in the lives of many Kentuckians, because drugs touch
the lives of nearly every family in some form. “I’ve seen what intensive drug
treatment programs can do.” He said. “It does work.” The bill
passed 34-1. The Senate
also passed SB 5, sponsored by Sen. Ray Jones, D-Pikeville, which would ban any amount of
a controlled substance in the blood while driving. The proposal would make it easier for
law enforcement to convict drivers who are under the influence of drugs. Taking a
prescription medication as directed would be allowed under the bill. SB 5 also
lowers the blood alcohol content at which DUI penalties are doubled. While the bill would
maintain the current DUI level at 0.08 BAC, the penalties would be doubled at a BAC of
0.15, down from the current 0.18. Both bills
now head to the House for its consideration.
LEGISLATIVE WEEK IN REVIEW
FRANKFORT -- Change, continuity and uncertainty – with those three words hanging in the air, the 2009 session of the General Assembly recessed today until Feb. 3, having disposed of the first organizational portion of this year's 'short' session in four days, with 26 more on tap and a hard February and March devoted to actual lawmaking awaiting. Change: After a record 14 years under the Speakership of Rep. Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, the House of Representatives elected veteran lawmaker and longtime majority floor leader Rep. Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, to the Speaker's job. Continuity: The Senate re-elected Sen. David L. Williams, R-Burkesville, to its top job of President, along with the rest of the incumbent majority leadership. All returning Senate committee chairs kept their positions. Uncertainty: The state budget is in a deep hole. Gov. Steve Beshear has warned that this year's revenues will fall nearly a half-billion dollars short of projections. He's floated a raft of ideas to close the gap: An increase in the state cigarette tax by 70 cents, to a dollar a pack; drawing down the state's 'rainy day' budget reserve; across-the-board agency cuts; and limited furloughs of state employees. How the Legislature deals with this financial challenge in the face of a nationwide recession may largely define this session's legacy. While almost all agree that belt-tightening and governmental efficiency are first on the list of fixes, proposed new sources of state revenue -- including not just Beshear's tobacco-tax hike, but expanded gambling in the form of video lottery terminals at Kentucky racetracks, a proposal that gained new currency in the House this week -- face uncertain prospects. With a $456-million budget shortfall projected in this fiscal year alone, some urgency has been expressed that action be taken quickly, perhaps in a special session between now and the regular session's reconvening in February. Prospects for that, however, appear dim, given that no consensus has yet emerged for dealing with the complex and economically uncertain realities confronting lawmakers. Legislative leaders have said, however, that budget meetings and discussions will begin next week, in hopes that a plan can be ready or close to ready when the full Legislature returns next month. Still, this week's action focused on the nuts-and-bolts of the Legislature organizing itself. In the House, joining 25-year veteran Stumbo in leadership was longtime Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, who is now in his ninth term in that chamberwide job. Among Democrats, incumbent Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook, was re-elected without opposition to the top party post. Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, got the nod as caucus chairman, replacing Rep. Charlie Hoffman, D-Georgetown. Rep. John Will Stacy, D-West Liberty, was named majority whip, succeeding the retired Rep. Rob Wilkey, D-Scottsville. The only change in House Republican leadership
was the election of Rep. In the Senate, rejoining Williams in the top elected posts will be Sen. Katie Kratz Stine, R-Southgate, who was re-elected to her job as Senate president pro tem. In addition, the majority Republicans re-elected Sen. Dan Kelly of Springfield as their floor leader, Sen. Dan Seum of Fairdale as caucus chair, and Sen. Carroll Gibson of Leitchfield as whip. The minority Democrats re-elected Sen. Ed Worley of Richmond as their floor leader and Sen. Johnny Ray Turner of Drift as caucus chair, while one new member of their leadership team, Sen. Jerry Rhoads of Madisonville, will serve as minority whip. As mentioned, all
returning Senate committee chairs retained their jobs, with one wrinkle because an
additional committee was created this year: The former Senate Agriculture and Natural
Resources Committee has been split. Freshman Sen. In the House, one notable committee change was the appointment of Rep. Rick Rand, D-Bedford, to chair the powerful Appropriations and Revenue Committee. He replaces longtime A&R Chair Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond. as head of that key budget-writing panel. Citizens can stay informed of legislative action on bills of interest by logging onto the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov or by calling the LRC toll-free Bill Status Line at 866-840-2835. To find out when a committee meeting is scheduled, they can check the website or call the LRC toll-free Meeting Information Line at 800-633-9650. Comments directed to a particular legislator should go through the toll-free Legislative Message Line at 800-372-7181.
January 8, 2009
Revised math standards needed, Senate
panel says FRANKFORT
— The Kentucky Department of Education needs to revise math standards so teachers and
students can more deeply explore fundamental concepts, the Senate Education Committee said
today. Members of
the panel unanimously approved Senate Joint Resolution 19, sponsored by Senate Majority
Floor Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, and committee chair Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray,
which would direct KDE to revise standards and the state tests that measure students’
progress in math. “This
is a case where we need to master the basics,” said Sen. Charlie Borders, R-Russell. Kelly cited
a report that called current math teaching “a mile wide and an inch deep,” with
teachers hurriedly covering material on end-of-year tests rather than focusing on the core
concepts that serve as stepping stones to education in higher grade levels. Alice
Gabbard, Director of Diagnostic Intervention for the Kentucky Center for Mathematics,
noted that 40 percent of the state’s college freshmen are not ready for college-level
math courses. Winters noted that with tuition costs increasing rapidly, the economic
effect on Kentucky families is directly impacted by P-12 math skills, because those
students must take remedial courses that do not gain them credit toward their degree. Both Gabbard
and Warren County Schools Superintendent Dale Brown said that more narrowly defined
standards would help teachers as well as students. “Concise standards will allow
teachers to have more efficient practices that would be have a longer-lasting
effect,” Gabbard said. Brown, whose
district has made an effort to emphasize core standards even within the current state
curriculum, said “standards need to be higher, clearer, and fewer.” Such standards, which would consider the findings of the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics and other groups, are already in use in some other parts of the
world, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, where achievement is high on international
comparisons, Kelly said. The
resolution now moves to the full Senate for its consideration. |
