Yesterday the General Assembly entered the “veto recess” to give Gov. Beshear ten days to consider legislation passed. They will reconvene Monday, April 14, and will conclude the regular session by midnight, April 15, 2014.
It is now clear several major pieces of legislation will not pass. The General Assembly did pass a budget and the Chamber’s key priority, public-private partnership legislation. Unfortunately, these are only two bright spots in a session that otherwise deferred action on a number of key priority bills for the business community.
Priority job creation legislation passes
Calling it the greatest single piece of legislation to support job creation this session, Chamber President Dave Adkisson expressed his gratitude for passage of House Bill 407, the Public-Private Partnership (P3) bill that has garnered the support of more than 30 business organizations across the Commonwealth. HB 407 would provide opportunities to fuel job growth by enabling the use of public-private partnerships – so called P3s – by state and local governments, creating a system in Kentucky that already exists in many states. Read the Chamber’s letter to Gov. Steve Beshear urging him to sign this legislation into law. Click here to voice your support for this important legislation.
State Budget Update
Legislative leaders worked all night Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday morning to hash out details of the state’s two-year budget. What started as a very political, public exercise eventually turned into a compromise embraced by leaders from each political party.Highlights of the budget compromise are posted on the Chamber’s public affairs blog.
Tax Credits
The Chamber commends the General Assembly for negotiating two important tax credits long advocated by the Kentucky Chamber. As part of the budget deal, legislators passed the Angel Investor tax credit and a Bourbon Barrel tax credit.
Missed Opportunities
With only two days remaining, several bills supported by the Kentucky Chamber did not make it through the process. These include medical review panels, telecommunications reform, charter schools, teacher quality measures, local option sales tax, tax reform, smoke-free legislation, expanded gaming and clear contractor guidelines for companies. Our public affairs team is still assessing all the legislation and looking for opportunities in the final two days.
More Legislation
Our key bill list below is color-coded to note the Chamber’s support in green or opposition in red to each measure.
For a complete list of bills and their current status, download our complete BillTrack (PDF).
Education & Workforce Development
SB 211 - Targeted Charter Schools Read More
HB 85 - Charter Schools Read More
SB 168 - Tenure Reform Read More
SB 169 - Tribunal Reform Read More
HB 154 - Financial Accountability Read More
HB 261 - University Bonding Authority Read More
SB 89 - Public School Standards Read More
HB 332 - Early Childhood Education Read More
HB 87 - Linking Degrees to Earnings Read More
SB 224 - Repeal Common Core Standards Read More
HB 215 - Repeal Common Core Standards Read More
Business Competitiveness
HB 407 - Public-Private Partnerships Read More
SB 33, HB 67 & HB 584 - Expanded Gaming Legislation Read More
SB 99 - Telecommunications Modernization Read More
SB 63, HB 504 & 557 - Workers' Comp Special Fund Read More
HB 349 - Workers' Comp Reporting Simplification Read More
HB 467 - Contractor Notification Read More
HB 301 - Small Business Tax Credits Read More
HB 308 - Attracting Data Centers Read More
HB 232 - Data Breach Notification Read More
HB 507, SB 136 & 137 - Higher Workers' Comp Costs Read More
HB 96 - Public Construction Cost Driver Read More
Taxes
HB 37 - Angel Investor Tax Credit Read More
HB 529 - Bourbon Barrel Tax Credit Read More
HB 345 - Taxpayer Fairness Read More
HB 346 - Tax Simplification Read More
SB 135 & HB 399 - Local Option Sales Tax Read More
HB 136 - LLET Tax Reform Read More
HB 474 - Coal IndustryTax Incentives Read More
HB 493 - Tourism Tax Incentives Read More
HB 516 - Bad Debt Credits Read More
HB 559 - Small Business Tax Relief Read More
HB 220 - Tax Hikes Read More
Legal Issues
SB 119 - Medical Review Panels Read More
SB 78 - Commonsense Property Liability Read More
SB 189 - Legal Contract Sunshine Law Read More
SB 214 - Judgment Interest Reform Read More
HB 369 - Lowered Statute of Limitations Read More
HB 304 - Good Samaritan protections Read More
HB 148 - Increased Employer Litigation Read More
HB 335 - False Claims Act Read More
Health & Wellness
HB 173 & SB 117 - Smoke-free Kentucky Read More
SB 5 - Combatting Heroin Abuse Read More
HB 505 - Kentucky-based Exchange Read More
SB 73 - Pharmacy Benefit Managers Read More
Labor Issues
SB 81 - Clear Contractor Guidelines Read More
HB 419 - Prevailing Wage Savings Read More
HB 496 - Kentucky Right-to-Work Law Read More
HB 1 & SB 215 - Raising the Minimum Wage Read More
HB 420 - Forced Union Apprenticeship Read More
Government Reform
HB 389 - Public Pension Audit Requirements Read More
SB 142 - Public Pension Reforms Read More
SB 83 - Improved Alcohol Laws Read More
HB 5 - Cyber Security Read More
SB 200 - Juvenile Justice Reform Read More
HB 475 - Alcohol at State Parks Read More
Energy & Environment
SB 67 & HB 52 - Nuclear Power Read More
HB 388 - Kentucky Environmental Standards Read More
SB 35 - Politicizing the Public Service Commission Read More
HB 31 - Limiting Transport of Energy Read More
HB 195 - Renewable Energy Mandate Read More
HB 241 - Increased Energy Costs Read More
HB 288 - Coal Mining Restrictions Read More
