Senator Jensen’s Frankfort Report – 1/27/12

FRANKFORT – We are now a quarter way through session.  Bills are flowing through the committee process and arriving on the Senate floor for consideration before the entire chamber.

Three bills won passage this week and will now head to the House of Representatives. 

Senate Bill 55 allows for interstate mutual aid agreements among first-responders and other emergency response personnel. That is to say, that if
an emergency occurs near local or state borders, emergency personnel can respond regardless of their home base.

We had two education bills.

Senate Bill 24 would require children to be 5 years old prior to August 1 of the year they begin kindergarten.  The measure would, however, allow parents to petition local school boards for early admission.
There is some debate whether children are emotionally mature enough to enter kindergarten when school begins in August. This bill adds structure so that parents will have guidelines but still be able to decide for their own children.
Senate Bill 64 is a bill supported by the School Board Association and other education groups to increase the integrity of the assessment testing process. It would make it unlawful for any school employee to provide any assistance either
before or after, in terms of providing or altering answers, to students during the assessment testing process. The vast majority of school employees are dedicated and honest but unfortunately, we’ve had a few bad actors involved in
modifying test scores which threatens the scores of all of our kids. If passed by the House, both these bills would take effect during the 2017-2018 school year.

Over the past several weeks, the Senate Judiciary Committee has discussed issues surrounding the drowning problem of meth production and possible solutions to reduce the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine. Senate Majority Floor Leader, Robert Stivers (R-Manchester), has become primary sponsor of Senate Bill 50, a bill making pseudo-ephedrine available over-the-counter, to curb meth production. I am co-sponsor of this bill and look forward to working
as committee chairman to address this serious epidemic and hope for progress in the upcoming weeks.

Finally, the Senate passed a bill to extend the congressional filing deadline until February 7^th in light of ongoing negotiations between the House and Senate.

Next week, the Governor’s Budget Director will be appearing in front of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee to discuss the Governor’s budget proposal.  I have concerns that even though the state faces almost a billion dollar
shortfall, the Governor proposed $815 million in additional spending, including $372 million in existing debt service. Some of this debt service is from the Governor’s restructuring of debt – something both the House and the Senate had
directed not to do in the last budget and which he vetoed.

To learn more about the work of the General Assembly and to keep up with the 2012 Regular Session, visit the Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov.  You can also call 1-800-633-9650 for a taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings.  To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.  To leave a message for me, or any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.

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Note: Senator
Jensen (R-London) represents the 21st Senate District, which includes Laurel, McCreary, and Whitley Counties.   He serves as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary. He also serves as vice chairman on the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee.  Senator Jensen serves on Banking and Insurance Committee and the State and Local Government Committee.
For a high-resolution JPEG file of Senator Jensen, please log on to
www.lrc.state.ky.us/pubinfo/ephoto.htm.

Iris B. Wilbur –

Caucus Communications- Kentucky Senate Majority

502.564.3120
(ofc)