There are only a handful of moments in life that are truly unforgettable, and last week, I added another to the list when I was sworn into my first term as your State Representative.
I am forever grateful to those whose hard work and sacrifices helped to make this possible. I will always remember that this was truly a team effort and that being your Representative is no different. With every bill I sponsor and with every vote I cast, I will do my best to serve as the voice for the 43,000 of us who live in what I think we can all agree is the best House district in the state.
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The swearing-in ceremony is the formal start of every odd-year legislative session. During the opening week, legislators focus on organizational matters such as choosing House and Senate leaders and establishing committee assignments for the next two years.
I have been told that these first few days are usually fairly quiet, given that little if any legislation is actually voted on. That was not the case last week, however. In fact, there were not one but two events that could have repercussions for many years to come.
The first issue centers on State Representative Jim Glenn of Owensboro, who won his election last November by a single vote, but could still ultimately lose his seat following his opponent’s request that the Kentucky House review the election’s outcome. At the heart of the debate are nearly two dozen votes, most of which are absentee ballots, that were unanimously rejected for non-compliance by a bipartisan group of local elected officials.
It is important to emphasize that a recanvas did not change the outcome of this election. There was no hint of fraud, and Representative Glenn’s win was certified locally and statewide. He has also been sworn into office and, for now, is participating as a sitting member.
While the outcome was close, my fellow caucus members and I feel strongly that a win by a single vote is no different than a win by 1,000.
For now, nine legislators who were randomly chosen last week are reviewing the matter and will issue a report. The House will then decide to accept or reject the findings and determine what should happen next.
As that matter was moving ahead, we learned that Governor Bevin’s administration had started implementing stringent new rules that are severely limiting the public’s access within the Capitol complex.
While safety is certainly important, I believe the long-standing security measures we’ve had in place until now struck the right balance. Perhaps the most consequential change is that the public will largely be barred from using the tunnel between the Capitol and the Annex where many legislative meetings take place. That means they now have to walk outside, regardless of the weather, if they want to travel between buildings.
There is little doubt that this change is due to the thousands of people who traveled to the Capitol last year to protest changes to the public retirement systems. It also is tied to an attempt this past summer to keep the peaceful protesters from entering the Capitol at all as a group.
Although this is being done by the administration, I will do all I can to make sure our Capitol complex is accessible to those who come here to make their views known. I cannot support efforts that appear to be more about shutting down meaningful dialogue than promoting security.
On a more positive note, I learned last week that I will serve on several legislative committees important to our House district. These include Transportation, Banking and Insurance, and Economic Development. Those committees will begin meeting and votes on bills will be taken when legislators return to the Capitol early next month. We will complete the 30-days session by the end of March.
I encourage you to let me know your views on the issues before us. My email is Kathy.Hinkle@lrc.ky.gov and you can call a toll-free number to leave a message for me or any other legislator. The number is 800-372-7181 or 800-896-0305 for the hearing impaired.
The General Assembly’s website has a considerable amount of information that the public can use, including the full text of bills and meeting times for committees. This can be found online at www.LRC.KY.gov.
KET does a phenomenal job at keeping the public informed as well. It airs many legislative meetings and keeps their videos archived. To learn more visit www.KET.org.
I’ll keep you updated on our work in the weeks ahead and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kathy
