A Legislative Perspective on the Kentucky General Assembly with State Representative Tom McKee

 FRANKFORT – As it always does in January, the General Assembly began another legislative session early this month, and while the agenda is never short, it is a little longer this year because we have redistricting as well, something that occurs each decade after the Census.

Nothing is yet finalized, but the House took a major step forward last week when it approved bills to redraw the population boundaries for the legislature, the Kentucky Supreme Court and the state’s six congressional seats.  I will give you further update once this becomes law; our goal is to finish the work well before the end of the month, the filing deadline to run for these offices.

Early this week, Governor Beshear will return to a joint session of both chambers to provide his budget proposal to run state government for the next two years.

When he gave his State of the Commonwealth address early in the session, he indicated it would be a tough document to write.  He believes more cuts will be needed on top of the $1.3 billion that have already been made since 2007.

Though writing the budget may not be easy, there are some positive things in our favor.  Forbes magazine, for example, has moved us up 18 spots during the last two years on its ranking of the best states to do business in.  Another study said the commonwealth has the 19^th best tax climate for business.

If the budget was the main focus of his speech, Governor Beshear dedicated time as well to several other initiatives that both he and the House would like to see passed in the next several months.

That includes cracking down on prescription drug abuse, which unfortunately has become a true epidemic for Kentucky.  He said a recent survey showed that nearly one-third of adults know of someone who is addicted.  There are now more who die from an overdose than die on our highways.

Our goal is to find ways to cut back on “pill mills,” which are often fly-by-night doctor’s offices that prescribe pain medicine with little to no oversight.  By improving our prescription-drug monitoring system, we should be able to make true headway in the years ahead.

 Another priority of his that the House has supported in the past is raising the high school dropout age from 16 to 18.  There are about 6,000 young men and women who drop out each year, he said, a decision that leaves many ill-equipped to acquire jobs that can support them and, eventually, their families.

About 30 states have raised their dropout age to 17 or 18, and if Kentucky takes that step, it will update a law that was first enacted in the 1930s, a much different era from today’s 21^st century economy.

This past week, the House Agriculture and Small Business Committee that I oversee as chairman began meeting, and one of our first orders of business was hearing from the newly elected Agriculture Commissioner, James Comer.

It may be too soon to say what agricultural laws will come out of this session, but several farm-related bills have already been filed.  They would do such things as make sure customers know which country their catfish comes from, a response to some controversial foreign practices.

I will of course keep you updated on what happens in the weeks ahead as we move toward wrapping up our work by early April.

In the meantime, I encourage you to let me know your thoughts or concerns on the issues affecting the state.  You can leave a message for me, toll-free, at 800-372-7181 or, for the hearing impaired, 800-896-0305.

My address, meanwhile, is Room 332B, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.

f you know of a student who would interested in paging in the House chamber for a day during the session, I would like to hear from you.  This is an ideal experience for those young people who would like to learn more about their government.