Road Funding, Maternal Health, and Veto Override

The legislative work continues, as committees continued to work and bills are brought for votes on the House and Senate floors. Lawmakers voted on Wednesday to override the governor’s first veto of legislation this session. While it was his first this year, the governor has vetoed more than a hundred bills and resolutions since 2020. Most bills go to the governor’s desk after passing the House and Senate. At that time, a governor can sign a bill into law, allow it to become law without his or her signature, or veto it. The veto is a power granted to executives, enabling them to reject proposed legislation, influencing the legislative process significantly. However, to balance the veto power, lawmakers have the authority to override the veto with a vote. While vetoes can seem divisive, lawmakers and governors do not always agree – regardless of their political party.  The legislature has overridden vetoes by every single governor in state history. And lawmakers have overridden almost all of Governor Beshear’s vetoes – including one issued on the plan to eliminate the state income tax, legislation that protects our children, and a bill that provided $250 million for broadband expansion.

The measure itself would prohibit local governments from adopting or enforcing ordinances that require landlords and property owners to accept federal housing assistance funds like Section 8. While I generally support local control and local decision making, I believe that property owners have a fundamental right to make decisions about their property. HB 18 prohibits local governments from imposing source of income mandates on rental properties. Such bans would prevent property owners from assessing whether prospective tenants have a reliable source of income to pay for rent under the terms of their lease, which would limit the owner’s ability to make discretionary decisions about their property. Individuals should not be forced to accept less than market value, they shouldn’t have to take a loss on their income or investment.

In addition to overriding the Governor’s veto, we passed several other important measures through the House:

Planning for the 2026 Biennial Road Plan: HJR 91 would set out a non-binding plan for road projects with work scheduled for 2027-2030. HJR 91 would lay out a starting point for the 2026 biennial road plan.

Setting Out Local Road Priority Projects: HJR 92 would provide a new framework for funding local road projects, setting aside $25 million in each fiscal year with $20 million defined by the legislature for city and county road projects and $5 million dedicated towards unforeseen road hazards. HJR 92 would ensure county and city roads get the attention and rehabilitation that they require and eliminate the politics from road projects.

Providing Funding for the Transportation Cabinet’s Biennial Operations Budget: HB 265 would appropriate $6.98 billion for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) biennial operating budget.

Investing in the 2024-2026 Highway Construction Plan: HB 266 would invest more than a $4.18 billion – including $14 million for guardrails, $800 million towards bridges, and the continuation of the Brent Spence Bridge, I-69, and Mountain Parkway projects. The plan is a culmination of three and a half months of work. We developed a responsible road plan that funds our state’s road projects over the next two years. HB 266 is a result of discussions held with officials from across the Commonwealth. Reliable roads are crucial to the quality of life of every Kentuckian.

Saving Lives and Preserving Families: HB 10 tackles a wide variety of topics relating to maternal health, such as, it would provide mental health consultation and access to care through the Lifeline for Moms Psychiatry Access Program. The Lifeline for Moms program, which provides trainings, and real-time psychiatric consultation and care coordination for health care providers serving pregnant and postpartum women. The measure would expand the HANDS program to include lactation counseling and assistance, education on safe sleep, and research on the role of doulas in the birth experience. HANDS is a voluntary home visitation program for new or expectant parents. Services can begin during pregnancy and extend until the child is three years old. Additionally, the measure would strengthen an existing advisory council to provide ongoing policy guidance to increase collaboration, improve data collection, and suggest additional improvements. HB 10 is about saving lives and preserving families. Entirely too many Kentucky mothers die in the year following childbirth, leaving their children and families behind to pick up the pieces.

Establishing Broadband Implementation Program: HB 267 would provide for the authorization of the Office of Broadband Development to implement the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. HB 267 would give guide rails for the funds appropriated in the 24RS biennial budget bill. Additionally, the measure would direct the Office of Broadband Development to develop an application proves for funding, determine eligibility criteria for projects, create rules governing the review process and the timeline, make administrative rules, coordinate with local governments or private entities, and determine which grant applications should receive funding. During the 2022 Regular Session, we made sure there were funds available to get this critical access to every Kentuckian. This session we are focusing on providing guide rails for the funds going straight to the residents who need it most.

Cutting Red Tape for After School Programming: HB 491 would eliminate unnecessary red tape around after school programs. HB 491 would eliminate the single skill restriction to allow after school programs that are not child care facilities to operate without child care licensure. These facilities would still be required to notify the parents or guardians that they are not a licensed child care facility and programs would still be required to operate outside of the hours that school is in session. 

Allowing Voters to Fill U.S. Senate Vacancies: HB 622 would allow Kentuckians to vote in a special election if the state’s U.S. Senate vacancies. Under current law, if there is a vacancy, the governor has the power to appoint someone to fill the seat until the next regular election. The appointment must be made from a list of three candidates provided by the outgoing senator’s political party. HB 622 is based on the fundamental philosophy that a government by the people and for the people should ensure that the people have the authority to choose their elected officials. We already use this process to fill vacancies in the U.S. House, and the Kentucky General Assembly.