LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: April 20, 2008

by State Representative Addia Wuchner

Time Stands Still in the General Assembly

Greetings! After three and a half months of lawmaking, the 2008 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly ended at midnight Tuesday April 15 th . Well… it was actually Wednesday morning, just before one o'clock. However, that depends on what time keeping device you rely on – the clock on the wall of the Chambers or the watch on your arm. Clocks of both Chambers were frozen just before midnight to allow the General Assembly to complete final details. I had heard about this “stopping of time” in years past but this was my first experience since being in office.

Despite a contentious session, dozens of bills became law in the session's final weeks, including the $19 billion state budget that provides some new funding for education, health care and other needs in the midst of the state's current budget challenge and economic down turn.

I admit this two-year budget plan is not perfect, but it does provide an additional $400 million in funding than originally proposed to protect base funding for public schools, preserve human services and shield our state universities from catastrophic budget cuts. We were also able to protect tried and true education programs by providing funding for university research and KEES merit scholarships that help thousands of Kentucky high school students attend college.

In the session's final days, an important part of House and Senate negotiations was the $225 million in bonds for water and sewer projects in coal and non-coal counties. These projects are necessary to build and maintain the basic infrastructure vital to our communities. During the veto period, I had several phone conversations with Senate and House leadership and Judge Ex. Gary Moore, all of us working to ensure that Boone County water and sewer projects were in the plan. Representative Santoro had submitted water lines for Big Bone Church and Beaver Roads, and I had placed Williams and Merrell Road , but when give the opportunity to increase our water and sewer line dollars I was able to submit on behalf of Boone County an additional $1.2 for the Petersburg Rural Water Project. Working together, we achieved over $3M in water and sewer for Boone County .

There were several areas where the House and Senate could not reach an agreement. In the waning hours, we were presented with pieces of legislation that have nothing to do with the original bill. The original bill, now gutted, is merely a vehicle for the wording of new or negotiated pieces of legislation. But, who did the negotiating? It becomes extremely important, as a legislator, that you read every word and then read between the lines.

How does one vote on a piece of legislation that you are seeing for the first time just minutes before you are to vote? You find yourself trying to read the legislation on your computer screen and listen to debate, while the Speaker is slamming his gavel to silence the mounting background chatter. Not to mention it is eleven o'clock at night. It is like the “find the hidden picture game”, as we strain to read, listen and figure out - just what the altered piece of legislation actually does. You ask yourself, why after four months is this vital measure being rushed through the process in an attempt to get in under the wire... It is not the process but the abuse of the intent of the process that is concerning.

ince the Governor has veto power on any legislation sent to him the last two days of session, I will provide an update in next week's column on the bills that actually passed into law.