Sunday, February 24, 2008
Senate Week In Review By Ray S. Jones II
This year's legislative session reached the halfway mark this week, a milestone marked by the first bill to pass both chambers being sent to the governor for his signature.
House Bill 168, if signed into law, will give returning military service members a 90-day grace period to renew their expired driver's licenses. We have heard stories of soldiers coming home only to be ticketed for driving on an expired license. The transition to civilian life is difficult enough already and we hope this eases the burden.
It is appropriate that the first bill to reach Governor Beshear's desk will make life less stressful for our returning military. The last few years have produced a groundswell of legislative support for our military and veterans. We hope the House will concur with several other bills we have passed for our military men and women, including income tax relief for military families.
Also during the week's work, we had two bills directed at members of the military and their families pass out of Senate committees. Senate Bill 150 would permit the surviving spouse of a former Kentucky National Guard member or a retired veteran to keep special license plates assigned to that member or veteran. Senate Bill 163 authorizes the military family assistance trust fund to be used for educational expenses by Kentucky members or veterans who lost a limb while on military duty.
We also took a significant step toward saving tax payer dollars with Senate Bill 100. More state contracts are being written each year that spell out specific items to be used in construction — a particular type of doorknob or light bulb, for instance, even down to the brand or product number. But listing exact items makes it far too easy for costs to rise way above what they should or could be. SB 100 would allow the state to use equivalent products -- much like generic drugs -- if they are essentially the same but cheaper, saving taxpayers money.
As I mentioned, this year's session has reached its mid-point. Traditionally, the first half of each session is spent with the Senate focusing on Senate bills and the House considering its own legislation. As the days march on, we will start considering more House bills and focusing on the state budget.
The pace will be increasing as we head toward the last few weeks of this session, so your voice and opinion are more important than ever. Be sure to call our Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 or e-mail me atray.jones@lrc.ky.gov.
House Bill 168, if signed into law, will give returning military service members a 90-day grace period to renew their expired driver's licenses. We have heard stories of soldiers coming home only to be ticketed for driving on an expired license. The transition to civilian life is difficult enough already and we hope this eases the burden.
It is appropriate that the first bill to reach Governor Beshear's desk will make life less stressful for our returning military. The last few years have produced a groundswell of legislative support for our military and veterans. We hope the House will concur with several other bills we have passed for our military men and women, including income tax relief for military families.
Also during the week's work, we had two bills directed at members of the military and their families pass out of Senate committees. Senate Bill 150 would permit the surviving spouse of a former Kentucky National Guard member or a retired veteran to keep special license plates assigned to that member or veteran. Senate Bill 163 authorizes the military family assistance trust fund to be used for educational expenses by Kentucky members or veterans who lost a limb while on military duty.
We also took a significant step toward saving tax payer dollars with Senate Bill 100. More state contracts are being written each year that spell out specific items to be used in construction — a particular type of doorknob or light bulb, for instance, even down to the brand or product number. But listing exact items makes it far too easy for costs to rise way above what they should or could be. SB 100 would allow the state to use equivalent products -- much like generic drugs -- if they are essentially the same but cheaper, saving taxpayers money.
As I mentioned, this year's session has reached its mid-point. Traditionally, the first half of each session is spent with the Senate focusing on Senate bills and the House considering its own legislation. As the days march on, we will start considering more House bills and focusing on the state budget.
The pace will be increasing as we head toward the last few weeks of this session, so your voice and opinion are more important than ever. Be sure to call our Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 or e-mail me atray.jones@lrc.ky.gov.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 9:56 AM 
