I want to share with you a few of the many groups that came to meet with me in the Capitol and advocate on any number of issues.  Let me urge you to begin NOW, educating and organizing your community about whatever issues YOU are passionate about!  My crystal ball sees a Special Session in our near future; followed by a full session beginning less than one year from now, so there will be plenty of time to put your newly acquired skills to the test.

So, NOW is the time for preparing, training, mobilizing, and GETTING INVOLVED. . . like these folk are:

A textbook case of citizen lobbying played out over the week.  In West Kentucky, an aluminum smelter is in a dispute with a power company. The General Assembly has been placed smack in the middle of it.  Without an agreement to purchase electricity on the open market and at a lower price, the smelting operations will cease in August.  The power company sells 60% of its output to these aluminum operations, but at a price significantly higher than the open market price. Scores of bright yellow t-shirted men and women roamed the halls daily–effectively arguing for us to support jobs, families, livelihoods, etc. in West Kentucky. It was an admirable sight to behold and I enjoyed numerous meetings with them.

Please let me know if your organization is in need of a “LOBBYING 101” class.

LEGISLATIVE  HAPPENINGS:  A number of key bills were addressed this week that I am happy to report on!

·         Restoration of Voting Rights:  HB 70 will allow a vote on a constitutional amendment to allow for automatic restoration of the right to vote for most, but not all, of the 234,000 felons in the state.

·         Collection of DNA:  HB 73 will allow DNA collection into law enforcement databases for all felony cases. The sample can help prove innocence or guilt.  Similar laws have been enacted in 26 other states.

·         Domestic Violence Orders: HB 9 will now make these orders applicable to victims in dating situations.

·         Economic Development Incentives:  HB 242 requires a searchable database be kept which will detail the costs and benefits, as well as if we are getting any bang for YOUR bucks. . .

·         Background Checks:  HB 73 will increase safety for vulnerable adults at long term care facilities and their families thanks to a $1M dollar federal grant to pay for employee background checks thru May 2014.

·         All totaled, 457 House bills have been filed along with 216 Senate bills. To date, the House has passed 72 bills and sent them to the Senate.  No wonder this feels like a Regular Session.

You MIGHT have heard of these issues:  SB 2 adopts the task force recommendations on PENSION REFORM. Problem is, SB 2 has no funding mechanism. The Senate does not have a plan for paying for what could be a $100M hole in the General Fund!!  We are considering a variety of funding options. . .  TAX REFORM–Now that the blue-ribbon commission report has been issued, what does the Governor want to do about it? We await directions from our fearless leader as to what steps he wants to take to implement the recommendations.

HEMP–The Senate passed SB 50, saying it puts KY at the head of the line if the Feds lift prohibitions. Opponents say there is no proven market and that it will hinder cannabis eradication efforts.

Charter Schools:  A cry for Charter Schools legislation continues to be lifted. . . well, maybe it’s more like a low moan.  Either way, proponents really hurt themselves this week when one of their champions bemoaned the missing legislation and pointed to JCPS as being an example of why Charters should be allowed.  In railing against what he considers to be a failed system, the gentleman called one of our high schools a “drop-out factory.”  His diatribe prompted several of us to point out JCPS has any number of outstanding, nationally recognized schools; record scholarship recipients;  10,000 homeless students and students facing many issues that impact on learning.  We also pointed out his segregation of children into “those” and “your” was totally inappropriate–that ALL students in the Commonwealth are OUR children!   I wonder if those were his true feelings, however.

If proponents of Charter Schools are truly concerned about having a realistic chance of getting their ideas across, railing against JCPS,  isolating Jefferson County legislators and classifying our children as if some belong and others do not belong–these would not be my first choices as a strategy. . . That message may or may not have been lost on a group of supporting ministers who stopped by to visit.  They assured Speaker Stumbo and me that if they were given support to start educational programs, things will change.  Well, clearly some things have not…

CONTACT ME:  I encourage you to contact me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at 702 Capitol Avenue, Capitol Annex Room 329-C, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601.  I’m on FACEBOOK at http://www.facebook.com and online at http://reginaldmeeks.com. To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll-free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305.

The week was an absolute blur . . . hallways were a dazzling swirl of color–signs and buttons supporting or opposing one issue or another.  Group after group held indoor or outdoor rallies at the Capitol while staff in the Annex worked overtime to find rooms to seat overflow crowds for committee meetings.  Democracy was in overdrive as bright yellow-shirted workers from Western Kentucky blended with green and blue-shirted AFSCME union members–all looking to put the squeeze on yours truly!  I love it!!

