OPINION: BAKER: Legislative bills clear committee, head to full House

Nita Johnson, The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.
·3 min read

Mar. 2—Legislators are officially half way through the 2023 Regular Session and legislation is moving through both chambers as lawmakers keep an eye on the calendar.

Wednesday, February 22nd marked the final day to file new bills in the House and a total of 594 bills have been filed. Most legislative work takes place in committees during the first half of session, so I would like to provide you with an overview of some of the bills committees passed this week.

Education:{/em} Members heard three pieces of legislation in the House Committee on Education. First members heard HCR 34, which would establish a task force to monitor the Lottery Trust Fund. Since 1989, over $6 billion have been collected in the trust fund and HCR 34 would comprehensively study the uses of the money collected. Next, the committee heard HB 85, legislation that would allow students to be reimbursed with funding from the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) money if they enroll in a program offered by a proprietary school that is one in of Kentucky's five high demand work sectors. Also, HB 85 would allow students of military families who had to attend a high school out of state or a Department of Defense school to earn KEES money based on their previous year at a Kentucky high school. Lastly, the committee heard HB 319, which continues the legislature's efforts to address the state's teacher shortage by increasing access to careers in education. It does so by cutting unnecessary and antiquated regulatory requirements, streamlining the process for job searches, and expanding access to and award amounts available through the Teacher Scholarship Program.

Economic Development & Workforce Investment:{/em} Members discussed HB 364, which would prohibit public employers from withholding money from an employee's paycheck to go towards labor organization dues that fund political activity. HB 364 does not apply to current collective bargaining agreements, and it also prohibits employers from sharing an employee's information with a labor organization.

Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection:{/em} Legislators on the House VMAPP committee heard three bills this week. HB 244 which would recognize the Challenge Academy as a separate school district, making the transition easier for kids attending the school. They then heard about HB 29 which would strike the word "Kentucky" from the requirements to be placed in a veteran cemetery. This allows for the cemeteries to continue to receive federal funding. Lastly, they heard testimony about HB 226 which would establish the administration of behavioral health community crisis response and transfer the administration from the Department for Military Affairs to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Agriculture:{/em} Members of this committee met this week to consider HB 130, which grants the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund the ability to offer heavy machinery in their Shared-Use Equipment Leasing program and allows farmers to use this leased equipment across county lines.

Natural Resources and Energy:{/em} Members of this committee met Thursday to consider HB 236, which mandates that state retirement systems move away from ESG investing, so better returns are garnered. ESG is an investment method that invests in environmental factors like solar futures and coal. This method is considered high risk and does not garner the same returns as other, traditional investment methods. The committee also considered HJR 37, which would remove reformulated gasoline requirements for Jefferson, Oldham, and Bullitt County. Reformulated gas on average costs $0.16 per gallon more than traditionally refined gasoline. RFG was put in place in these areas to assist in repairing the ozone layer. However, studies show that there are currently significantly less ozone and air pollution issues in the Louisville metropolitan area, and there are more cost-effective ways to combat air pollution.

I can be reached here at home anytime, or through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Feel free to contact me via email at shane.baker@lrc.ky.gov.