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2020 Legislative Session Update: Week 4


Photo: KET - Gov. Beshear delivers his 2020 budget address
By Shellie Hampton
Review of activity from the fourth week of the 2020 General Assembly.

2020 General Assembly

Regular Session Legislative Update

Week 4 (Legislative Days 14-18)

Jan. 27-31, 2020

Weekly Highlights

The routine of a session settled in this week, as a full slate of committee meetings and bills being heard in both chambers began in earnest. While it’s still very early and lawmakers have until March 2nd and 3rd respectively to file new bills, they have already surpassed four hundred.

Bills filed that affect counties included voter ID, hiring deputy jailers, EMS, open meetings and coroner responsibilities to name a few.

Other bill topics that saw action this week were raising the age to purchase tobacco, school safety legislation to arm School Resource Officers, as well as the lighter fare of naming an official dog (Treeing Walker Coonhound) and syrup (sweet sorghum) of Kentucky.

A new Senator was sworn in on Tuesday. Sen. Michael J. Nemes will now represent the 38th District, which includes Bullitt and part of Jefferson County. He won in a special election after the resignation of long-time Sen. Dan Seum.

As a reminder, Governor Beshear will deliver his Budget Address to a joint session of the General Assembly in the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 28th at 7:00 p.m. EST. While all are anxiously awaiting the details, it will surely set the tone for the session going forward. Be sure to tune in on KET.


Legislation

Bills that saw movement this week included many affecting counties. Highlights include:

HB8 - AMBULANCE SERVICE PROVIDERS (Rothenburger, R) - establish the Medicaid ground ambulance service provider assessment; require ground ambulance service providers to pay a Medicaid ambulance service provider assessment quarterly; create the ambulance service assessment revenue fund.

Current Status: 01/24/2020 posted in committee House Appropriations & Revenue (H)

HB89 - DUALLY EMPLOYED RETIREMENT SYSTEM MEMBERS (Tipton, J) - Amend KRS 61.545 to provide that if a member is working in a regular full-time hazardous duty position that participates in the Kentucky Employees Retirement System or the County Employees Retirement System and is simultaneously employed in a nonhazardous position that is not considered regular full-time, the member shall participate solely as a hazardous duty member and shall not participate under the nonhazardous position unless he or she makes an election within 30 days of taking employment in the nonhazardous position.

Current Status: 01/27/2020 Referred to State & Local Government (S) Committee

HB 299 - DEPUTY JAILERS (Banta, K) - Amend KRS 71.060 to allow jailers to appoint deputy jailers who are nonresidents of the Commonwealth.

Current Status: 01/30/2020 SECOND READING; to Rules

SB64 - INDEMNIFICATION OF PROSECUTORS (Girdler, R) - Amend KRS 15.753 to provide that the Finance and Administration Cabinet shall reimburse the Attorney General, a Commonwealth's attorney, or a county attorney for fees or judgments after being sued for an act or omission in the course of his or her duties.

Current Status: 01/31/2020 Referred to Judiciary (H) Committee


Headlines 

Hemp bill heads back to House: Legislation designed to help Kentucky’s fledgling hemp industry has passed the state Senate by a 37-0 vote.

KACo joins call to invest in transportation infrastructure: The Kentucky Association of Counties joined the Kentucky League of Cities and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, issued a joint statement urging the General Assembly to increase infrastructure funding this session. These three groups join 40 others as part of the Kentucky Infrastructure Coalition (KIC).      

Bill tackles blood-test refusals in DUI cases: Refusing to take a blood alcohol concentration test for suspicion of drunken driving could become more difficult under legislation approved by the state Senate on Jan. 28.

Gov. Beshear highlights coal counties, rural roads and overflowing jails in first budget address: Gov. Beshear delivered his first budget address on Jan. 28. Read more about impact his proposals could have on counties.

Senate passes new school safety bill: A measure that would add to major school safety legislation that passed into law last year advanced to the state House of Representatives on Jan. 28.


 

Mark your calendar 

Feb. 17 - Presidents’ Day: no session

Feb. 20 - County Government Day - at the Capitol

Feb. 20 - County Officials Legislative Reception - Thomas D. Clark Kentucky History Center, Frankfort (4:30 - 7 p.m.)

March 2 - Last day to file a bill in the House

March 3 - Last day to file a bill in the Senate

March 31 - April 1 - Concurrence Days

April 2-4; 6-11; 13 - Veto days: no session