It is not uncommon for our committee meetings to overlap, or even to be scheduled at the same time.  There are just so many meeting rooms, and only just so much time.  Consequently, members are constantly running in and out of meetings, especially when you’ve got a bill being heard at the same time one of your committees is meeting.  Take my Thursday schedule for example:  8 a.m. Education Committee; 8:30 Natural Resources; then four scheduled appointments with constituents and nonprofit groups, plus two “Oh, I’m just dropping by and need two minutes” meetings; a 10 a.m. Postsecondary Ed committee meeting; at noon it was a Licensing and Occupations meeting while I had a bill being heard in State Government at the same time; this followed by two scheduled appointments before the House convened at 2:00 p.m. in Regular Session.  But, hey, there are lots of receptions and free foods after work, so . . .

Also dominating our world this week was President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address.  Unlike most, this one provided us the picture and the pathway for meeting a remarkable set of challenges laid out for the nation.

The foundation for President Obama’s call to reignite the engine of economic growth is making the country a magnet for jobs and manufacturing and equipping each individual with the skills needed to do those jobs.  Investments in manufacturing, clean energy, infrastructure, and education grow the economy from the middle class out.  When combined with balanced deficit reduction, none of these proposals add to the deficit, the President says. We pay as we go.  Kentuckians should like the sound of that!

Initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing support entrepreneurs and small business owners–expanding and creating new jobs by rewarding companies that hire here at home; training U.S. workers for high-tech manufacturing jobs; and stabilizing prices, small and growing businesses can better predict costs and expenses and are more likely to expand, hire, and take on risks.

President Obama also laid out a vision for benefitting children, youth, and working families.  In addition to helping businesses expand and fixing our roads, bridges and other infrastructure, raising the minimum wage also supports business growth and puts people to work and money in the hands of working families which provides them with the means to better provide for themselves.

The challenge to make preschool available to every child; to make affordability and value both factors in determining which schools can receive certain types of federal aid; raising the minimum wage to $9/hr.; and common sense reform, like background checks that work to make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun, were ideas left for us to achieve.

On that point, I have introduced HCR 46 which requests the creation of the Kentucky Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.  Composed of key public and private sector interests – from the NRA to the FBI, local and state officials, mental health and medical professionals, private gun owners, the public-at-large, and from Sheriffs’ and Police Chief’s associations – the group would examine and make recommendations on a number of issues facing rural and urban communities throughout the state.  Our collective plates are filled with the President’s challenge to restimulate the manufacturing power of the nation, grow the middle class, and steer a course for responsible growth and development.

Other House Action:  HB 224 was passed to help address the dropout issues where we lose 6,000–6,500 students yearly.  It raises the dropout age to 18 by 2017.  Also, critical to our quality of life in the 42nd District, HB 310 was passed out of committee.  The bill will prevent liquor and wine from being sold in up to 600 new outlets across the state; especially where teenagers work and shop unsupervised.  HB 3 addresses the fast- growing crime of human trafficking in the state.  It primarily targets individuals who exploit children by increasing penalties and prison sentences; and provides better training for victims, advocates, and law enforcement to recognize signs of human and child trafficking so action can be taken more quickly to protect the victim.  My granddaughter is going to absolutely LOVE House Bill 282. It increases children’s height requirements for booster seats  (told you . . . and it took sooo long to be able sit up front with me WITHOUT a seat)!  Currently, children must use booster seats until they reach 50 inches in height or the age of seven.  The new law would require booster seats for children less than nine years old and between 40 and 57 inches in height.  Requiring older children to use booster seats should significantly decrease child vehicular fatalities in the future.

Shouts go out to the Center for NonProfit Excellence, to the Blackacre State Nature Preserve, and to the wonderful young men and women of PACT – who remind us that February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month!  These are a few of the many visitors and private meetings held in office this week.    I always learn something new about the many good people doing good works in and around Jefferson County and come to appreciate each of you more.  Thank you for visiting!

CONTACT ME:   I encourage you to contact me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at Rm. 329C, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.  I’m on FACEBOOK at http://www.facebook.com and on-line at http://reginaldmeeks.com.  To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll-free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305.

Reginald

“The greatest gift is not being afraid to question.” – Ruby Dee

It’s back to work with a vengeance for House and Senate members.  And though we are facing any number of significant mountains ahead, there’s a palpable feeling among the members that we really can make this short session worthy of your hard-earned tax dollars.  There is a different feeling developing with regard to House–Senate relations, and Senate President Robert Stivers is not shy to say it’s a new day in that Chamber.  One can only hope he means what he says.

INTERN:  Welcome William Glenn, a senior at Kentucky State University.  Mr. Glenn is an active duty Reservist; husband; father; Frankfort resident; and owner of a small, independent business.  I continue to appreciate the vast reservoir of talent and creativity that our young students represent!  Remember, when you speak with Mr. Glenn, you are speaking with me; so please get to know this fine, young man and welcome William Glenn to your 42nd District Office.

