Second Amendment, Veterans Benefits, Education
February 26 and February 28 were the bill filing deadlines for the House and Senate respectively. More than 830 House bills and 380 Senate bills have been filed this year, but only a fraction will pass into law. This week, the House passed key pieces of legislation ranging from legislation protecting the Second Amendment to a measure providing millions for improvements at our state parks. These measures will now be considered in the Senate.
Second Amendment Privacy Act/HB 357: This legislation would prohibit financial institutions from requiring retailers to use a firearm code to track the sale of firearms. It also prohibits the keeping or requiring any list, record, or registry of private firearm ownership.
Protecting Veteran’s Benefits/HB 39: This legislation would protect veterans from excess fees and predatory advertising associated with referrals from private companies to veterans’ benefits. HB 39 implements a compensation cap on private businesses and requires them to notify any veterans they are serving that there are free options for referrals to benefits. Additionally, it prevents these organizations from using their own doctor to review cases involving veterans’ benefits and from using offshore data centers for matters related to veterans’ benefits.
Improving Math Education/HB 162: Much like the Read to Succeed Act from 2022, the Kentucky Numeracy Counts Act would reform and improve how public schools teach math. HB 162 would provide additional resources and support, including a math academy for elementary and middle school educators. The bill also requires school districts to select and give a universal screener for math.
Positioning Kentucky as a Cybersecurity Stronghold/HB 319: HB 319 establishes a framework to strengthen cyber security in the commonwealth. The measure allows the Council on Postsecondary Education to develop a coordinate program allowing participation for all universities and establishes the KentuckyCYBER program. The KentuckyCYBER program would establish cyber security centers across the commonwealth in coordination with institutions of higher learning, public schools, and private businesses to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity workforce.
Increasing Access to Child Care/HB 561: Under the provisions of this bill, the state would establish the Certified Child Care Community Designation program to help increase the number of child care and early childhood education services through voluntary actions related to zoning reform at the local level. It also removes the pilot program designation of the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership to address concerns the program may be temporary.
Holding the Department of Education accountable: Now more than ever, we need better control in the classroom and in our schools. Before the filing deadline, HB 825 was introduced, which mandates the State Auditor to conduct a full fiscal and operations audit of the Kentucky Department of Education and submit the report generated with the audit to the Interim Joint Committee on Education by July 1st of next year. This measure will give us a better understanding of the financial workings of the institution entrusted to govern our children.
Before I close, I want to discuss the results of the farming survey conducted in Kentucky. The United States Department of Agriculture reports on the status of agriculture every few years. The 2022 report showed that the number of farmers continued to fall in recent years, but agricultural production increased to $8 billion. In 2002, Kentucky had 86,541 farmers, but there are only 69,425 farmers today. Additionally, agricultural land dropped from 12.9 million acres in 2017 to 12.4 million in 2022. The most significant change in our state’s numbers was in the tobacco farming industry. In 2002, nearly 30,000 farms produced tobacco. Today, only 984 farms produce tobacco.
Agriculture is a cornerstone of our Commonwealth and impacts our lives. While the number of farmers is declining, the production from our agricultural sector has reached a record high. It is important to note that this census is just a snapshot of the state of farming.
In related news, legislation aimed at keeping Kentucky farm land in the hands of Kentuckians has passed the House State Government Committee and is ready to be heard on the House floor. HB 575 would prohibit a nonresident alien, foreign business, foreign agent, trustee, or fiduciary associated with foreign governments from the purchase, lease, or acquisition of agricultural land in Kentucky or participation in programs administered by the commonwealth. For more information on this measure, please click here, or visit legislature.ky.gov.