The House & Senate went in at 9:00 am this morning. The Senate did not take up any legislation today and adjourned around 9:30 am giving ample travel time for their members that needed to get to far western and eastern Kentucky. The Senate did pass five bills on Thursday including: SB 84, Sen. McDaniel’s bill on Motor Vehicles clearing the Senate on a vote of 35 – 2; Senator Denton’s Prescription Eye Drop bill, SB 118, passed on a vote of 37 – 0 after a compromise was met with all the insurance industry and the optometrist. Two reorganization bills, Sen. Wilson’s SB 121 and Sen. Hornback’s SB 128, both passed on a vote of 37 – 0; and finally SB 142, Sen. McDaniel’s Retirement Benefits bill cleared the Senate on a vote of 35 – 2.
The House passed three bills Thursday and three bills Friday. The House adjourned just before Noon Friday with Speaker Stumbo warning them to travel save on their return in light of the impending snow forecasted for Sunday and Monday. The following bills passed the House on Thursday: Rep. Santoro’s HB 38, Electrical Inspections bill passing 83 – 8; HB 275, Rep. McKee’s Motor Vehicle Parking bill passed 67 – 29; and Rep. Owens’ HB353, Consolidated Local Governments bill passed 98 – 1. The House passed three more bills on Friday: Rep. Mills, HB 33, Texting While Driving bill, passed 62 – 32; HB 351, Rep. Gerald Watkins, Concealed Deadly Weapons bill passed 79 – 13; and Rep. Stone’s HB 362, Health Benefit Plans Network bill passed 94 – 0.
Members of both the House & Senate have headed back to their districts. Some will have constituent meetings, attend local chamber legislative briefings, area development district meetings, or just go to their local church and visit with friends and family. These meetings are where legislators learn what plays favorably or unfavorably with the folks back home and sometimes what’s even more important, they just get back to reality for 48 hours.
The rumor is that the House leadership is meeting behind closed doors late Sunday for the tough job of the final cuts before the expected public mark up. Private conversations are all turning to the budget and every issue is now discussed in terms of the budget and the politics of the budget. Monday is day 38 of 60. The House and Senate convene at 4:00 pm Monday.
LEGISLATIVE TRACKERS BY INTEREST
Click on the links below
- HEALTH CARE TRACKER
- INSURANCE TRACKER (NON-HEALTH CARE)
- PERSONAL PROPERTY & TAXES
- CRIMES & PUNISHMENT
- ENERGY & UTILITIES
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
Monday, March 3, 2014
2:00pm, Annex Room 129
TOBACCO SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT FUND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
Agenda: pending
TOBACCO SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT FUND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
Agenda: pending
4:00pm, House Chambers
House Convenes
House Convenes
4:00pm, Senate Chambers
Senate Convenes
Senate Convenes
SOME OF THE LATEST POLITICAL STORIES:
Bill to help domestic violence victims get guns clears the Kentucky House
from jcheves@herald-leader.com (John Cheves)
from jcheves@herald-leader.com (John Cheves)
Domestic violence victims could apply for an expedited permit to carry a concealed gun under a bill the Kentucky House approved Friday by a 79-to-13 vote.Click to Continue » [...]
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 5:26:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Attacks on former President Bill Clinton’s conduct won’t help GOP presidential candidates, political insiders say
from James Carroll
from James Carroll
WASHINGTON – Sen. Rand Paul’s searing criticism of former President Bill Clinton for past sexual misconduct has earned him a lot of news coverage and speculation that he is trying to whittle the Clinton rep down to size ahead of his own bid for the White House in 2016. Paul, R-Ky., has called Clinton a “sexual predator” for his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and has said Democrats who have raised campaign money with the former president should return it. The campaign of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took up the theme earlier this week when Clinton campaigned in [...]
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 4:34:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Kentucky Attorney General Should Take 'Serious Look' at David James Opinion, County Attorney Says
from Phillip M. Bailey
from Phillip M. Bailey
The Kentucky Attorney General needs to take a "serious look" at Democrat David James' dual roles as a Metro Council member and University of Louisville police officer.That's according to Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell, who sat in the front row of council chambers Thursday as James cast votes in defiance of a legal opinion issued by the city's top lawyer this week.O'Connell is arguing James is violating a provision of the Kentucky Constitution by occupying two incompatible offices. [...]
