Week 4 Legislative Update

Sen. Gex Williams (District 20)
This week, the House filed House Bill 500, its initial draft of the spending plan, and I like the fact that it appears to be a bare-bones proposal to start. As we debate the proper use of your tax dollars, each line item deserves scrutiny, and our focus should be on responsible use while aiming for government efficiency. That early budget bill now begins its path through the legislative process. I trust the Senate will take a disciplined, deliberate approach to the proposal.

Several important measures passed the full Senate this week and now head to the House for further consideration:

•    SB 181 was detailed last week after it was approved by the Senate Education Committee. It clarifies student safety laws related to staff and student private communications. It defines inappropriate communication and strengthens. reporting, consent and training rules. This is a bill to protect students, and one that already has after first being implemented after last session.  
•    SB 20 gives cities more flexibility to structure training incentives for local officers by defining excess credit hours and removing outdated payment limits. 
•    SB 17 updates rules governing CASA programs, streamlines oversight, and strengthens protections for vulnerable children. 
•    SB 68 improves safety at the Kentucky Horse Park by giving park leadership clear authority to bar individuals who pose a risk. 
•    Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 23 promotes “Food is Medicine” strategies to use nutrition and cross sector partnerships to help prevent and manage chronic disease.  

Update on Kentucky Wired reform effort

I’m continuing to work with my co-chair on the Information Technology Oversight Committee on our companion bills, which stabilize management of the Kentucky Wired broadband network. SB 64—my bill—and Rep. Matt Lockett’s House Bill (HB) 314 move Kentucky Wired’s operations to the Commonwealth Office of Technology to better serve students, teachers, rural users and state employees who rely on steady internet access every day.

HB 314 passed the House State Government Committee this week. A committee amendment to his bill adds a governor-appointed representative nominated by both the Kentucky Association of Counties and the Kentucky League of Cities. From those nominees, the governor would choose the two who serve. I support this provision. Some local governments rely on Kentucky Wired, and it’s important for them to have a seat at the table. I think it is essential that all government stakeholders, as well as the public, have a seat at the table to direct the future of Kentucky Wired. 

As is common in the legislative process, the bill is likely to undergo additional amendments along the way. Both Rep. Lockett and I are open to improvements. For now, HB 314 heads to the House for a vote. 

Priority education bills filed and on the move in the Senate

SB 3, which was filed last week and was approved by the Senate Education Committee this week, gives Kentucky families clearer insight into how their education dollars are spent. This bill sets clear timelines for local school budgeting, expands opportunities for public review, and ensures taxpayers can see whether their taxes are truly benefiting the classroom. 

It’s clear education remains a top priority in the Senate. This week, four additional education-focused bills—SBs 2, 4, 5 and 6—were filed.  SB 2 aims to ensure fair compensation by prohibiting school district administrators from receiving percentage raises that exceed the average percentage raise awarded to classroom teachers in the same district. SB 4 strengthens school leadership by creating a five-year development program for new principals to better prepare them, without increasing costs for school districts. SB 5 relates to the Make America Healthy Again and Food is Medicine initiative, as it aims to get healthy Kentucky-grown food products into school cafeterias. SB 6 would provide support and additional emphasis on higher education institutions’ research.