GOVERNOR’S STATE OF THE COMMONWEALTH ADDRESS:

By now, you have heard or read about Governor Steve Beshear’s annual address to the Commonwealth.   (See: http://www.ket.org/legislature/ )When he met with our Caucus prior to the speech, several points were stressed:

·         Pension  and Tax Reform — preferably as a packaged deal covering spending  AND revenue

·         A Health Exchange implemented and run by Kentuckians and NOT the federal government

·         Expanding Medicaid with federal dollars and limiting our need to fully fund it until 2020

·         Graduation Bill to support students remaining in school until age 18

·         A Child Safety package including booster seats, human trafficking, texting, etc.

·         Possibly a Gaming bill originating in the Senate

The Governor did not mention Redistricting to us, however, . . . and this is likely to be a point of difference with the House.  There is no doubt whatsoever; House members believe we can and should complete drawing new District lines WHILE WE ARE IN REGULAR SESSION.

COMMITTEE ACTION THIS WEEK:

I informed you last week that I am now a member of the Judiciary Committee.  I am proud to say my very first vote as a committee member supported Rep. Darryl Owens’ Expungement Bill, HB 47.  The bill allows for the expungement of low level felony records under certain circumstances.  Where there are no prior felony convictions, no prior misdemeanor or offenses other than traffic violations in the past five years; no current prosecutions and if the person has paid any and all restitution, court costs, etc, the bill allows felons who have had their records expunged to vote and to carry a firearm under existing law.

Our A & R Committee heard the report of Governor Beshear’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform. The extensive report looked at and made recommendations in several areas including:

Individual  Income Tax:

·         Reducing the rate and enacting an Earned Income Tax Credit

·         Capping itemized deductions

Corporate Income Tax:

·         Equalizing the corporate and the individual income tax rate at 5.8 percent

·         Establishing an angel investor tax credit program

Sales and Excise Tax:

·          Broadening the sales tax to select services

·         Increasing collection of remote location and internet sales

·         Increasing the cigarette tax to $1

Property Taxes:

·         Freezing  the state rate at 12 cents per $100 of value

·         Exempting inventory

Other Taxes:

·         Begin every 5 years a review of all tax incentives and expenditures

·         Pari-mutuel tax on advance deposit wagers on live races in Kentucky

Road Fund Taxes:

·         Raise the floor of the average wholesale price for fuel taxes

·         Begin trade-in credit for new car purchases

Pension Reform legislation was passed out of the Senate this week and is now headed this way.  I suspect we will have discussion on this early next week. The House State Government Committee will be the focal point of these discussions.  That committee oversaw the state Kentucky Public Pensions Task Force and the 2012 study of the pension system — more as this story develops.

Black History Month Program Report – Another outstanding program in the Capitol Rotunda sponsored by our Legislative Black Caucus honored Dr. Blaine Hudson and Wilbur Hackett.  Dr. Gerald Smith (UK) delivered the keynote on the African American athlete in Kentucky.  Additionally, Dr. Hudson was posthumously added to the Human Rights Commission Gallery of Great Black Kentuckians.  Thanks to KBC-LEO and AKA sorority, the Governor, Senate President Stivers, Speaker Stumbo, Justices, and all the House and Senate members who joined us!

CONTACT  ME:   Call me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at Rm. 329C, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.  I’m also on FACEBOOK, so hit me up there or on-line at Reginald.Meeks@lrc.ky.gov or at http://reginaldmeeks.com. To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll-free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305

REGINALD

Now I admit the year did begin on a particularly bitter note.  Our longtime friend and former colleague  E. Porter Hatcher has passed over to the other side,  along with J. Blaine Hudson, former Dean,  Department Chair, and author.  Both were remembered in official expressions of condolences by the House of Representatives.

And, yes, the politics of the new year also started with a sour face – what with the decidedly disparate messaging  on the meaning of the Presidential election results;  the refusal to allow highly  qualified Presidential nominees to go forward without unnecessary acrimony;  not agreeing  to move any national legislative agenda forward; not bringing people around a table to work toward meaningful compromise;   not providing needed hurricane disaster relief;  and not admitting the billions of dollars that flowed into media coffers and pollsters and consultant’s pockets  might have been better spent actually solving something.  . . .

All this frenzy of uncertainty culminated in that Fiscal Cliff Slide dance-craze consuming us every waking hour in the news.  But, it’s all good.  It’s gonna be mo’ better.

There’s a real sense that change in Senate Leadership just might lead to change in how the two chambers work together.  Leadership races on the House side have lead to Rep. Sannie Overly being the first lady elected to a House leadership post in the state’s history. (Senate Repubs elected a woman to serve in leadership many years ago.)   Other House leadership races sent  the clear message that members want something different from the status quo.  House Dems seem happy to have minimized the damage from November’s results.  Governor Steve Beshear became an active player again, with both the Party and House Dems, by helping to raise money and supporting  candidates.