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 12:30:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Louisville Metro Council Democrats are seeking to amend their caucus rules to bar legislative aides from working against fellow incumbents in local elections.But the investigation that sparked the changes is based largely on hearsay and rumor, according to the council Democratic leader.During the hour-long meeting, Council Democrats Vicki Aubrey Welch and David James clashed over the internal probe looking at whether his legislative aide is working to defeat an incumbent. [...]
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 2:13:00 AM, Continue reading at the source
Tighter ethics rules for lawmakers approved by House committee
from lblackford@herald-leader.com (Linda B. Blackford)
from lblackford@herald-leader.com (Linda B. Blackford)
A bill that would prevent Kentucky lawmakers from accepting a cup of coffee or meal from lobbyists won approval Thursday from the House State Government Committee.Click to Continue » [...]
Thu, Feb 27, 2014 9:50:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Panel rejects bill requiring political appointees to visit Fulton and Pike counties
from Accountability Editor
from Accountability Editor
By Linda B. Blackford lblackford@herald-leader.com A proposal to force potential high-ranking political appointees in Kentucky's state government to travel the state before taking their jobs died in a House committee Thursday. House Bill 116 would have required certain non-merit employees to prove they have visited Fulton and Pike counties in far Western and Eastern Kentucky before their appointments. The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Ken Imes of Murray, acknowledged that the bill would only require workers to go to those far-reaching counties, not necessarily to get to know the people and problems there. Rep. Will Coursey, D-Symsonia, seemed to sum up the sentiment of many [...]
Thu, Feb 27, 2014 9:41:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
House panel approves two bills in response to sexual harassment scandal
from lblackford@herald-leader.com (Linda B. Blackford)
from lblackford@herald-leader.com (Linda B. Blackford)
A legislative committee took steps Thursday to further clean up a sexual harassment scandal that exploded in the Capitol this past fall.Click to Continue » [...]
Thu, Feb 27, 2014 9:14:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Iowa poll: Sen. Rand Paul in second place behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
from James Carroll
from James Carroll
WASHINGTON – It remains a bunched field of potential 2016 Republican presidential contenders in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa, a new poll shows. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has the support of 14 percent of Iowa Republicans, just behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 17 percent, according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey. The rest of the GOP field looks like this in the Hawkeye State: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has 13 percent support, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 10 percent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz 10 percent, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan 9 percent, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal 7 percent, [...]
Thu, Feb 27, 2014 7:10:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
HERALD-LEADER FRANKFORT BUREAU FRANKFORT – The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday to allow persons who obtain a court-issued emergency protective order or a domestic violence order to obtain more quickly a license to carry a gun. Senate Bill 106, sponsored by Sen. Jared Carpenter, R-Berea, would let the Kentucky State Police issue provisional concealed deadly weapons licenses to such persons for 45 days. After that, the affected person would obtain a permanent license if he or she got the required training to carry a gun. State police expect it would take three business days for them to issue a provisional license, [...]
Thu, Feb 27, 2014 6:37:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Poll: About 40 percent of Republicans think Sen. Rand Paul should seek the presidency
from James Carroll
from James Carroll
WASHINGTON – About four in 10 Republicans think Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul should seek the GOP nomination for president, according to a New York Times/CBS News Poll. That’s about the same level of support that exists for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on the GOP side, and for Vice President Joe Biden on the Democratic side, the survey found. But the top of the field still belongs to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: eight in 10 Democrats said they hoped she would run for president in 2016, according to the poll. “The election, of course, is far off,” writes The Times’ Dalia Sussman. [...]
Wed, Feb 26, 2014 7:13:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Business leaders say it's about becoming more competitive and labor leaders say it's union busting. [...]
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 5:55:25 PM, Continue reading at the source
A measure that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in Kentucky has passed out of a House panel. [...]
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 5:55:25 PM, Continue reading at the source
"I don't have to tell you, there's a war on coal in America," McConnell is heard at the beginning of the ad, which features video of McConnell at rallies in Kentucky's coal counties. [...]
Fri, Feb 28, 2014 5:55:25 PM, Continue reading at the source
