The new General Assembly
Is this any way to start an entirely new venue for law-making?
From, The Kentucky Citizen Digest, January/February, 2001.

The word among Frankfort insiders is that not much is going to happen in this year’s Kentucky General Assembly session.  That being the case, some wonder why we are having one.  If we want to reduce the amount of legislation that is passed, wouldn’t a better way be to not have a session at all?

We are having a General Assembly session this year, of course, because Kentucky voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment allowing for yearly sessions. Prior to this change, the Legislature met only in even-numbered years.

In this first odd-numbered year session, legislative leaders seem to want to go slowly, not only because of the newness of the session, but because it is so short.  The longer 60-day sessions during even-numbered years allow time for legislators, lobbyists and observers to get comfortable before the process really gets rolling.  The shorter 30-day format for odd-numbered years has many thinking that there won’t be time to deal with many questions.

There is another reason to suspect that not much will happen in the 2001 session.  While worker’s compensation and tax reform are two issues Gov. Paul Patton would like to address, Republicans who now control the Senate have signaled that they are not planning on helping the governor out.  This stems from an incident last session when Senate Republicans were lured into supporting a tax proposal along with the Governor, only to see Patton call a press conference denouncing the bill as a Republican tax hike.  Republican senators are still smarting over the incident, which they view as a political double-cross.

And this isn’t the only example of ill will between the two parties.  During the end of the preliminary organizational session held at the beginning of January, Senate Republicans asked House Democrats to share their power on several oversight committees that are controlled by both the House and the Senate.

In recent years, House members made up the majority of these committees, which were set up in large part to oversee and investigate the actions of the executive branch of state government.  Republicans are eager to start shedding light on the practices of Democratic administration that have gone on without any critical scrutiny.

Democrats in the Senate initially went along with their fellow Republicans. However, House Democrats refused to allow the senate to increase their numbers in these committees.  Republican Senate leaders, as they promised, took it out on Senate Democrats and did not give many of the committee assignments in the Senate for which the Dempcrats had asked. The consequence of all this is that the Senate Republicans are angry at the Governor and House Democrats,and  the Senate Democrats are angry at the Senate Republicans and the House Democrats.

Gridlock, anybody?

Despite all this, bills have been introduced on a variety of issues of concern to families in Kentucky.

On taxes, Rep. Bob Damron (D-Nicholasville) has introduced HB 4 to exempt certain school related products from taxes for a week in August; House Majority Floor Leader Greg Stumbo (D-Prestonsburg) has introduced HB 7 to phase out the state auto tax.

On pro-life issues, several bills have been introduced: Jack Westwood (R-Erlanger) has introduced SB 7 to define RU-486 (the “abortion pill”) as abortion for purposes of regulation, which would result in the drug coming under such laws as parental consent and the 24-hour waiting period.  David Boswell (D-Owensboro) and Mark Treesh (R-Owensboro) have both introduced legislation to allow pharmacists who are opposed to abortion not to dispense the drug.  Other bills to regulate abortion are expected to be introduced before the session begins.

On crime issues, several bills have been proposed by foes of the death penalty.  Rep. Tom Burch (D-Louisville), a prominent advocate of abortion-on-demand, has introduced HB 122, a bill that would abolish the death penalty altogether.  Other bills, such as SB 38—would create 5-year moratorium on capitol punishment, and HB 109 would prohibit the death penalty for minors.

Gender equity and homosexual rights issues could also be dealt with. HB 47, sponsored by Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville) calls for gender equity on state boards and commissions; HB 116 would expand current gender equity provisions in state law to include homosexuals.

Legislation could also be introduced to deal with problems Lexington and Louisville have had with strip bars.  Last year, one such bill passed a House committee, but was stopped by House leaders.  This year’s session could have a different political dynamic, allowing it to get through the House, as it did in 1998.

Only time will tell if in the current political environment in the state capitol any of these proposed laws will see the light of day.  Kentuckians concerned about the traditional family can take some comfort in the fact that bills which harm the family may be easier to fight, given the short amount of time available to pass legislation.  Bills dealing with abortion and taxes, which many citizens would like to see considered, face the same plight.

Martin Cothran, senior policy analyst with The Family Foundation is optimistic about the family agenda in the session. “Bills are always hard to pass,” he says, “so this session isn’t any different.  And when people are rushing around and get a little chaotic—which tends to happen when time is short—that offers you an opportunity to slip your issue into the mix.”
 
 

Key Family Foundation Contacts: Kent Ostrander, Executive Director Martin Cothran, Senior Associate Policy Analyst