FRANKFORT

For our legislative district, the road plan’s adoption is certainly good news, because tens of millions of dollars will now be available for projects that range from widening U.S. 27 to revamping the entrance to Harrison Memorial Hospital. We are also poised to get a new, and very much needed, maintenance facility.

The road fund has seen much better growth in recent months than other areas of the budget, which is making it easier for us to invest in more projects across the state. That includes easing traffic congestion in Northern Kentucky and moving forward with new bridges in Jefferson County and in Land Between the Lakes.

The new prescription drug law, meanwhile, holds a lot of promise for our state as well. The need to act is clear, because three Kentuckians a day on average die from abusing these drugs, or more than die on our highways.

Kentucky is a leader nationally in tracking the use of prescription drugs, but the program, known by its acronym, KASPER, has never met its full potential. Only about a third of physicians now use it to check their patient’s drug history, but those who do say it makes a true difference. Nearly 90 percent reported in 2010 that it caused them to change what they had planned to prescribe.

This law will now require all doctors to use KASPER if they are prescribing controlled substances like OxyContin and hydrocodone. There are some key exceptions, such as cases involving emergencies or surgeries.

All doctors will also be barred from giving out more than a 48-hour supply of these controlled substances from their office. Florida, for example, saw a steep drop in the dispensing of these drugs after a similar provision was enacted.

This law cracks down on shady pain clinics that have been cropping up, and it calls for greater cooperation among law enforcement, KASPER officials and the physician licensing boards. There will also be better data collection on overdose deaths, so we have a much clearer idea of just how many are involved.

This new law is the third major anti-drug legislation passed this year. The other two seek to limit the production of meth and to stop the sale of dangerous synthetic drugs, which are often referred to as bath salts because the manufacturers intentionally mislabel them to hide their true intent.

There were several other major laws approved this legislative session. The most prominent is a balanced budget that continues to preserve critical areas like Medicaid and the classroom without raising taxes.

We also make it tougher for thieves to sell stolen copper to recyclers, and we extended a popular tax incentive program that originally was given to Ford in 2007 to help it invest more than $1 billion in its Louisville operations and hire several thousand new workers. Now, Toyota and General Motors, as well as several large auto parts companies, can take part as well, if they are willing to invest at least $100 million.

A plan to pay off the interest on the loan needed to maintain unemployment insurance benefits during the recession is another major step forward. If we did not act, businesses could have lost a federal tax credit worth up to $600 million.

I’m especially proud of a new law that will lead to a new memorial for the Kentucky soldiers who have died while fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. More than 110 have already perished, including six from Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. By the end of this year, a new task force created by my bill will decide where the memorial should be built and what it will look like.

While the legislative session is over, the legislature’s work for the year is not. Once summer approaches, the various committees – including the one I co-chair, the Agriculture and Small Business Committee – will begin meeting again to review the issues of the day and see what more may need to be done when the General Assembly starts the 2013 legislative session in January.

I want to thank all of those who have contacted me with their thoughts or concerns about state government over the last several months. You can always reach me year-round by writing to Room 332B, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.

You can also leave a message for me or for any legislator at 800-372-7181. For those with a hearing impairment, the number is 800-896-0305.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Frankfort –

“It has been a true honor representing those who live in our district, which covers all of Harrison, Pendleton and Robertson counties and a portion of southern Campbell County,” said Rep. McKee, D-Cynthiana.  “The district boundaries are poised to change somewhat this election cycle because of redistricting, but the core – and our core priorities – remains unchanged.”

Under the new law redrawing the 100 House seats, the three main counties in the 78^th District stay the same, but the district now includes northern and eastern Scott County and is no longer in Campbell County.

Rep. McKee, who is a farmer, currently serves as chairman of the House Agriculture and Small Business Committee.  During his tenure as a legislator, he has either sponsored or served as prime co-sponsor of several major laws affecting farming.

Those include:

- Setting aside half of the state’s tobacco settlement for farming, providing hundreds of millions of dollars to agriculture over the years;

- Creating a livestock care standards commission, ensuring that the best practices are maintained statewide; and

- Establishing the Farms to Food Banks initiative, which gives low-income families fresh produce from local farms.

In addition to chairing that committee, Rep. McKee also is a member of the Tourism Development & Energy Committee, which he said has helped him better serve the district’s two major parks, Blue Licks State Resort Park and Kincaid Lake State Park.

