Published: January 24, 2008 07:19 pm            

Legislative Update

Jan. 23, 2008 — By Rep. Robin Webb

Gov. Steve Beshear gave his State of the Commonwealth address on Monday evening of this week to both Democrats and Republican members of the House and Senate. Stressing the need for unity and bipartisanship in addressing the state's budget shortfalls, the governor also called for creativity and ingenuity in finding solutions to the challenges facing Kentucky.

The governor reiterated his priorities, to lower drug costs for seniors, invest in economic development, continue to improve education in Kentucky and make health care accessible and affordable for all Kentuckians. House Democrats have already introduced many family-friendly initiatives that coincide with the governor's agenda outlined in the governor's remarks.

While the governor's comments strived for an upbeat, positive tone, it was hard to find silver linings in the bleak fiscal forecast, especially when on Wednesday, the Consensus Forecasting Group, a group of independent economists who predict state revenues, adjusted the state revenue estimate for this fiscal year down by $11 million, bringing the total revenue shortfall to $128 million. They also reduced the forecast for the next fiscal year by $54 million. This means that the originally estimated $525 million shortfall next year increases to $579 million.

On January 29th the governor will outline his budget proposal and we will have much more specific information about where he plans to make the painful cuts needed to address this serious situation. After that, the House of Representatives begins consideration of the governor's executive budget.,

The House welcomed two new members to its body this week as a result of special elections. Sannie Overly was voted to represent the 72nd House District which is made up of Bath, Bourbon, Fayette and Nicholas counties. Alecia Webb-Edgington won the special election in for the 63rd House District in Kenton County.

House Bill 51 is the first bill of the 2008 session to be voted out of the House of Representatives. House Bill 51's goal is to improve financial literacy for incoming college undergraduates and would require universities to educate students about managing debt and credit cards. The bill passed 91-0 and is on its way to the Senate for consideration.

House Bill 104 passed the House today by a vote of 95-0 and is designed to help ensure continuity and experienced leadership on selected Kentucky Community and Technical College boards. The bill would require staggered terms of appointed members and would also help make the governance of these institutions similar to that of our universities.

Several important pieces of legislation passed out of committees this week and are expected to be voted on the House floor soon. These include House Bill 57, which would give veterans hiring preference for state jobs and House Bill 111, which would give bonding authority to Kentucky universities.

Things have been busy as I presented to the Legislative Research Commissions Lobbyist Workshop on the "Role of the Lobbyist from a Legislator's Perspective". I enjoyed the opportunity to discuss our institution and the role that professional and volunteer lobbyists play in our governmental process.

Last week our regional delegations from FIVCO and Buffalo Trace Add Districts visited with legislators and attended meetings. Directors Sherry McDavid and Steve Miller were there along with Judge Charles Wallace and Keith Walker from Carter County.

We lawmakers who support physical fitness in schools got to wear our work out clothes to the Capitol and participated in a press conference with teh American Heart Association and the Diabetes foundation to stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle. I was presented some figures for my district that we really need to work on folks. Carter county is deemed 77th in overall county health ranking and Lewis county coming in at 69th. These rankings were based on prevalence of adult and youth smoking, obesity, physical activity and cardiovascular death rates per 100,000. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in every Kentucky county. As the new year begins, resolve to a healthier lifestyle. It will add years and dollars to your life!

In the past week I have met with the Kentucky School Boards Association, Kentucky Educational Association, Commissioner John Draud and other leaders about potential education issues, both fiscal and programmatic. I have also met with newly hired State Retirement Fund director Mike Burnside, who I have worked with in Finance for many years and had our neighboring County Judge Executive Bobby Carpenter with a team from the county judges association regarding county and state jail issues, as we look to additional ways to ease the correctional financial burdens.

Lewis county has received an award of $40,613.28 for the clean-up of illegal dumps. We anticipate 2.9 million dollars to be distribued in 52 counties. The monies come from a remediation fee pursuant to HB 174, (the Litter Bill) that I was primary co-sponsor of with former Attorney General Greg Stumbo.

In my new position as First Vice-Chair of the Appropriations and Revenue Committee in the House, I have been focusing primarily on budget issues and very busy meeting with affected entities, however, I have introduced some legislation that I will update on as the session progresses.

Even with the dire news about the state's financial status, the House is staying positive and focused on passing legislation that will improve the quality of life for Kentucky families. We will address the serious budget problems in the coming weeks, but we're going to do our best to keep Kentucky moving forward.

Please feel free to contact me at the tollfree number 1-800-372-7181.

        

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