Legislative Update

January  27, 2020



Activity continues to increase and several bills we are tracking have begun to move. The pace is expected to pick up even more once the budget is unveiled this Tuesday.

SB8, which clarifies certain provisions of the School Safety Act, passed out of committee last week and is expected to be voted on by the full Senate on Monday. The most controversial piece of this bill is a requirement that school resource officers be armed. Also, on Friday HB325, which expands historic preservation tax credits, was filed by Rep. Bowling.

AIA Kentucky's Legislative Day will be held at the Capitol Annex on February 6, beginning at 8:00 a.m. All members are encouraged to attend the breakfast that morning and then stay for appointments with their legislators. AIA Kentucky will assist in scheduling these visits upon request.

Below are the bills that AIA Kentucky is currently tracking.

Thank you,

    
Greg Brotzge 
AIA Kentucky Lobbyist 
 
Bill Activity Report

Click below for the current status of bills AIA Kentucky is tracking.
(Report created on January  27, 2020)
  

Week In Review 
   (For the Week Ending January 25, 2020)     
       
 
Utah has banned "conversion therapy", which is the effort to make a person straight if they identify as gay. There is also an effort in Kentucky that is being sponsored by a lawmaker some may find surprising.
WHAS TV
 
As sure as gavel strikes mark the start of a Kentucky General Assembly session, packed hallways in the Capitol Annex are a sign that a session has gone into high gear as people from across Kentucky converge to make their voices heard.
Northern Kentucky Tribune
 
High school and college athletes in Kentucky would only be allowed to compete in sports that align with their biological sex and not their preferred gender identity under a bill that a state lawmaker filed Friday.
Louisville Courier-Journal
 
Legislation raising the legal age to buy or possess tobacco, alternative nicotine, or vapor products to 21 won Kentucky Senate approval Thursday. The measure, which falls in line with newly enacted federal law, moves on the House.
WEKU
 
A Taylorsville state lawmaker is working to have Kentucky's contractual arrangement with two Alabama universities for veterinary education written into law. Currently, reference to the 38 slots at Auburn and 3 at Tuskegee is found only within state budget language.
WEKU
 
Kentucky lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban gender reassignment surgery and medications for minors.
WDRB
 
House Bill 204 would prohibit registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a publicly leased playground. Sex offenders would also not be allowed to enter a playground without written permission from whoever is in charge of the playground.
WDRB
 
The bill designates "domestic cats and dogs that reside in or have been adopted from Kentucky animal shelters or rescue organizations" as the state's official pet.
WHAS TV
 
Tired of gaining hours and losing hours thanks to Daylight Saving Time? So are some Kentucky lawmakers. Their attempt to do away with the semi-annual switch, however, faces major legal hurdles.
WUKY
 
The Senate Standing Committee on Veteran and Military Affairs and Public Protection unanimously approved Senate Bill 9 sponsored by Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Crofton. The legislation requires a medical professional to provide medically appropriate care to an infant if they are born alive after an attempted abortion or any other type of live birth situation.
Spectrum News
 
Senate Republicans wasted no time passing one of their highest priority bills of the 2020 legislative session on Thursday, easily approving a bill requiring Kentuckians to show government-issued photo identification in order to vote.
Louisville Courier-Journal
 
Amid last year's fight over net-metering legislation, a lobbyist working on behalf of utilities asked the regulatory agency that oversees utilities to weigh-in with a letter to lawmakers.
WFPL
 
Senate Bill 8 - sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, a Campbellsville Republican and the committee's chairman - passed on a unanimous vote. If it becomes law, SB 8 would render moot the divisive debate among Jefferson County Board of Education members about whether officers in Kentucky's largest school district will carry handguns while on duty.
WDRB
 
The Kentucky House approved a bill Wednesday that would exempt direct sellers from certain Kentucky employment laws. Direct sellers are people who buy products from a manufacturer and then sell them directly to other people.
Spectrum News
 
After receiving criticism that he called "painful," a state senator Tuesday withdrew his controversial bill that would allow police to stop people to demand identification if police think they might be about to commit a crime. After receiving criticism that he called "painful," a state senator Tuesday withdrew his controversial bill that would allow police to stop people to demand identification if police think they might be about to commit a crime.
Lexington Herald-Leader
 
All Kentucky students, from kindergartners to high school seniors, would receive comprehensive sex education under a new bill filed Tuesday.
Louisville Courier-Journal
 
The sponsors of a Kentucky voter ID bill have made changes to the proposal, no longer strictly requiring a photo ID in order to cast a ballot in elections.
WKYU
 
The University of Louisville's request for a special, $35 million appropriation from state government to ease its takeover of the money-losing KentuckyOne Health system took a step forward on Tuesday.
WDRB
 
Legislation to allow state employees paid leave to donate a live organ is expected to get a vote in the Kentucky House this week. Testifying on behalf of the measure last week was Beth Burbridge who donated a kidney to a 25 year old who lived in her neighborhood. Legislation to allow state employees paid leave to donate a live organ is expected to get a vote in the Kentucky House this week. Testifying on behalf of the measure last week was Beth Burbridge who donated a kidney to a 25 year old
WEKU
 
A nursing home for military veterans in Bowling Green - which has been talked about for nearly a decade and has been on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs list of priority projects for nearly five years - might soon take a big step forward.
Bowling Green Daily News
Questions or comments may be directed to Legislative Chair Eric Steva, AIA, Lobbyist Greg Brotzge or Executive Director, Kelly Ives.
 
Kelly E. Ives, AIA
Executive Director
AIA Kentucky
(859) 223-8201
In This Issue
 

 

 

 

 

AIA Kentucky Government Affairs Committee
The AIA Kentucky Government Affairs Committee reviews, provides feedback, and recommends positions on pending legislation. 

Eric Steva, AIA is the AIA Kentucky Government Affairs Committee chair. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact AIA Kentucky Executive Director Kelly Ives, AIA at 859-221-0154. Any AIA Kentucky member in good standing is eligible to serve.
 

KSA Political Action Committee

The importance of our participation in the political process becomes more and more evident each time we must take action to cope with legislative proposals that have the potential to negatively impact our profession. 

You can join many of your fellow members who have already contributed by making a donation of any amount that you are comfortable with. Visit our KSAPAC website to donate online and find out more about how you can lend your support!

HIGHLIGHTS 
2019 Legislative
Breakfast  




HIGHLIGHTS 
2019 Legislative 
Shadow Day