Tagged: 2013 General Assembly

The Kentucky House has passed a bill that would give stronger protections to people who claim the government has infringed upon their religious freedom.

The measure overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 82-7 Friday--but not without more than 30 minutes of discussion about the bill's potential impact.

A handful of dissenting lawmakers claimed the bill could protect Catholic parishes during abuse investigations or allow Kentuckians to dodge provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act.

Proponents said those lawmakers miss the point. They said the bill responds to the Kentucky Supreme Court's 2012 decision to uphold a former law that required Amish buggies to display safety triangles, which the Amish opposed on religious grounds. The bill would give such claims stronger standing in the courts.

A Kentucky House bill aiming to help generate revenues for the underfunded pension system is in legal limbo as the Senate refused to accept the bill.

House Bill 416 takes revenues from expansion of Instant Racing and online lottery sales and the start of a Keno game to generate close to $100 million a year to pay into state's currently underfunded pensions for state employees.

Revenue bills in odd-year sessions must have 60 House votes in final passage to be considered within the rules; House Bill 416 only received 52 on the floor. Because of that, the Senate clerk refused to accept the bill.

But House Speaker Greg Stumbo says the Senate should amend the bill and send it back to the House for final passage if it wants to avoid a special session.

FRANKFORT — More than 100 senior citizens and advocates rallied Thursday at the Capitol Rotunda in support of several bills before the Kentucky General Assembly—and against one bill in particular.

They urged Kentucky lawmakers to oppose  legislation that creates a panel to review lawsuits against nursing homes and requires those filing suits to pay fees to submit their case to the panel, said Cathy Murphy, associate state director for the AARP.

The demonstrators said that, if passed, Senate Bill 9 would make it harder for seniors to sue nursing homes that abuse or neglect residents.

"We rank one of the worst in the nation in quality," Murphy said. "We rank the highest in fines. And the talk about the frivolous lawsuits. I've not seen any evidence whatsoever, and the families that I know that have had a lawsuit would not call it frivolous."