Several measures moved forward this week, but the true outcome of the 2008 session will be determined next week. With only nine days left, the Kentucky General Assembly will be working feverishly to find areas of agreement on several key issues. The Senate is expected to pass their version of the state budget on Monday and will begin the House and Senate budget conference as early as Monday evening. In addition to working out details of the state’s two-year spending plan, legislators will also be working out differences on the state pension reform proposal, legislation designed to protect school children from bullies and Gov. Beshear’s ethics proposals. Legislators will work late into the night on these issues and tensions will continue to run high until the work is complete.
Kentucky Innovation Act – HB 759 (Tilley) updates the Kentucky Innovation Act of 2000 to more closely align the programs with current market and entrepreneurial conditions. This measure passed the House this week 96-0 and moves to the Senate for action. (Chamber Supports)
Expansion of KJDA – SB 155 (Kerr) expands eligibility for the Kentucky Jobs Development Act (KJDA) to sole proprietorships if 75 percent of business is out of state. This measure passed the House Economic Development Committee this week and now moves to the floor for consideration. (Chamber Supports)
Small Business Tax Incentives – SB 36 (Sanders) lowers the investment and job creation thresholds for current incentive programs so smaller companies can qualify for incentives. This measure successfully passed the House Economic Development Committee this week. Contact your representative to voice your support for SB 36. (Chamber Priority)
School Safety – HB 91 (Cherry) intends to increase the safety and well-being of students. This legislation classifies student harassment, intimidation or bullying as a cause for suspension, expulsion or other appropriate disciplinary action. The bill passed the Senate last week with several significant changes and returned to the House this week where they did not concur with the Senate changes. The Chambers will now meet in an effort to work out a compromise. (Chamber Supports)
Literacy Plan – SJR 166 (Westwood) directs the Kentucky Department of Education to lead the development of a comprehensive statewide literacy plan. This measure passed the Senate this week and awaits action in the House Education Committee. (Chamber Supports)
School Day Compliance – SB 207 (Westwood) ensures that the two additional instructional days added to the school calendar is uniformly adopted statewide. The measure passed the Senate 36-0 and awaits action in the House Education Committee. (Chamber Supports)
Workers’ Comp – SB 199 (Jones) suspends the current statute that calls for the use of the most current (6th) edition of the American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines to the evaluation of impairment and keep the current (5th) edition for one year. The bill passed the House Labor and Industry Committee and now awaits action in the House floor. (Chamber Neutral)
Wage Mandate – HB 382 (Marzian) amends current Kentucky law, which prohibits gender-based wage differentials by introducing the discredited standard of “comparable worth.” Gender-based wage discrimination is already illegal under Kentucky law and the federal Equal Pay Act. This legislation would place a heavy burden on employers and would lead to significant confusion, increased litigation and harm Kentucky’s efforts to recruit jobs. HB 382 is currently in the Senate State and Local Government Committee. Contact your senator to voice your opposition to HB 382. (Chamber Opposed)
Stream Restoration & Mitigation – HB 717 (Adkins) seeks to create Stream Restoration and Mitigation Authorities for each watershed in the Commonwealth and would permit these authorities to conduct stream restoration and mitigation pilot projects. The bill passed the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee with a committee substitute that improved the bill substantially by addressing many industries’ concerns, and now awaits action on the House floor. (Chamber Monitoring)
Identity Theft – HB 553 (Webb) creates new definitions for “personally identifiable information” and would restrict certain uses by businesses of such information. This legislation passed the House and now awaits action in the Senate. While a committee substitute in the House addressed several key business concerns, additional changes are needed. Please provide feedback on how this legislation may impact your business. (Chamber Monitoring)
Theft by Deception – HB 426 (Vincent) increases the merchant’s and the county attorney’s bad check collection fee from $25 to $50. This legislation passed the House 86-7 and was reported favorably out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill now awaits action on the Senate floor. (Chamber Supports)
Health Costs – HB 433 (Westrom) legislatively mandates that all health benefit plans provide coverage for the dialysis provider of the insured's choice. This legislation expands the definition of “in-network” provider coverage and essentially legislates what should be a private contract negotiation leading to increased costs. HB 433 passed the House 83-12 and now awaits action in the Senate. (Chamber Opposed) Please call your senator at 1-800-372-7181 or take action below to oppose HB 433.
Medical Loan Forgiveness – HB 416 (DeWeese) establishes a student loan forgiveness program for licensed medical practitioners who obtain a medical degree from a Kentucky university medical, dental medicine, or osteopathic medical program and agree to practice in a medically underserved area of Kentucky. HB 416 cleared the House Health and Welfare Committee this week. (Chamber Priority)
ICARE – HB 533 (Thompson) extends the Insurance Coverage, Affordability and Relief to Small Employers (ICARE) program to employers with up to 50 employees and makes permanent the subsidies available to qualified employers. The measure passed the House 96-0 this week and now moves to the Senate for consideration. (Chamber Supported)
Whistleblower Protections – HB 602 (Marzian) changes the health facility licensure law and requires an employee to make a written report of any noncompliance with professional standards of care that jeopardizes the quality of care or safety of a patient. It includes whistleblower protections and fines up to $5,000 for violations. HB 602 passed the House Labor and Industry Committee and awaits action on the House floor. Contact us if you have concerns over the impact of this legislation on your business. (Chamber Monitoring)
Call Before Digging – HB 649 (Webb-Edgington) includes various forms of excavation that would require excavator-operators to dial “811” to obtain information regarding approximate location of underground facilities prior to digging. The compromise version of HB 649 passed the House 93-2 and now awaits action in the Senate. (Chamber Neutral)
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