The Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives convened only two days this week. But in terms of bills passed and the number of hours spent debating legislation, they were two of the busiest legislative days so far this year.
Bills that took steps forward in the Kentucky General Assembly this week include measures on the following topics:
Newborn protection. House Bill 155 would allow the use of a “newborn safety device” when a newborn is being anonymously surrendered by a parent at a participating staffed police station, fire station, or hospital. The device would allow a parent planning to surrender an infant to do so safely using a receptacle that would trigger an alarm once a newborn is placed inside so that medical care providers could immediately respond and provide care to the child. The bill, which was already approved by the House, was approved this week by the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee and now goes to the full Senate.
Fish and wildlife. House Bill 394 would ensure that the state’s Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission would have sole authority to appoint the commissioner of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The bill was approved by the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee and now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
Administrative regulations. Senate Bill 65 would nullify administrative regulations that took effect after being found deficient by lawmakers last year during the legislative interim, the period of time between regular sessions of the General Assembly. The bill passed the House Licensing and Occupations Committee and now awaits consideration by the full House.
School choice. House Bill 563 would give families more options when making decisions about schools. The bill would allow students to use education opportunity accounts, a type of scholarship, to attend a public school outside of his or her district. Individuals or businesses who donate to organizations that issue education opportunity accounts would be eligible for a tax credit. Under an amendment to the bill, the provisions of the legislation dealing with using education opportunity accounts for private school tuition would apply only to students in Kentucky’s most populous counties —Jefferson, Fayette and Kenton Counties. Another amendment to the bill would allow the state to fund full-day kindergarten for every public school district in the commonwealth. This bill passed the House 51-45 and now goes to the Senate.
No-knock warrants. Senate Bill 4 would limit and set guidelines for the use of no-knock warrants, which allow officers to enter a premises without notice. Under the legislation, such warrants would be allowed in limited instances if someone was in immediate danger or in other cases, such as those involving violent crimes or terrorism. These warrants would have to be executed by a SWAT team or a team with special training. The bill would also specify in statute that it would be perjury if an officer made a false statement in an application for a no-knock warrant. The bill, which already passed the Senate, was approved this week by the House Judiciary Committee and now goes before the full House.
To offer your feedback to lawmakers on the issues under consideration, call the General Assembly’s Message Line at 800-372-7181.
