SENATOR PHILLIP WHEELER’S LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
We kicked off week nine of the 2020 Regular Session with a visit from two special guests in the Senate chamber, Save the Children Action Network President, Mark Shriver and award-winning actress, Jennifer Garner. Many might not know that Jennifer Garner grew up in West Virginia where she witnessed the effects of generational poverty on children, similar to those we see in rural Kentucky. With the help of local advocates, Ms. Garner and Mr. Shriver are working to preserve funding for Save the Children’s early childhood education and literacy programs, which serve more than 12,000 children throughout the Commonwealth. It was an honor to welcome them to Frankfort.
The Kentucky General Assembly crossed another mile marker this week by reaching the deadline to file new bills. Slightly less than 1,000 bills were filed—286 Senate bills and 647 House bills. With the bill filing deadline on March 4 behind us, we now have a more complete view of the issues lawmakers will take up this year. There are sure to be tough decisions made, along with some compromises in the final weeks ahead.
Senate Bill (SB) 2, the Senate’s proposed voter ID requirement, passed in the House on Tuesday with provisions. The Senate does not concur with these changes, and is therefore asking the House to recede its changes to the bill. If an agreement is not reached, SB 2 will then move to a conference committee for further discussion.
A House measure relating to medicinal marijuana research passed in the Senate this week. House Concurrent Resolution 5 urges national drug organizations, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to expedite research into the potential therapeutic benefits and risks of using marijuana for health purposes.
Women represented 40 percent of the computer science workforce in 1995. Today, that number is less than 25 percent. SB 193 establishes a goal of increasing participation in computer science courses by underrepresented groups, including females, minorities, students with disabilities, English language learners, and students whose families are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. SB 193 includes the number of computer science courses or programs offered in each school, as well as the nature of those courses or programs, and the number of instructors required. I am proud to support this bill and hope to see an increase in computer science participation upon its passage.
Legislation to rein in surprise medical billing is also advancing to the House. SB 150 seeks to stop the practice by requiring insurers to cover surprise medical billing. This happens when a patient receives medical care—often unwittingly—outside of their insurer’s network. Subsequently, the doctors or hospital bills the patient for the amount insurance didn’t cover. SB 150 would require the state insurance commissioner to establish a database of billed health care service charges, and it would provide a dispute resolution program for medical insurers and providers to work out their differences over these out-of-network charges, not the patient.
A bill that would criminalize the “doxing” of minors, SB 182, also passed. By definition, doxing is the act of publicly identifying or publishing private information about someone, especially as a form of punishment, intimidation, or revenge. This legislation was brought after a Northern Kentucky student was doxed following the posting of a video of him with a Native American protester in Washington D.C. SB 182 is a commonsense step to address the growing problem of cyber harassment in today’s digital-driven era, and would protect the privacy of minors.
Other bills passing this week include:
SB 21 would allow veterinarians to report the abuse of animals under their care. Kentucky is the only state where veterinarians are currently prohibited by law from reporting abuse of animals unless they have the permission of the owner or are under a court order.
SJR 35 directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to establish the Task Force on Services for Persons with Brain Injuries.
SB 115 would extend the eligibility time for the tuition waiver program for foster and adopted children. Currently, a child has five years after first enrolling in college. SB 15 would extend it until the student reaches the age of 28 or earns 150 credit hours. Those credit hours would not have to be consecutive.
SB 136 would codify in statute that home health aides that provide Alzheimer’s and dementia care have four hours of training in their first 60 days of employment. It would also require a two-hour refresher course annually. This was the first piece of legislation to come from the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Workforce Assessment Task Force that met during the interim. One of the 25 findings of the task force was Alzheimer’s and dementia patients have a longer and higher quality of life if they can stay in their homes.
SB 148 Requires individuals applying to claim certain agriculture exceptions to first apply for an agriculture exemptions number from the Kentucky Department of Revenue (DOR). The bill further requires that DOR develop a searchable agriculture exemptions number database for sellers and retailers to use for verification.
SB 159 would require the Cabinet for Health & Family Services to promulgate regulations for the operation and maintenance of public splash pads, areas with sprinklers and fountains but little or no standing water. There are currently no regulations on how splash pads should be operated and maintained.
In addition to the issues being voted on, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. I continue to work on SB 23, a bill to create an emergency fund to aid diabetics with their insulin needs who cannot afford their lifesaving medications. I met with the Sponsor of HB 22, which caps insulin co-pays at $100 for certain healthcare plans. I look forward to good news on this issue in the coming weeks.
We are also continuing to refine SB 75, which will allow limited use of off-highway vehicles (OHV) on county and state roadways for trail system development. I am very hopeful given the success of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System in southern West Virginia. This proposed legislation, once in connection with county and regional trail authorities, can be a great success for economic development within our region and the Commonwealth.
Thank you for staying engaged in the legislative process. It is an honor to serve you in Frankfort.
If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me atPhillip.Wheeler@LRC.ky.gov. Remember, you can review the Legislature’s work online at www.legislature.ky.gov
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Note: Senator Phillip Wheeler (R-Pikeville) represents Kentucky’s 31st State Senate District, which includes Elliott, Lawrence, Martin, Morgan, and Pike Counties. Senator Wheeler serves as Chair of the Natural Resources and Energy committee, the co-chair of the Public Water and Wastewater System Infrastructure Task Force. He also serves as a member of the Senate Standing Committees on Judiciary, and Appropriations & Revenue. Senator Wheeler is also a member of the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance and Public Protection; the Program Review and Investigations Committee; the Government Contract Review Committee, and the 2020-2022 Budget Preparation and Submission Statutory Committee. For a high-resolution .jpeg of Senator Wheeler, please visit https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate131.jpg
