We are in the midst of the so-called Veto Days, where the General Assembly takes off for ten business days to allow the governor to review the bills they have passed, then either veto them, sign them, or let them become law without his signature.
Here’s the list so far:
Vetoed bills
House Bill 4 – Removes DEI programs from colleges and universities. This bill is part of a larger anti-DEI movement that Repubs have embraced all across the country, including by Trump and his administration. Beshear notes in his veto message: “Diversity is a strength, and never a weakness. ... This bill forecloses our universities and colleges from fully embracing students from communities of color, from various faith communities of certain ethnicities, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. ... Sixty years ago, brave foot-soldiers marched in Selma because they were being denied the right to vote. Acting like racism and discrimination no longer exist, or that hundreds of years of inequality have been somehow overcome and there is a level playing field, is disinegnuous. History may look at this time and this bill as part of the anti-civil-rights or pro-discrimination movement. Kentucky should not be a part of that movement.”
House Bill 6 – Limits administrative regulations by giving the Legislature the power to nullify those regulations. The veto message is worth reading in its own right, and is too long to summarize here. Essentially, Beshear says that the bill is unconstitutional (citing an earlier Supreme Court ruling) by violating the separation of powers. He also notes that if his veto is overridden and the bill stands as passed, it will prevent implementation of other bills passed this session.
House Bill 216 – Makes Ag Dept employees eligible for Ag Policy Dept grants. In hits veto message, Beshear notes that this bill violates the Executive Branch Ethics Code by allowing employees to accept grants and loans from the agency they work for. In some cases, the bill would even allow employees who work directly on the grant and loan programs to select themselves to receive the money.
House Bill 398 – Lowers workplace safety regulations. From the veto message: “House Bill 398 will lead to more workplace injuries, with Kentucky workers paying the price.”
House Bill 495 – Overturns Beshear’s ban on conversion therapy. In his veto message, Beshear notes his executive order from last year prohibited the use of state or federal funds for the practice of conversion therapy on minors. He says, “Conversion therapy has no basis in medicine or science and causes significant long-term damage to our kids, including increased rates of suicide, anxiety, and depression. ... As leaders and policymakers, we should be in the business of protecting our citizens and kids from harm, not subjecting them to discredited methods that jeopardize their health, wellbeing, and safety.”
Senate Bill 65 – Nullifies two medicaid admin regulations. Vetoed for the same basic reasons as HB 6, that it is unconstitutional.
Senate Bill 84 – Interferes with judicial review of state agency actions. This bill says that judges cannot defer to agency interpretations of statutes and regulations. The veto message states that this bill also violates the separation of powers noting that “The Judicial Branch is the only branch with the power and duty to decide these questions.”
Senate Bill 245 – Rejects Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission member without Senate confirmation. This bill is part of the power struggle between the Governor and the legislature. From Beshear’s veto message: “In the past four legislative sessions, the Senate has refused to confirm seven members whom the sportsmen and sportswomen [of the state] have nominated. In the current legislative session, the Senate has yet to confirm the reappointment of the first ever Black member on the commission. ... Senate Bill 245 prevents Commission members who are reappointed from being able to serve without Senate confirmation. This legislative game-playing is not what the sportsmen and sportswomen of Kentucky deserve. ... The Senate’s patter of defying confirmation of the members they select shows the legislature is deferring to someone besides the sportsmen and sportswomen.”
Signed bills
These are bills that the governor actually signed, indicating he either supported them or at least did not have a problem with them. These bills will become law on their effective dates – either on July 1, or immediately if they have the Emergency clause attached.
- HB 10 – New process for removing squatters
- HB 30 – Changes to pension spiking rules
- HB 38 – Stronger penalties for violating an EPO
- HB 73 – Add WeLeadCS to TRS
- HB 152 – Medicaid supplemental pay for ambulance companies
- HB 184 – Extend insurance sandbox program
- HB 306 – Fire protection engineer grads qualify for PE license
- HB 313 – June as KY History Month
- HB 415 – Exempt certain insurance from subtitle 17
- HB 605 – Various re the GRANT Program
- HB 783 – Temporary motor vehicle tags
- SB 22 – Licensing for certain personal care pros
- SB 100 – New regs for tobacco products
- SB 120 – Train coaches on child abuse identification
- SB 133 – Updates to boxing/wrestling laws
- SB 169 – Expand ISPs subject to admin subpoenas
You can go here to get more info on the signed bills.
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