His other committees include the Local Government Committee; the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance, and Public Protection; the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee; the Tobacco Task Force; and two subcommittees focusing on rural issues and horse farming.

Outside of his work in the legislature, Rep. McKee has served as a Harrison County magistrate and was a long-time member of the Harrison Memorial Hospital board of directors.  He also was chairman of the State Young Farmer Committee of Kentucky Farm Bureau and is a member of the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association and its chapters in Harrison and Pendleton counties.

Rep. McKee and his wife Sue have two children – Jim, who is head football coach at Scott County High School; and Katie, who is a professor at the University of Mississippi – and five grandchildren.  Rep. McKee is a graduate of Harrison County High School and Centre College and is a lifelong member of Cynthiana Presbyterian Church, where he has served as Sunday School teacher, elder, trustee and now deacon.

“With military operations officially over in Iraq and a timetable set to wind down our presence in Afghanistan, it is more important than ever that we mark this time by paying tribute to those brave soldiers from Kentucky who gave their all,” said Rep. McKee, D-Cynthiana.

“The wars we have fought in that region of the world, both in the early 1990s and over the last decade, have taken a tremendous toll on those who serve, especially those who call Kentucky home,” said Rep. Denham, D-Maysville.  “The commonwealth has a long history of doing more than her fair share, and our work during these wars is further proof of that.  It’s vital that we never forget that.”

House Bill 256 would establish the Iraq/Afghanistan War Memorial Committee, which in turn would look for the best location in the state to honor the six Kentuckians who died in Operation Desert Storm and the 104 who have perished in Operation Iraqi Freedom and, in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom.

If the legislation becomes law, those serving on the commission would include representatives from the governor’s office; the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet; the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs; the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs; and the Joint Executive Council of Veterans Organizations.

After determining the best location for the memorial, the commission would then be charged with overseeing its design, construction and the funding to get it built.  The legislation calls for the preliminary work on design and location to be done by Oct. 1, 2012.

Rep. McKee credited Blue Licks State Resort Park Manager Michael Schwendau for being the inspiration for the legislation.  “Given the sacrifices these fallen soldiers have made, he thought we needed to recognize this in a permanent way, and Rep. Denham and I agreed.”

A Legislative Perspective on the Kentucky General Assembly 

 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.

FRANKFORT

Rep. McKee, D-Cynthiana, was joined by Rep. Leslie Combs and House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who are the primary sponsor and co-sponsor, and many of their fellow House members who have signed on as co-sponsors.  Their proposed amendment, set to be considered during the 2011 Regular Session for a possible vote on the November ballot in 2012, would ensure that hunting and fishing could never be outlawed without a statewide vote of the people.

“Our constitution protects elemental rights that no legislature or court can override,” said Rep. McKee.  “I believe the same should hold true in these cases as well.”

A dozen other states have included similar language in their constitution, and voters in Arkansas, South Carolina and Arizona will have the opportunity to add their state to the list in November.  A handful of those states took action relatively early in their statehood – 1777 in Vermont’s case, for example – but most of those votes have taken place since 1996.

“Earlier this year, the legislature took a positive step forward to ensure that the care of livestock and horses is protected at the state level and not subject to local changes that could unfairly penalize farmers,” Rep. McKee said.  “This constitutional amendment is the next logical step.”

Rep. McKee noted that the amendment does not affect local, state and federal laws that regulate, but not outlaw, hunting and fishing.  “This amendment has no bearing on such things as licenses, seasons or trespassing laws,” he said.  “It simply ensures that hunting and fishing have the protections they deserve, because they are such a crucial part of our heritage and play an important role in our economy.  None of us sponsoring this amendment wants to see them curtailed if the only reason is because of those who oppose the sports altogether.”

Here is the text of the proposed amendment: “The citizens of Kentucky have the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife, including the use of traditional methods, subject only to statutes enacted by the Legislature and administrative regulations adopted by the designated state agency to promote wildlife conservation and management and to preserve the future of hunting and fishing.  Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife.  This section shall not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to trespass or property rights.”

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Gov. Steve Beshear and equine and agriculture officials today applauded the recent passage of legislation that creates the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Council, the first of its kind in the nation.

…

HB 398 was sponsored by Rep. Tom McKee, of Cynthiana, chair of the House Agriculture and Small Business committee.

“It is an honor to work with people so committed to the equine industry,” said Rep. McKee. “Thank you to everyone who has made this day possible. This is a very positive step for our signature industry in Kentucky.”

Read the rest of the article here.