We changed the website a little to make things easier to manage. The Legislation page and the Alerts page are now merged into one to cut back on redundancy and confusion. There are many bills to track and very few of them go anywhere, therefore at this point in the session we are going to have the bills posted in a limited capacity under a few qualifications.
1) Bills that are TBK Initiatives/Really Good
2) Bills that are Really Bad
3) Bills that have passed at least one House – Not every bill will be listed that have passed a House, just those that meet the first two criteria
4) Bills based on their weekly track -These however, may make it into an e-mail, a blog post or on Facebook but because they are so sudden they may not appear here right away due to time constraints. These bills may still be in one House and must still be watched as there may be time for them to make it over to the other.
TBK Initiatives
SB 47: Food Freedom- Passed the Senate, currently in the House Agriculture Committee
Kentucky Healthcare Freedom Act
SB 75: Amish Transportation Safety and Religious Freedom Bill- Passed the Senate, currently in the House Transportation Committee
Good Bills that have passed at least one House
HB 70: Restore Voting Rights to Non-Violent Felons - Has not yet been assigned to a Senate Committee
SB 49: Library Board Accountability
SB 62: Dissolve Area Planning Commissions
Bad Bills that have passed at least one House
SB 109 & HB 216: Both are compulsory school age bills that have passed out of both the Senate and the House and are now in each committees respective Education Committees – On the Move
Bad Bills that need to be watched
SB 50 Sudafed/Snot Tax Bill – Support HB 80, oppose HB 79 and STOP SB 50. – On the Move
SB 151: Stop Expanded Gaming – On the Move
Save the Constable - two bad bills to abolish the office of Constable have passed committee in each House and will come up for a vote.
HB 55: Taxpayer Funded Colon Cancer Screenings
Good Bills that need to be pushed
HB 160: Cooper’s Law - This bill is out of committee
Creation of a Debt Ceiling- Some have concerns and this is not perfect, but it is time we started the Debt Debate in Kentucky
HB 48: Close the Property Tax Loophole
SB 22: Limit All Sessions to 30 Days
HB 81: Revenue Appropriations Accountability
HB 77 Creation of Charter Schools in KY/School Choice
KMA/KBA Alerts Please Check these out
NOTE: If anyone has any alerts they would like to have an alert made up please e-mail them to us at takebackkentucky@gmail.com. If you are at a TBK meeting please bring it before the group for a vote so we can try and get a consensus on these bills. However, it is understandable there will be new legislation and twists are bound to happen during the session and there is not always time for that. So please e-mail an outline of why a certain bill should be opposed or supported. Also please keep in mind you may have a bill to support or oppose, but that in the past TBK has voted to remain neutral on a subject matter and that it would have to be presented to the group or at the very least we would give the pros and the cons of such a bill on an issue we have remained neutral on int the past in the name of fairness.
Please bear with us in our efforts as there are many bills, most don’t get passed and generally we are only able to monitor and push for a few on a consistent basis.