I’ll share one particularly poigniant election result.  I believe it reveals an important  lesson for us all.

Now former Rep. Teddy Edmonds, a gentleman in every respect, represented three Eastern Kentucky counties.   Although he wanted to, he would never vote for two bills I’ve been working forever to pass.  He told me his newspaper editor was against them and would be all over him if ever he voted for my bills. So he never did.  Rep. Edmonds lost in the November election.  Turns out his newspaper didn’t help save his seat anyway.  I am saddened because I know in his heart, Rep. Edmonds knew supporting the issues my bills addressed was the right thing to do, but he didn’t . . . and now he can’t.  DO GOOD WHEN YOU CAN, WHILE YOU CAN.  I hope we remember.

Doing good won’t always be easy. There are significant challenges ahead for the General Assembly.  For our Dem’s, stabilizing ourselves remains one of the biggest  challenges we face.  Clearly, the members recognize the need for doing something different.  Kentucky remains the final southern state with a Democrat power base and this fact has not gone unrecognized by our friends on the other side of the aisle. We have what may be a last opportunity to retain that base, and to do so within a system of sound public policy.

Additionally, pension reform, revising the state’s tax structure, maintaining a focus on improving K-12 education, finding money to pay for needed alcohol and drug treatment and prevention programs, determining how to address the charter schools question – all these issues  remain on the table.   I am optimistic that with the proper alignment of mutual interests and cooperation between the House and the Senate- -and with continued public scrutiny and pressure on both chambers, an engaged Governor, and without imposed distractions from Washington- -this could be a session that harkens back to a time when public policy and “statespersonship” trumps partisanship and one-ups-manship.  Certainly we are capable of raising all of the Commonwealth’s ships. Will we?

Political      Committee Assignments:  Without a doubt, having key committee assignments influences one’s ability to represent their districts and interests.  I am pleased to continue service on several key committees whose work benefits both our 42nd District, and Jefferson County.   My current committee assignments include those I have been serving on for several years:  Appropriations & Revenue;   Education;  Vice Chair, Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education; Vice Chair,  Licensing & Occupations; and Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.  In addition, my request for a NEW COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT was granted and I have been appointed to the JUDICIARY Committee.

42nd District Survey:  Many thanks to you who have returned my survey which asked you to help me identify issues and positions on issues that are important to you and to your families. If you have not returned yours, please do so ASAP.  Results are being tabulated and will be revealed in the near future.

CONTACT:  I encourage you to call me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at Rm. 329C, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.  I’m on FACEBOOK at http://www.facebook.com and online at http://reginaldmeeks.com.  To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll-free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305.

Home heating costs can be a large expense for families in the winter, so the Louisville Metro Community Action Partnership (CAP) will begin accepting pre-registration heating assistance applications on Monday, October 1, 2012. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides financial assistance to help income eligible citizens pay utility bills.

Pre-registration is only for Jefferson County residents within 130% of the federal poverty level who are on a fixed income and elderly (55 years or older) or disabled receiving social security, SSI, pension or Black Lung benefits. Applicants must be willing to provide the following documentation:

• Picture ID for head of household
• Proof of all household income for the preceding month (food stamp award letter, pay stubs, etc.). All individuals 18 or over in the household with no income must have a Proof of No Income form completed prior to applying for benefits. (Available at the CAP office at 810 Barret or at http://www.louisvilleky.gov/CSR/Community+Services/LIHEAP.htm)
• Social Security card(s) or official documentation with social security numbers or Permanent Resident Card Numbers for everyone living in the household.
• Most recent heating bill or verification from landlord that heating expenses are included in the rent (i.e. lease agreements).

Residents who meet the early registration requirements may apply at the following locations:

-Mon., Oct. 15

Shelby Park Community Center, 600 East Oak St., Lou., KY 40203, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

-Tues., Oct. 16

Parkhill Community Center, 1703 South 13th St., Lou., KY 40210, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

-Wed., Oct. 17

Oak & Acorn, 631 South 28th St., Lou., KY 40211, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

-Thurs., Oct. 18

Beechmont Community Center, 205 West Wellington Ave., Lou., KY 40214, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

-Fri., Oct 19

Allgeier Community Center, 4104 Cadillac Ct., Lou., KY 40213, 8:30 10:30 a.m.

-Mon., Oct. 22

Presbyterian Community Center, 701 South Hancock, Lou., KY 40203, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

-Tues., Oct. 23

Jeffersontown Community Center, 10617 Taylorsville Rd., Lou., KY 40299, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

-Wed., Oct. 24

Shawnee Arts & Cultural Center, 2911 Taylor Blvd., Lou., KY 40208, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

-Thurs., Oct. 25

South Louisville Community Center, 2911 Taylor Blvd., Lou., KY 40208, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Funds for this program will be posted on or after November 5, 2012.

