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Senator Max Wise Legislative Update 4 Mar 2016

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
Click on headline for complete report to the people

By State Senator Max Wise, (R-Campbellsville)
16th District: Adair, Clinton, Cumberland, McCreary, Russell, Taylor, and Wayne Counties

FRANKFORT, KY (Fri 4 Mar Feb 2016) - The Kentucky General Assembly crossed another mile marker this week by reaching the deadline for the introduction of new bills in the state Senate, while still anxiously awaiting a budget bill from the House of Representatives.

With this deadline now passed, there is a more complete view of the issues that will be taken up this year. The remaining bills address a mix of familiar issues and new problems. Some attempt to address the age-old struggle to balance the separation of church and state, while others address crimes perpetrated with technology our founding fathers could only imagine. Some measures drew bipartisan support while others were vigorously debated by both parties.


One bill that passed this week was Senate Bill 106. It permits public schools to sponsor artistic or theatrical programs that advance students' knowledge or society's cultural and religious heritage and traditions. A sponsor said SB 106 was in response to a school's prohibition of scripture readings in a public school's stage adaptation of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Senate Bill 37 tackles a crime that didn't exist when Kentucky's modern statutes were drafted. It attempts to deal with youngsters under the age of 18 who are caught sexting - the act of sending sexually explicit photos of themselves or other minors via mobile phones. The bill makes the first offense a Class-B misdemeanor. Subsequent offenses would be Class-A misdemeanors. Under current law, minors could be convicted of a felony for sexting and be forced to register as a sex offender.

Other issues taken up in the Senate chamber this week include:
  • Senate Bill 152 calls for a woman seeking an abortion to receive an ultrasound and be given the option to view the ultrasound image. Doctors violating SB 152 could be fined up to $100,000 on the first violation and $250,000 for subsequent violations. I was happy to cosponsor this important legislation.

  • Senate Bill 200 seeks to restructure the Kentucky Horse Park Commission. The measure would reduce the Commission from 17 to 9 members. The Governor would appoint three members based on experience in marketing, business, finance, and special event management. The remaining six members would also be appointed by the Governor who may consider from a list of names submitted by six equine associations which use the park. The sponsor said the Commission's history of mismanagement needs correcting for the benefit of taxpayers, campers, and equine associations which have complained of rising costs and park access.

  • Senate Bill 175 creates a Crime Victim's Bill of Rights through a constitutional amendment. The protections for crime victims include the right to be notified of court hearings and the punishment and the release date for the perpetrator. The measure is known as "Marsy's Law," named after a murder victim whose parents are leading a national movement. Kentucky is one of 18 states without such a bill of rights. If passed by the state General Assembly, the measure would be brought before voters on November's election ballot.

  • Senate Bill 179 works in conjuncture with an act that was passed by the U.S. Congress named the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. SB 179 allows tax-exempt savings accounts for disability-related expenses, similar to college saving plans. The account covered by the ABLE Act would be capped at $100,000 and allows no more than $14,000 in contributions per year. Supporters of the measure said these accounts would not count against people with disabilities in their eligibility for certain public programs, like Social Security or Medicaid. Having a disability often requires incurring significant expenses, but many public programs require a certain level of poverty to qualify.

  • Finally, I presented SB 117 to the Appropriations and Revenue (A&R) Committee for discussion. This bill is a voice for small pharmacies that are footing the bill for Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), while those same MCOs post record profits and shortchange reimbursement rates. SB 117 holds MCOs accountable for the actions of their Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). It was a heated discussion which yielded bipartisan support for these changes. SB 117 will be voted on next week.
All the bills that passed the Senate this week are now before the state House of Representatives for further consideration. The Senate will begin hearing House bills in our Senate committees in the coming weeks. As we enter the homestretch of the 2016 Session, some tough decisions will need to be made and some compromises struck.

If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please feel free to call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or e-mail me at Max.Wise@LRC.ky.gov. You can also review the legislature's work online at www.lrc.ky.gov

This story was posted on 2016-03-05 07:34:47
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