The General Assembly passed a slew of bills on Tuesday and Wednesday, ahead of the veto period. The rush to pass bills on the 57th and 58th day of the 60-day session will give the legislature time to override any bills that the governor vetoes during the 10 day veto period.
With Republican supermajorities in both the House and Senate, the legislature has the power to override any bill vetoed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. This led to the legislature pushing through as much legislation as possible on the two days before the veto period, including controversial bills the governor is likely to veto. This will give them time on the final two days of the session on April 13 and 14, to push through legislation.Â
The legislature also gave some last-minute potential to Rep. Adam Koenig’s (R-Erlanger) sports betting bill. But, the upper chamber all but killed any potential for medical marijuana this session.
Here’s a look at some of the bills that went through and one that won’t see the light of day.
House Bill 3 – The Omnibus Abortion Bill – Passed
Anti-abortion protesters hung banners that read “Stop The Ban” and chanted “Abortion is Healthcare” in the Senate chambers before being relegated to the bottom of the chamber stairs. The protest did little to deter the Senate from passing the bill and amending it to include a 15-week ban on abortions.
The latter would put in place an abortion ban, effectively ending abortion in Kentucky if the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade. The bill also addresses abortion for minors, medicinal abortion and would create a public complaint portal that would put providers on a public list.
“H.B. 3 is solely and deliberately designed to eliminate all abortion in the state of Kentucky,” said Tamarra Wieder, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. “This bill ignores our constitutional rights, dismisses science, and contradicts public opinion. We strongly urge Governor Beshear to veto this cruel, dangerous bill and support what the majority of Kentuckians want – access to safe and legal abortion. The people of Kentucky deserve to make their own decisions about their health, bodies, and futures, and we at Planned Parenthood will never stop fighting for that right.”
Proponents of the bill, titled Humanity in Healthcare, say the bill protects the unborn while also pointing out that the Kentucky legislature is one of the most pro-life caucuses in the country.
“Today marks a historic day for the pro-life movement in the Commonwealth, “said Rep. Nancy Tate (R-Brandenburg), the bill’s primary sponsor. “Not only will it protect the unborn, but it will also protect women from the rising rates of complications we are seeing with abortion-inducing drugs.”
House Bill 9 – The Charter School Bill – Passed
The charter school bill, which seemingly came out of nowhere within the past month but proponents say is something that’s been worked on for a long time, was rushed through both chambers. The bill would significantly impact Northern Kentucky, as the region would be home to one of the state’s two pilot charter schools.
The bill caused a lot of controversy, specifically around where it would be placed in Northern Kentucky. It also put Rep. Kim Banta (R-Ft. Mitchell) at the center of controversy because her vote proved crucial in the House. Opponents of the bill have noted that Banta is married to Tom Banta, the chief real estate officer for Corporex, the company overseeing the Ovation project, where some say the charter school would be located.
But, LINK nky found that the charter school can’t be placed at the site because of an agreement in the issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds for the project, adopted by the Newport board of education.Â
“The city shall not permit a private or charter school to be constructed or operate upon the Ovation site,” the addendum reads.
There’s been a lot of odd circumstances around the passage of HB9. First, the bill was in the House Appropriations and Revenue committee but was moved because it didn’t have the votes. Then it moved to the House Education Committee, where shuffling occurred in order to get the number of votes needed to pass. Just hours later, the bill was on the House floor.
The bill quickly moved through the Senate, however.
House Bill 1 – The Two-Year Executive Branch Budget – Passed
The way the budget has played out this session has been quite interesting. With the legislature having shortened sessions due to the pandemic the last two years, they could only pass one-year budgets. The state also received a windfall of money from American Rescue Plan Act and the CARES Act, leading to a large rainy day fund.
On Tuesday, during the conference committee, Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Taylor Mill), the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee chair, laid out the final changes to the bill, which passed the Senate and received concurrence in the House on Wednesday.
One of the things that made it back into the Republican budget was the funding for all-day kindergarten.
“You know, certainly any budget is a process,” McDaniel said. “There are twists and turns as you go along … and then ultimately, we spend a lot of time talking about what’s the best policy for the economy, what sets us up for good long term growth for the next several decades, and we believe that was an appropriate investment.”
One thing that didn’t make it into the budget was McDaniel’s plan to give Kentuckians $500 tax rebates. But, there is good news for the life sciences in Covington, as the GOP budget included $15 million for the wet lab in Covington.
“There was just a generalized feeling from stakeholders that it could conceivably be more than just a $10 million appropriation,” McDaniel said of the lab, “and we wanted to make sure – I mean, that kind of research is critical to developing an environment for advanced biotechnical research – and we just felt like we want to make sure we got it right.”
The other provisions in the budget include:
-House Bill 8 will slowly lower the income tax in Kentucky to zero percent, with the first one percent decrease happening on Jan. 1, 2023.
-It will appropriate $16 million per year for the general fund.
-It will give an 8 percent raise to all state workers next year, followed by 12 percent the following year.
-$75 million from ARPA for grants to Kentucky tourism.
-$170 million over the next two years for state parks.
-$250 million from the General Fund to the Road Fund for the application for funding for the Brent Spence Bridge.
Medical Marijuana (Failed) and Sports Gaming Bill (Maybe)
Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) and Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown) signaled that the medical marijuana bill was dead on Tuesday.
There was some initial hope with Sen. Whitney Westerfield (R-Crofton), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would vote for House Bill 136 if it came to his committee. Westerfield killed the bill in previous sessions. But, the bill was assigned to the Health and Welfare committee this session, which is chaired by Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-Winchester), where it was unlikely to get a vote.
House Bill 606 received a second reading in the Senate, which gives the bill some hope. Currently, there aren’t enough votes to pass, but it offers Rep. Koenig time over the veto period to work on some Senators to potentially get enough votes.