Residents who don’t meet the requirements for pre-registration (who are not elderly or disabled) may still apply for LIHEAP benefits. They may obtain an appointment to apply for LIHEAP, in person only, on October 31 and November 1 at the Central CAP Office located at the Urban Government Center, 810 Barret Avenue between 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and at the same location on November 2 between 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. All three CAP offices will begin taking appointments on November 5th, weekdays between 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (except for Fridays at the Newburg site).

Individuals who are unable to apply for this program in person may send a representative on their behalf. Simply provide the representative with a hand-written note, dated and signed from the applicant, giving them permission to handle their application for services. The representative will also need to provide their photo ID matching the name specified on the applicant’s note, along with the applicant’s photo ID, as well as the required documentation above that is required to apply for the services/programs.

LIHEAP is made possible by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. This program is also funded, in part, under a contract with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services with funds from the Community Services Block Grant Act of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information about CAP, visit our website at www.louisvilleky.gov/cap or call CAP at 574-1157 (TDD available at MetroCALL – 574-5000) or Community Action Kentucky at 1-800-456-3452

It may be due to the fact that so many of us grow up in small towns.  We like our communities in small bite sizes.  We are known for the number of our people who choose to stay close to home, sometimes only rarely leaving their home county.  It happens in cities, too. Growing up, we rarely had to leave our home neighborhood.  We could shop, go to school, get our haircut and even go to the public library right there, nice and close to home.  Kentuckians relate to each other as much by high school as we do by holler.  All this makes it easy to think small.  And we legislators are good at doing that.

And we don’t easily let by-gones be by-gones either.  I mean, rivalries and disputes can go on and on for generations.  Literally – prompting more than one cartoon, newspaper or TV production of the Hatfield & McCoy feud to paint a picture of Kentucky for the rest of the country to forever believe to be the real Kentucky.  You know that picture…

Indeed, some of whom I must assume are among our finest citizens are still fighting the Civil War.  I recently picked up bumper stickers at a flea market proclaiming, “The South Will Rise Again”; “Ole Times Are Not Forgotten” and “The Truth About Our Flag Being Maliciously Slandered Will Be Told”.  We like our past to hang on like a tick.

We’re a tenacious lot, if anything.  It’s just that the older I get, the richer the words of Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler become.  Whether it be the Christian Laitner shot that STILL shocks the senses of full grown Cats fans (causing complaints about UPS logistics ads last month of all things!) or it’s the result from some past election, we keep our virus’s alive in Petri dishes we carry around like badges of courage – then desperately search for something, or someone, to blame for the disease.

This Special Session is also a result of ongoing conflict.  You know that story.  Let’s just hope we won’t be back for yet another one next week!  At some point the public, members of the General Assembly, the media – and even Leadership itself is going to have to say, “Enough is enough”.

The caboose is loose and the train has skidded far enough off the track — let’s see about reconnecting it.  Speaking of transportation…

SO, HERE’S WHERE YOUR BUTTER GETS CHURNED:

The words of House Repub leader, Jeff Hoover – whatever his political motivations were – are instructive.  There are processes in place to provide for reasoned debate, and the amicable flow of business up here.  And many of them are NOT being followed.  His specific complaint:  projects were added to the “Road Bill” by Conference Committee members (mostly leadership) outside the purview of the public and outside the process the rest of us have to abide by.  That is not the only complaint about the Transportation funding bill.

Rep. Jim Wayne and I questioned info – known to the Transportation Cabinet Secretary – involving the prospect of future tolling of the Sherman-Minton Bridge.  A report shows that in 2031, there is a sudden jump in revenue for the Ohio River Bridges Project – a project that will be tolled.  It was that revenue spike in 2013 that caused our Q:  Is there a potential at some point of tolling Sherman-Minton?  The Cabinet’s response was contradictory. Once again, as policy makers we found ourselves being told, “Trust Me” by the Cabinet.  Boys and girls, I assure you,any criticism you may have of a government that says, trust me pales in comparison to the cynicism of us Doubting Thomas’ IN government!  We are asked to rely on that stale tune, make sound public policy decisions based on it, and then come home and face a critical public!   In an election year when it’s all about winning your upcoming election, there’s little wonder why most legislators are not willing to take tough votes – and little wonder why road projects that bring home the bacon are slipped into budgets…

Everyone knows there are more road projects than available funding.  But there’s this entire system of systems within Transportation that simply plays havoc with any objective sense of what is sound public transportation policy — unless, of course, you are one of those donor counties that receives much more from Frankfort than you provide. Take for example, the formula for allocating gasoline tax dollars among Kentucky counties. It needs reformulating! Counties with the largest population and the most miles driven on their roads often receive less funding under the current plan than counties with many factors of fewer cars, population and miles driven.  It’s an antiquated model that hasn’t been changed since, well, since the day when counties were responsible for building their own turnpikes and tolls for horse and buggy usage were collected to pay for them!  Point is, it’s been a long while…and this change is long overdue.

