Senator Brandon Storm’s Legislative Update

On Thursday, the Kentucky General Assembly officially reached the halfway mark of the 30-day session, but not without Mother Nature making her presence known. I hope you remained safe during the winter weather that rolled into the Bluegrass late last week. Join me in taking a moment to thank the fantastic folks who have braved the elements to keep our lights on and our roads clear. They are unsung heroes.

For the first time as your State Senator, I testified before a legislative committee in favor of a bill that I am proud to be sponsoring—Senate Bill (SB) 131. The bill would move the Motorcycle Safety Education Program from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet to the Transportation Cabinet. The bill also expands the program to include training for novice riders rather than just experienced riders. I appreciate the opportunity to carry this bill and hope to present it before the full Senate soon. The bill went through the Senate Transportation Committee, of which I am honored to serve as Vice-Chairman.

Legislation receiving passage in the Senate this past week includes:

SB 12 preserves the nonprofit nature of eye tissue donation by prohibiting for-profit entities from procuring any eye, cornea, eye tissue, or corneal tissue. It ensures that a person may not, for valuable consideration, knowingly purchase, sell, transfer, or offer to buy, sell, or transfer any human organ for transplantation or therapy.

SB 16 updates the Colon Cancer Screening Program with its fund and advisory committee to include “and Prevention” in the title. It requires funds from the sale of special cancer prevention license plates to be directed to the program fund and used solely for colon cancer screening and prevention. The bill also updates the membership of the program’s advisory committee. It requires the Department for Medicaid Services to present statistics on cancer services related to colorectal cancer annually and upon request.

Kentucky has done an excellent job in recent years on the cancer screening and prevention front. We were once ranked 49th in this area and have reached a ranking as high as 17th. We currently rank about 22nd. More work is left to do, but better focusing our efforts through good legislation will improve our ongoing fight against cancer.

SB 29 provides Kentucky’s Attorney General, Commonwealth’s Attorneys, and County Attorneys security against financial liability resulting from the good faith performance of sworn duties to prosecute state law. Losses would be compensated by funds appropriated to the Finance & Administration Cabinet.

SB 36 removes the automatic transfer of a child from a district court to a circuit court to be tried as an adult in cases involving the use of firearms. The bill brings juvenile cases involving a gun in alignment with the standards applied to any other juvenile case. It would also require the district court to consider whether or not the child has a severe intellectual disability.

SB 73 extends the timeline for action for the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights in cases before them. Currently, the commission is struggling with caseloads that staffing levels are not fully able to manage.

SB 74 renames the current Office on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders to the Office of Dementia Services. The bill serves to elevate dementia-related services within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS). Additionally, it updates the membership and duties of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Council. SB 74 establishes a Dementia Coordinator position that will help refresh the state health plan every four years to improve diagnosis and treatment of dementia and help apply for federal grants that can be used to treat dementia. Appropriation for this position will need to be allocated by the cabinet or appropriated in future budgets. Dementia-related diseases are the 6th leading cause of death. The enactment of this bill would be a step toward improving the state’s efforts to treat these horrible diseases.

SB 77 improves diversity on superintendent screening committees by reforming committees’ membership in school districts where the minority student population is 50 percent or greater.

SB 80 will increase societal trust, and the bill has the support of law enforcement across the state and their organizations. The Kentucky Sheriffs’ Association, Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police, Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police, and the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council are all in support of this piece of legislation.  The bill strengthens oversight of peace officers who conduct themselves in a criminal or unprofessional way by easing a council’s ability to revoke certification. The bill also puts in place hiring procedures that will help ensure an officer will not avoid consequences by leaving one agency to work for another.

SB 84 provides women in state correctional facilities who are pregnant with an understanding of the community-based resources available to them by connecting them with social workers to help in the child’s placement. This bill ends placing pregnant inmates, or those within six weeks of delivery of a child, in solitary confinement. I consider this a pro-life measure. We must keep the best interest of an innocent child in mind.

SB 120 allows for the continuation of historical horse racing gambling following a Supreme Court of Kentucky ruling that this gaming was incompatible with the definition of pari-mutuel wagering. I voted “no” on this bill for several significant reasons. First, I think the process utilized was incorrect. According to Section 226 of our state constitution, only the lottery and charitable gaming are currently permitted in Kentucky. The more appropriate approach to achieving this bill’s goal is to amend the Constitution of Kentucky. That would have to occur by placing an amendment on voters’ next general election ballot to make a final determination on this issue. The Kentucky Lottery was established in this manner back in 1988. It seems only appropriate that we should apply that same standard to other forms of gambling. The only way this issue finally gets settled is when the voters of Kentucky make their wishes known.

Opposition to the process notwithstanding, I opposed SB 120 because I believe the government’s endorsement of this revenue mechanism is misplaced and inappropriate. I see this bill as a step toward further expanding other forms of gambling; it provides no reassurances. Finally, SB 120 is likely to be challenged in court.

As you can see, the General Assembly is hard at work. I am hopeful that inclement weather will not slow down our efforts. Should the weather remain as brutal as it has been, please avoid being out at all cost. This will help lessen the potential calls for first responders’ service and enable road workers and linemen to do the challenging jobs they have. If you must be out, please be safe and mindful.

It is a real honor to represent Laurel, Jackson, Estill, Powell, Menifee, and Bath Counties in the Kentucky State Senate. If you have any questions about these public policy issues or any other matter of importance to you, do not hesitate to contact my office toll-free by calling 502-564-8100. You can also email me at brandon.storm@lrc.ky.gov. Stay safe. God bless.

Note: Senator Brandon Storm (R-London) represents the 21^st District, which encompasses Bath, Estill, Jackson, Laurel, Menifee, and Powell Counties. Senator Storm is the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and serves as Chairman of the Enrollment Committee. He also serves as a member of the Senate Standing Committees on Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor; State and Local Government; Banking and Insurance; and the Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources. Additionally, Senator Storm is a member of the Statutory Committees on Program Review and Investigations; and Child Welfare Oversight and Advisory.