Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Day Sixteen of KY's 2014 Session In Review

A Senate committee approved SB1 on Wednesday. The legislation would allow voters to decide on a proposed amendment to the state constitution to permit the General Assembly to prohibit the adoption of administrative regulations it finds deficient. SB1, sponsored by Sen. Joe Bowen and Sen. President Robert Stivers was approved by members of the Senate State and Local Government Committee on a 7-4 vote. “It is important because it preserves the basic tenants of a democratic form of government— that being a balance of power, a system of checks and balances,” Bowen said of the legislation.
HB 154, a bill that would require certification of  Kentucky school finance officers, change annual in-service training requirements for school board members and superintendents, and require both monthly and yearly public financial reports from districts passed the House after much debate and political wrangling. HB 154, sponsored by Rep. Mike Denham, cleared the House by a 58-41 vote on Wednesday.
A bill that would allow low-level one-time Kentucky felons to ask the courts to seal—or “expunge”—their felony record has passed the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 64, sponsored by Rep. Darryl T. Owens, would apply to “Class D” felons whose conviction was not based on a sex offense, crime against the elderly, or crime against child; who completed their sentence or probation at least five years prior; and who was not convicted of a felony before their conviction and has not been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, or violation since. It would also apply to those for whom felony charges did not result in an indictment, and would provide discrimination protection for felons whose records have been expunged. The bill would apply to any eligible felon, regardless of how many decades have passed since their conviction. As many as 94,000 individuals could be eligible for expungement under the legislation, according to Owens. Current Kentucky law only allows expungement in misdemeanor cases.


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    LINKS TO SOME OF TODAY's HEADLINES:


     UPCOMING MEETINGS:

    Thursday, January 30, 2014
    8:30am, Annex Room 171
    HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
    Agenda: Update on the propane price and supply problems in Kentucky from representatives of the Office of the Attorney General, Kentucky Propane Gas Association, and the Energy and Environment Cabinet
    9:00am, Annex Room 169
    SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON VETERANS, MILITARY AFFAIRS, AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
    10:00am, Annex Room 125
    HOUSE BUDGET REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
    10:00am, Annex Room 125
    HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRY
    Agenda: Consideration of HB 251, HB 108, HB 1 and HB 191
    10:00am, Annex Room 149
    SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM, AND LABOR
    11:30am, Annex Room 171
    SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
    Noon, Annex Room 169
    HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE
    Agenda: Consideration of Referred Bills: HB 146 and HB 157
    Noon, Annex Room 154
    HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT
    Agenda: Consideration of HB 137, HB 138, HB 228 and HB 229

    2:00 pm, House Chambers
    House Convenes (Orders of the Day)
    2:00 pm, Senate Chambers
    Senate Convenes (Orders of the Day)

    SOME OF THE LATEST POLITICAL STORIES:


    Gov. Steve Beshear sees no need for a constitutional amendment approved Wednesday by a Senate committee that would curb the governor's power to issue administrative regulations.Click to Continue » [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 11:58:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    A bill that would further reduce state regulation of telephone service in Kentucky could speed through Senate committee and floor votes on Thursday.Click to Continue » [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 10:43:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    By Sam Youngman syoungman@herald-leader.com A new poll from a liberal-leaning group shows Kentucky's U.S. Senate race remains deadlocked, but the news isn't all bad for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. A survey conducted by Public Policy Polling group for the liberal group Americans United for Change found little change in a head-to-head match-up between McConnell and likely Democratic nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes, with McConnell leading 45 percent to 44 percent. The same company polled Kentucky in late December and found McConnell leading Grimes 43 percent to 42 percent. The margin of error in the most recent poll was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. Of[...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 9:22:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    Here’s what Gov. Steve Beshear said during an impromptu interview Wednesday about being recognized by President Obama in the State of the Union address Tuesday night: Gov. Steve Beshear “It was obviously an honor for both Jane and me to be the guests of the President of the United States and the First Lady, to witness the State of the Union address and be able to meet with them and talk with them for a few minutes while we were there. It was also a great honor for this state – to be mentioned in the State of the Union address by [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 7:13:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    WASHINGTON – Just as Republicans generally gave President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday poor reviews, Democrats on the whole praised the speech. The lone Democrat in the Kentucky congressional delegation, Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Louisville, has been a staunch defender of the president and an advocate for his policies. The 3rd District congressman was pleased with what he heard from Obama, especially the president’s recognition of Kentucky’s efforts so far in implementing the Affordable Care Act. Yarmuth said this in a statement: “Tonight, the president made a powerful case for rebuilding the economic security that is the foundation of our middle class. [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 6:44:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    WAShINGTON – Shortly before President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Rep. Ed Whitfield issued a statement charging that the administration’s policies on climate change were costing Americans jobs. Whitfield, R-1st District, is chairman of the House subcommittee on energy and power and has been a frequent critic of Obama’s efforts to curb carbon pollution. Kentucky, of course, is a major coal-producing and coal-consuming state. Here is what Whitfield said: “Tonight, President Obama will devote a considerable amount of his State of the Union address talking about climate change, which should be unnerving to anyone in America who [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 6:37:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    Former Louisville mayoral candidate Hal Heiner is launching a new group aimed at helping Kentucky Republicans win a majority in the state House.The political organization is called New Direction Kentucky, and as an independent expenditure it will be able to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money to aid GOP candidates running this year.Democrats are clinging to a 54-46 majority in the lower chamber, and many observers believe 2014 could be the year Republicans take over. [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 6:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    Hal Heiner, likely Republican candidate for Kentucky governor is working to make some allies in the state's legislature. He is launching a PAC to help Republicans take control of the…Click to Continue » [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 3:16:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    By Sam Youngman syoungman@herald-leader.com Likely Republican gubernatorial candidate Hal Heiner is working to make some allies in the Kentucky legislature. Heiner, a former Louisville councilman and mayoral candidate, announced Wednesday he is launching a Super PAC, New Direction Kentucky, that will focus on helping Republicans in their effort to take back the Kentucky House for the first time since 1921. "The Kentucky House of Representatives has been controlled by a single party for almost a century," Heiner said in a statement. "And in that time, Kentucky has fallen far behind our competitor states. Our unemployment remains high, our per-capita income ranks near the [...]
    Wed, Jan 29, 2014 3:09:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says industrial hemp will make a comeback in Kentucky after decades of being banned if Congress finishes work on a farm bill that includes hemp language. [...]
    Thu, Jan 30, 2014 3:47:24 AM, Continue reading at the source

    After more than two years of partisan squabbles over food and farm policy, the House passed and sent to the Senate Wednesday an almost $100 billion-a-year, compromise farm bill containing a small cut in food stamps and preserving most crop subsidies. [...]
    Thu, Jan 30, 2014 3:47:24 AM, Continue reading at the source

    Ahead of an anticipated run for Kentucky Governor, former Louisville Metro Councilman Hal Heiner on Wednesday announced the formation of a Independent Expenditure group aimed at electing Republicans to the statehouse. [...]
    Thu, Jan 30, 2014 3:47:24 AM, Continue reading at the source
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