And there’s that matter Rep. Hoover brought up.  Road projects appearing out of the blue in the Transportation budget.  In my view, the Governor was right to hold firm his right to veto these projects.  If his decisions were based on politics – and I don’t believe they were — the Governor surely was on sound footing for making them!  Just a cursory comparison of proposed funding in a few select counties with the rest of the state – or just with Jefferson County – reveals the political nature of those projects.   That so many of the projects were proposed in the districts of House and Senate leaders is revealing.   Importantly, the Governor and the House stood united in agreement that the Governor should have this power.

This much maligned Special Session could end with a whimper and the Senate reduced to making symbolic gestures of defiance in the shadow of a veto proof transportation budget.

CONTACT  ME:   Call me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at Rm. 329C, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.  I’m also on FACEBOOK so hit me up there or online at Reginald.Meeks@lrc.ky.gov or at http://reginaldmeeks.com. To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll – free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305

Most people these days seem to be focused on winning and losing.  Many actually believe the inevitability of a Big Blue championship; the only real issue being the margin of victory. Following this line of irrationality, why even play the game?  Just hand out the trophies, sign over the coaching bonuses and let the dreads on the losing side get by the best they can.  It’s the ultimate Bluegrass Zero Sum game.  But plans to lay others low likely as not end up biting you in the trunk.  Ask Duke or Syracuse, Michigan State — or any number of known and lesser known political candidates.

Nothing on this court of life is promised.  Not winning.  Not losing. There may be better players than you. There may even be a better team on the court facing you.  But nothing is promised – them to win, nor you to lose.  Even when you can’t beat them, refuse to lose to them…. That’s why they play the game;  your very best game.  In the emphatic words of Coach Valvano, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up!”

Budget conferees didn’t give up.  When negotiations stretched into the early hours of the morning, they did not give up.  The job you sent us here to do – pass a budget – will be completed today.  Many compromises will have been made.  Cuts will be confirmed.  Leadership will get their usual road and other projects that few os us regular Joe’s receive.

I suspect most  of us found real and quantifiable good in the budget.  Some will hold their noses and vote for it.  Others took a pass. Despite having only a few hours to review and compare and study, it is done.

It’s  important to note that for the first time since 2006, the General Assembly  passed a state budget without having to rely on a Special Session.  That’s good.  But don’t go getting all warm and fuzzy.  There’s a game this weekend, and, frankly, this notion of us working together very long is about like expecting Cats fans to cheer for the Louisville Cardinals on Monday night!   LOL!

SO, HERE’S WHERE YOUR BUTTER GETS CHURNED:

There’s too much to include in one weekly update, but I’d like to focus on a few key areas. You should know our state budget is  $19.2 Billion.  While modest growth is projected to continue over the next 2 years, rising costs, the ending of federal stimulus funding and the previous use of one-time funds account for the need for deep cuts that we made.

State borrowing is at the lowest levels in years.  Authorized debt is $391 M.  This is $580 M less than the Governor authorized and results in a debt ratio of 6.5%.  The proposed debt ratio would have been 7.1%.  The structural imbalance of the state is cut in half. None of this is where we want to be, but it’s a significant improvement in the right direction.

The Budget Reserve Trust Fund [i.e. Rainy Day Fund] is $ 72.7 M.  These are our emergency funds and goodness knows we have needed them.  As savings accrue and the state’s economy continues to grow, both the Senate and the House acknowledge this to be an important feature of this budget.

Concerning the Department of Education, base funding for schools remains intact.  Both the Statewide IT Academy and KET are funded.  Also the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers; Extended School Services; Gifted and Talented program; the Community Education program and funding for Read to Achieve and KEES and other financial assistance sources are funded. SEEK formula is maintained at the current level.  The Governor Scholars program is funded in each of the fiscal years; $64 K is added in each year for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing above that provided by the Governor and the Office for the Blind receives an additional $50 K in each year above what would have been provided.

Medicaid is not cut and savings from last year’s reform amounts to more than $300 M. Nearly $20 M is added to boost substance abuse services and $6 M is added to help Kentuckians with mental illness.

The KASPER system will get about $4.2 M to better track and prevent prescription drug abuse. $9 M will go to counties to help with their jail costs.

Thankfully, with House Leadership and public pressure, assistance for indigent healthcare in Louisville will be maintained. Also, the State Fair Board will get $5.5 M to cover deficits at the YUM Center.

