While Memorial Day was created to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending our nation, I think this week also provides an opportunity to reflect on the work of the House Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee. This committee’s jurisdiction includes military affairs; the Kentucky National Guard; military posts and bases; veterans’ nursing homes, cemeteries, rights, benefits, and education opportunities; and military memorials. Public protection responsibilities also include the state’s oversight of fire prevention and protection; and some public health and sanitation regulations.
Committee members were busy this session, with a dozen bills making their way through the entire legislative process to become law. Unless a bill has an emergency clause that makes it take effect immediately or has another specific effective date, it will take effect on July 15. Here are brief summaries of those bills:
Preventing Veteran Suicide – HB 30 creates the Kentucky Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Suicide Prevention Program within the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs.
Modernizing Military Affairs Programming – HB 200 amends statutes to conform with federal language and include the U.S. Space Force in the definition and references to Armed Forces; allow for U.S. Space Force and Legion of Merit license plates; and include the children of National Guard and Reserve personnel within rights granted under the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Guard and Reserves.
Allowing Lexington Police and Fire to Establish Local Training Requirements – HB 248 allows Lexington fire and police departments to set rules for rehiring employees, specifically how long an individual must be separated from working within the agency before they are required to attend police or fire academies.
Saving Infant Lives – HB 272 allows staff at the location of a safe haven baby box to be temporarily offsite as long as it does not impact the required response time for recovering an infant placed in the box. The measure also requires informational signage about the baby boxes be placed at schools.
Protecting Kentucky Children – HB 453 requires the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to identify if adults involved in alleged reports of child abuse and/or neglect are active duty military personnel, and inform the appropriate Department of Defense advocacy agency of the case.
Recognizing Purple Star Schools – HB 469 formally establishes the Purple Star School Program within the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs. The program is a national effort to support military-connected children as they relocate to new schools as a result of a parent’s change in duty station.
Easing the Transition for Military Children – HB 471 allows the use of military orders as proof of residency for the purpose of school enrollment or course registration and prohibits school districts from requiring in-person enrollment if military-related duties prevent a parent or guardian from being present.
Enhancing Emergency Response/Next Generation 911 – HB 528 ensures continuation of matching monies to complete the implementation of Next Generation 911. HB 6 includes $5 million to complete the project.
Supporting Kentucky National Guard Families – HB 715 eliminates a requirement that Kentucky National Guard members be deployed before they are eligible for the military family assistance trust fund. The measure also expands the existing adoption assistance program to include former members of the Kentucky National Guard and allow the adoption of stepchildren to qualify. Emergency.
Updating Training for Telecommunicators – HB 782 creates the Public Safety Telecommunicator Work Group to develop new training for the public safety telecommunicator academy.
Creating Alert Systems for Missing Adults and Children – SB 45 creates the Ashanti Alert to provide for efficient communication of information to law enforcement agencies, media, and the public about missing adults and suspect information in cases of suspected abduction. The measure also includes provisions of HB 682, creating the Ian Alert System to communicate information about a missing child with an intellectual disability or mental illness.
Protecting Children from Registered Child Sex Offenders – SB 249 requires registered sex offenders convicted of a crime involving a minor to use their real name on social media platforms.
As always, I can be reached anytime through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via e-mail at Amy.Neighbors@lrc.ky.gov and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.ky.gov.
(Laura Leigh Goins, Deputy Chief of Staff for Media Relations – House Majority Leadership)