2013 Session Begins January 8
Kentucky's 2013 Legislative Session is a "short session." The 30 day session is intended to deal with issues other than the budget. The session begins on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 and recesses on Friday, January 11, 2013 until Tuesday, February 5, 2013. The purpose of next week's session is to allow legislators to conduct leadership elections, appoint committee members, and introduce bills. The current calendar calls for the session to sine die on March 26, 2013. They must conclude their business by March 30th. Click here to see the official 2013 Calendar.
Make Up of the General Assembly
Republican Senate - Democratic House
The House of Representatives continues to be controlled by Democrats (55-44 and 1 open seat). The Senate continues to be controlled by Republicans (23-14 and 1 Independent). Governor Steve Beshear is a Democrat.
Senator Robert Stivers will be the new Senate President and Representative Greg Stumbo is expected to be Speaker of th
e House.
The Senate Leadership was decided in November with the following members holding positions:
President: Robert Stivers
President Pro Tem: Katie Stine
Majority Floor Leader: Damon Thayer
Majority Whip: Brandon Smith
Caucus Chairman: Dan Seum
The House Democrats will hold elections in January. The following positions are rumored to have competitive races.Speaker Pro Tem: Incumbent Larry Clark & Challenger Arnold Simpson
Majority Whip: Incumbent Tommy Thompson & Challenger Johnny Bell
2013 Legislative Issues
There are several issues that the General Assembly is expected to deal with during the 2013 Legislative Session. These issues include:
Public Pension Reform: The Kentucky Retirement System (KRS) needs more than $30 billion to meet its current and future liabilities. The Pension Reform Task Force has issued a report recommending $300 million in funding.
Tax Reform: The Tax Reform Task Force has met during the interim and issued a report that, if approved in its entirety, could raise an additional $700 million in revenue.
Redistricting: Kentucky passed a redistricting plan in 2012 that was found to be unconstitutional by the Kentucky Supreme Court. The General Assembly could delay action until 2014, but Speaker Stumbo says he prefers to deal with it this session. (Click here to read more)
Casino Gaming: Gaming has been a flagship issue for Governor Beshear and many believe that with the changes in Senate Leadership the issue may have a chance to pass. (Click here to read more)
Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange: Kentucky's Health Benefit Exchange was established by executive Order and myst be approved by the General Assembly. However, if they fail to approve the Executive Order during the 2013 Session the Governor may reissue. (Click here to read more)
Medicaid Managed Care - Legislators continue to bring up issues surrounding Kentucky's launch of Medicaid Managed Care. While there is likely to be more discussion and possibly some legislation, any changes that would cost the state money would impact the current budget, predicated on the managed care savings.
Medicaid Expansion: Since the U.S. Supreme Court has left the decision of Medicaid Expansion to individual states it is likely that we will hear some debate on the issue during the session. The Governor appears to be in favor of expansion, but some Republicans have voiced opposition. (Click here to read more)
No comments:
Post a Comment