WE HAVE YET TO PASS THE TRANSPORTATION BUDGET.  And HB 4 remains in the Senate because of what appeared to be a “CATS fight” that broke out among some of our friends in that Chamber… ☺

For the second year in a row, there are no new raises for state workers.   Also no COLA for retirees.

Question of the Week – When the Cards win, will the sun come up on Sunday morning??

CONTACT ME:   Call me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at Rm. 329C, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.  I’m also on FACEBOOK so hit me up there or online at Reginald.Meeks@lrc.ky.gov or at http://reginaldmeeks.com. To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll – free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about this week.  Normally I have pieces of info or partial thoughts or ideas set aside to revisit when I finally do sit down to write.  Not so this week.  I had not a clue.  Not a clue, that is, until our Caucus meeting yesterday.

For the past 3 weeks, there’s been a sort of détente around here.  Members have seen a horrible swath of natural disasters cross districts lines from one end of the state to the other.  We came together and raised over $25K just from our staff and House members for relief efforts.  We collected over seventeen hundred t-shirts for the kids of Scholar House students.  A growing number of Senate bills have been flowing through House committees and even some House bills have come out of the Senate.  The weather’s been warm and beautiful — so what’s the problem?   As I said….

I didn’t know what to write until our Caucus met.  There, we learned the Senate was going to pass their version of the budget bill.  We were warned while there may not be a great deal of movement of dollars [there’s just only so much marrow in a bone to move around] THERE COULD BE LANGUAGE CHANGES that could have significant impacts…   If you can’t mess with the dollars, mess with how those dollars can be spent!   I knew I had my fodder.

So here’s what happening.  Next week should be interesting.  Budget sub-committee chairs, members and staff will be pouring over the Senate budget with fine toothed combs this weekend.  We’ll be looking for any language that changes how we believe your tax dollars should be spent.   This is work that one simply has to grind your way through.  It’s not pretty, and the budget document is long, but this is absolutely necessary. It could also spell the end of this warm and fuzzy period between the members, and the chambers.

A Conference Committee is already appointed and ready to start resolving any conflicts found between the House and Senate versions.  Any compromise between the two versions of the budget must be agreed upon within the next few days and returned to both chambers for approval.  Our 2012 session will come to a close on April 12th after the Governor has exercised a 10 day period that allows him to either sign bills into law or veto them.  The end of our session could go out like a lamb – or a lion. With the weather we’ve been having, who knows?   We’ll just have to keep our eyes open, watch carefully and read every detail.

SO, HERE’S WHERE YOUR BUTTER GETS CHURNED:

A very decent proposal to aid our immigrant communities was passed this week. HB 183 cleared the full House by a vote of 84-8 on Monday and will allow —but not require—local school districts to enroll refugees and legal resident aliens in their high schools, even if the students would be over 21 years of age by the time they receive their diploma. Current law allows students to attend public school until they reach age 21.  This will help place more immigrees in better positions to be contributing taxpayers with access to higher paying jobs.

SB 89 was sent to the governor after passing the House on Tuesday. It was filed in response to a 2010 crash on I-65 near Munfordville that killed 10 members of a Mennonite family who were riding in a 15-seat van when it collided with a tractor trailer. Reports indicated that most of the van’s passengers were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Current state law only requires seat belt use in vans designed to carry 10 or fewer people.  This is expanded to include 15-seat vans.

HB 165 cleared the House and is sent to the Senate. It will offer a refund on sales and use tax paid on materials used to rebuild in storm-ravaged counties that are declared to be federal disaster areas.  And it reaches out to school districts and their staff in those disaster areas by allowing the state’s education commissioner to waive up to 10 instructional days missed as a result of the storms. The “disaster” declaration would preserve schools’ state funding, while ensuring that all school personnel receive salary, wages and benefits for those days.

A statewide “Blue Alert” system to help law enforcement apprehend someone suspected of killing, wounding or abducting a law enforcement officer cleared the House Transportation Committee this week. The system will broadcast identifying information similar to that sent out under the Amber Alert system now in place for missing children. Blue Alerts would be issued only upon request of a law enforcement agency after it is determined that an officer has been killed, injured, or is missing.

An important ABA study from 1976 – 2010 found  a nearly 60% error rate in death penalty cases!  Of the 98 death penalty cases examined, 50 were overturned. HCR 173 calls for the creation of the Kentucky Death Penalty Reform Implementation Task Force to develop a strategy to implement recommended reforms in these cases.

Protection from domestic abuse was extended to include people who are dating.  The bill would only apply to those dating couples who are 18 years of age or older.

Question of the Week – What issue have we not addressed that you feel the General Assembly should address during this legislative session?

