Wrapping up yet another week in Frankfort in the 2024 Regular Session, we have officially surpassed the halfway mark. We now have less than 30 legislative working days to conclude our business for the year, and pass even more legislation to make Kentucky even stronger.
One of those measures, HB 563, was filed Thursday, and would create a first of its kind framework for funding water infrastructure improvements that many of our communities desperately need. This measure would create two distinct revolving loan funds. The first, the Kentucky Waste Waters Fund (WWATERS), a loan pool modeled after the successful Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPDI). WWATERS would target troubled, economically-struggling systems that do not qualify for grants or loans through existing programs. Additionally, HB 563 create the Emergency Kentucky Waste Waters Fund. Similar to the WWATERS Fund, the emergency revolving loan fund would provide capital to systems during a state of emergency in order to restore utility service. This legislation would ensure millions in funding for water and waste water infrastructure reaches the state’s most troubled water districts, and I look forward to considering this bill in the weeks to come.
Further enhancing our elections: Members of the Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee approved HB 53 this week. This measure would revise the election verification process in all 120 counties, establishing a publicly visible hand-counted ballot process to ensure full integrity in our elections. Members also passed HB 44, which would create new reporting standards for County Clerks mandating that they provide a list of anyone excused from jury duty for not being a United States citizen on a weekly basis. This measure also mandates that the Secretary of State provides a comprehensive status report each year on their efforts to clean up the voter registration records.
Strengthening our families: Members of the Families and Children Committee considered several incredibly important pieces of legislation in their last meeting starting with HB 105, which establishes the Mentorship for At-Risk Male Students Grant Program, the Responsible Father Initiative Grant Program, and requires the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to identify children that are involved with both systems of care and provide a report to the General Assembly each year that includes actions taken by both agencies to better serve these children. It also adds promotion of father engagement activities as part of the Kentucky HANDS Program. Next, they considered HB 367, which would prohibit the state from taking certain actions regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program(SNAP) including increasing the eligibility standards for participation in the program, granting noncash, in kind, or other benefits to individuals in the program unless those individuals are eligible for those benefits under a different program, exempting individuals from the gross income and financial resources standards for benefits, applying for, seeking accepting, or renewing any waiver of work requirements for able bodied adults without dependents. It would remove the provisions that allow the Cabinet to waive certain requirements within the SNAP program without obtaining authorization from the General Assembly. Lastly, the committee considered HB 462, which would change the way in which clinics across the commonwealth report their certifications, and allows the Cabinet for Health and Family Services issue fines and penalties if they fall out of line with these regulations. Each of these measures passed through the committee and are heading to the floor for a full House vote.
Bringing much needed educational programs to the Commonwealth: My colleagues and I recently acted on HB 400, which would allow Murray State University to offer a veterinary practice degree. This measure establishes the parameters for the program and simply allows Murray State University to offer the program. Currently, there are 32 colleges of veterinary medicine, none of which are located in the commonwealth due to current regulations. In addition to HB 400, we were able to pass HB 407, which similarly allows Eastern Kentucky University to establish a school of Osteopathic Medicine. Currently, the healthcare workforce is severally understaffed, and EKU educates more Kentuckians per capita than any other institution. Granting them the ability to offer these programs would give our healthcare industry a much-needed boost.
Addressing a loophole in benefits for first responders: Members of House State Government acted on HB 164 recently, a measure that would adjust the line of duty death benefits for our first responders. Through the years, we have seen the general assembly adjust line of duty death benefits paid by the public retirement system. However, benefits payable to a non-spouse beneficiary such as a parent have remained unchanged. HB 164 rectifies this problem by increasing the minimum lump-sum death benefit payable from the retirement systems to a non-spouse beneficiary from $10,000 to the employee’s monthly average pay multiplied by 36 months. This benefit would be in addition to any other state and federal benefits available to the family.
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)