FRANKFORT — Usually at the mid-point of a General Assembly session, lawmakers are busy passing bills while waiting for the House budget committee to unveil a budget plan.
But if the budget is the 800-pound gorilla in the room during typical sessions, it’s the leviathan under the surface in this one.
“I think the budget IS the legislative priority at this point,” said Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, Friday. Lawmakers face a revenue shortfall of more than $1 billion for the next two years and they’re waiting for word from legislative leaders on how they plan to deal with it. That has slowed the usual pace of legislation.
One measure that is steam rolling however is an effort to clamp down on abuses at the Kentucky Association of Cities and the Kentucky League of Cities, both of which were humiliated by stories in the Lexington Herald Leader last year and by state audits which revealed exorbitant salaries, lavish entertainment – including escort services and trips to strip clubs – luxury cars for staff, and conflicts of interest.
The Senate has already passed a measure to require more transparency in the quasi-government agencies’ operations and the House Friday unanimously passed House Bill 325, sponsored by Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, which incorporates nearly all of state Auditor Crit Luallen’s recommendations to improve oversight at the two organizations. Simpson said he anticipates no problems reconciling his bill with the Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown.
KACo and KLC are associations of local governments which are funded by dues to those member governments and fees on insurance and financial services. Ultimately, all of those revenues are provided by local taxpayers.
Simpson’s bill will require the two groups to abide by the state’s open records and open meetings laws; pass ethics, personnel and procurement codes; undergo an annual audit, either by the state auditor or an independent auditing firm; and provide more training for board members.
A measure of how determined legislators are to get the attention of those who run the organizations is the ease with which Simpson’s bill passed out of the local government committee and the House. Each vote was unanimous, and committee members chastised representatives of the groups who were in the room as they discussed the bill.
The House also passed a bill this week to shore up the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and pay back money borrowed from the federal government to cover rising claims. House Bill 349, sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Okolona, would increase the taxable wage base from $8,000 to $9,000 on which employers must pay into the trust fund.
It would also reduce from 68 percent to 62 percent the proportion of an unemployed worker’s pay check which he would receive in benefits. Without changes to the system, the state would be unable to pay back more than $600 million borrowed from the federal government to cover rising claims – something many states have had to do in the deep and long recession. If the state did not pay back the money, federal taxes would increase for Kentucky employers to repay the loans.
The House budget committee also approved a measure this week which if passed by the full legislature would require those convicted of drunken driving to install ignition interlock devices on their personal vehicles. The devices check the driver’s alcohol content and won’t allow the engine to start if it detects alcohol.
House Bill 58 is sponsored by Rep. Dennis Keene, D-Wilder, whose daughter was seriously injured in a collision caused by a drunken driver. The devices are in use in 12 other states which according to Keene have seen a decrease in drunken driving accidents, injuries and deaths. Those convicted of DUI would pay between $2.50 and $3 a day to lease the devices from between six to 30 months, depending on the number of convictions.
Keene said that cost is about the cost of one alcoholic drink per day.
RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.
State News
KACo, KLC oversight bill passes House unanimously
Legislative week in review
- State News
-
-
Ky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton elected to 2nd term
FRANKFORT Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton has been re-elected unanimously by his fellow justices to serve another term as the court’s Chief Justice.
-
Secretary of state forecasting 10-12 percent primary turnout
FRANKFORT Kentucky’s chief election officer isn’t happy about it, but she’s predicting only a 10 to 12 percent turnout in Tuesday’s election.
Alison Lundergan Grimes said Thursday she can detect only “minimal to moderate -
Farmer may face scrutiny from ethics panel
FRANKFORT Richie Farmer’s administration of the state Department of Agriculture will undergo at least an initial review by the body charged with oversight of executive branch ethics and by another charged with reviewing personnel matters.
-
Kentucky ICAC Task Force Works To Protect Children Online
FRANKFORT, Ky. – As technology grows, so does the opportunity for child pornographers to exploit it. Social networking sites, chat rooms, file-sharing programs, message boards and forums now make it easier for offenders to
-
Lawmakers return to Frankfort
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Lawmakers kicked off a special legislative session Monday to pass a transportation budget and a prescription drug abuse bill.
-
Tales of survival from Woodward's deadly tornado
Stirring stories of survival are emerging from Woodward's tornado, but none was more compelling than that of an 87-year-old widow who escaped unscathed by hiding in her bedroom closet while her house exploded around her. Sixty-five years earlier she survived Oklahoma's deadliest tornado, one that killed 116 of her neighbors, by hiding under a dining room table.
-
Gambling amendment introduced
Gov. Steve Beshear and Republican Sen. Damon Thayer on Tuesday announced the much anticipated gambling amendment they hope to push through the legislature, an amendment that would allow up to seven casinos, five at existing
-
Judge nixes redistricting plans
Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd on Tuesday at least temporarily threw out the General Assembly’s plans to redraw state legislative districts and ordered 2012 elections to be conducted under the previous district boundaries unless
-
Minton asks for additional funding
With several circuit clerks seated behind him, Kentucky’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court told a legislative budget subcommittee Tuesday the court system can’t retain entry-level employees because as soon as they are trained they’re
-
Shepherd brings legislature to stop
FRANKFORT — Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd not only put on hold the filing deadline for candidates for state House and Senate districts — he effectively shut down the business of the General Assembly.
- More State News Headlines
-
Ky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton elected to 2nd term
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