CONTACT ME: Call me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at Rm. 329C, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.  I’m also on FACEBOOK so hit me up there or online at Reginald.Meeks@lrc.ky.gov or at http://reginaldmeeks.com. To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll – free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305

I know its b’ball madness all over again — and there’ll be more than enough wolf tickets bought and sold to make the Girl Scouts turn Irish greenwith envy, so let me all my two cents in up front.  So what’s up with the NCAA seedings?  Portland, Oregon. Really?!  Let’s see. I believe it was San Antonio  in ’11 and Houston in ’10.  You get the picture.  And if that isn’t enough….

What’s up with this report??   Duke University   was the only NCAA tournament team to outspend the University of Louisville  and University of Kentucky   basketball programs during the 2010-11 season!?

According to an analysis of Equality in Athletics data from the U.S. Department of Education, Duke, UofL and Kentucky — along with Marquette University in Milwaukee — were the only programs among all those making this year’s NCAA basketball tournament that spent more than $10 million for the season.   They outspent every other school in the tourney!

Hmmmm…. $10 M?    I’ll put a pin in that one for now so as not to upset your basketball “sensibilities”…

Speaking of which – let’s see… UK – played in Louisville. WKU played in Louisville.  Murray State played in Louisville — SO WT IS LOUISVILLE DOING PLAYING WAY OUT IN OREGON, of all places??

 [You’d think that after spending all that money on basketball…]

And why do two Kentucky teams seem to regularly be paired up so one gets bounced  early in the tourney?

And can someone answer how it is that WKU only got 1,000 tickets for their YUM Center fans, anyway?

As a state, we may be at the bottom of the barrel in most areas, and we may have a few issues that we need to focus on and fix.  We might even be 20 years behind the rest of the country in everything else, but when it comes to Madness –at least in March, we can show ‘em they got NOTHING on us!

GO CARDS!!    GO RACERS!!   ….and even widdle PUDDYCATS!!!

WKU, you’ve made us proud!

SO, HERE’S WHERE YOUR BUTTER GETS CHURNED:

The Senate is burning the midnight oil – painstakingly pouring over each and every budget page – meeting day and night to account for every penn….what?    You’re not buying this?  Ahhh, that business about not working on Fridays, surely it must be – oh, Monday’s too?  I, eh, I didn’t know. Surely they must be doing something!  After all, we continue to send bills over there almost daily… I’m sure somebody’s keeping up with all the bills they are hearing…and passing….and sending on to the Governor…

This week, we tackled a growing synthetic-drug problem that has re-emerged all across the Commonwealth:  synthetic drugs including so-called “bath salts” and synthetic marijuana found in convenience stores and head shops.   This is a fascinating snapshot of just how quickly illegal drug manufacturers respond to new challenges.  A 2011 law we passed banned specific compounds of synthetic drugs. Underground manufacturers got around the law by altering a drug’s ingredients just enough to create new, technically legal ones.  HB 481 fixes that loophole by banning entire classes, not just compounds, of synthetic drugs.   It also extends seizure and forfeiture laws to retailers who sell these drugs; makes selling them a felony crime for second and subsequent offenses, and makes simple possession a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to 30 days in jail.

We then turned our attention to the alarming number of abused and neglected children who have fallen through the proverbial cracks of the state’s child-protection system in recent years.  HB 200 creates a statewide external expert review panel to thoroughly investigate the death or near death of a child from abuse or neglect.  The panel will determine if the state took reasonable measures to save that child or prevent his or her injuries (if the child was under protective services at the time) – and it expands the statutory definition of child abuse to include abuse by a sibling.  A major feature is the creation of an independent office to oversee Kentucky’s Child Protective Services agency.

The state’s Transportation Budget and Road Plan was also passed out of the House this week.  The Road Plan is a planning document which lays out priority construction projects for the upcoming 6 years.  The first 2 years of the 6 year plan is separated out for immediate funding.  Projects in the remaining 4 years you might say are put on the shelf in anticipation of continued funding and favorable revenue streams.   Transportation projects are interesting.  I’ve seen them stay on the books for years before they are begun.  Often, Road projects are very high dollar projects.  Under this plan, some $1.5 Billion in state construction funds and $1.3 Billion in federal construction funds are allocated for key projects in our Commonwealth.

I will soon publish specific details on Transportation and Road projects in and around our 42nd District.

Question of the Week – What is the proper balance between state supported schools profiting from athletics and state government having sufficient resources to meet the state’s educational needs?

CONTACT  ME:   Call me directly at 502.564.8100 or write me at Rm. 329C, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601.  I’m also on FACEBOOK so hit me up there or online at Reginald.Meeks@lrc.ky.gov or at http://reginaldmeeks.com. To reach any particular legislator, contact our toll – free number at 800.372.7181.  For the deaf or hard-of-hearing, that number is 800.896.0305