Legislative Update - Week 1

The first week of the 2020 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly has come to a close. We had a productive week in Frankfort and left with confidence in what the session has in store. It was a pleasure to begin the session on Tuesday with a visit from the 100th Army Band from Fort Knox, who performed an extraordinary rendition of "My Old Kentucky Home" and our National Anthem.

As with the early stages of any session of the General Assembly, some procedural measures were in order. The Senate Majority has listened to feedback from our constituents and have prioritized several pieces of legislation that are hopeful of passing this session. Those bills, among others, were assigned to their respective committees this week. Committee hearings begin next week and provide the public an opportunity to hear about the legislation. 

Bills must be presented at a public committee meeting and passed with a majority vote before heading back to the Senate to be voted on by the entire Senate body. If the bill is approved by the Senate, it heads to the Kentucky House, where the same process occurs. Bills that are passed by both chambers are submitted to the Governor for his approval.

I have introduced legislation that if passed, would propose an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution directly to the voters of Kentucky to decide upon. Senate Bill 3 would move Kentucky elections to align with Presidential election years. This amendment would incorporate more Kentucky voter’s voices in our statewide office elections. 

The proverbial legislative elephant in the room for the 2020 session is, of course, the General Assembly's duty to pass a balanced two-year budget and two-year road fund plan. As Chairman of the Appropriations & Revenue (A&R) Committee, I take this responsibility very seriously. I am committed to being diligent in discussion regarding budget funding allocations. You, the taxpayer, deserve no less. These discussions have been ongoing for months in preparation for this important session and I am grateful to my Senate colleagues like Vice-Chairman of the A&R Committee, Stan Humphries. I am also thankful for the co-operation our chamber shares with our counterparts in the lower chamber. I look forward to continued discussions on this matter throughout the coming weeks.

There is no doubt, Kentucky faces very challenging budgetary realities. The molding of our Biennial budget will not be easy, but the Senate Majority is committed to not raising taxes on hardworking Kentuckians for errors of omission or commission by past politicians. Instead, we will be persistent in our efforts to right those wrongs by maintaining our focus of responsibly and morally addressing the Commonwealth's unfunded pension liability by continuing to provide the required funding to those systems. Kentuckians will see Republican leaders place high priority, and honor the requirement of the constitution, to present a balanced budget.

If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at Chris.McDaniel@LRC.ky.gov.  You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.legislature.ky.gov.