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Senator C.B. Embry's Legislative Update

Tuesday, January 5, marked the beginning of a 60-day Session that will run through mid-April. In this session we hope to address the numerous important issues facing our state, keeping the common theme of creating Kentucky jobs and strengthening Kentucky families. I hope the New Year brought new opportunities for you and your family, and I hope it will bring new opportunities to our great Commonwealth.

In 2016 we will be tasked with passing a comprehensive budget bill and road plan which will be implemented from July 2016 to June 2018. Although we have seen some slight increases in general fund returns, new costs related to public employee and teacher pensions and state-implemented Medicaid will place a greater burden on our budget than in years past.

On Wednesday Senate Leadership introduced 13 bills identified as priority legislation, some of which I will explain below.

Research shows that over a million Kentuckians show up to vote in a federal election year, but only hundreds of thousands show up to vote for their future governor in odd-numbered years. A new bill proposed in the Senate would move gubernatorial elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, thus including more Kentuckians in selecting their new state leader. This measure would not extend the term of the current governor and would save an estimated $20 million over each election cycle. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation.

One of the most important bills we are working on is Senate Bill 1 (SB1), which would repeal Common Core standards and give Kentucky educators the chance to set their own standards. The bill would also shift more control to local school districts, limiting federal overreach and burdens on educators while producing college- and career-ready Kentucky graduates.

We also will be focusing once again on the rights of the unborn. If you have followed the investigation of Planned Parenthood in 2015, you know that there is a major concern about that organization. We would like to ensure that no state funding goes to Planned Parenthood. Likewise, we will bring an additional bill forward—legislation I am proudly cosponsoring—to better promote informed consent for women who may be considering an abortion. We value life, no matter how long the unborn baby has been in a mother’s womb, which is why we believe those considering abortion should be required to have a face-to-face meeting with a physician, rather than simply listening to a pre-recorded message.

As many of you know, Kentucky was in the spotlight earlier this year with Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis. Governor Matt Bevin recently issued an Executive Order to have county clerks’ signatures removed from marriage licenses. We are proposing a bill codifying that bill into law. Additionally, the Senate wants to extend the protection of religious freedoms in schools. True to both the U.S. and Kentucky Constitutions, proposed legislation would reinforce political and religious freedom of expression for students, staff, and schools and allow those expressions to be duly communicated.

Redistricting of the judicial branch has also come to the forefront of the Senate’s conversation. While the legislative branch is required to redistrict every 10 years in order to balance the ever-changing constituent landscape, judicial districts have not been updated for several decades. Judicial redistricting on the same legislative schedule would balance population and caseloads throughout the state and make Kentuckians equally represented in the court system.

I am also sponsoring a bill that would give Kentuckians cheaper access to electricity. Senate Bill 79 (SB79) allows municipal electric systems to buy and sell wholesale electricity. Not only would the citizens of Madisonville benefit from this legislation, but also the city itself. With cheaper electricity, more economic and industry opportunities would open up for businesses everywhere.

We have heard the voice of Kentuckians from across the state and crafted this legislation by listening to your concerns and ideas. Thank you for your support, and please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at any time. I look forward to what this new year and new Senate session will bring to Kentucky.

If you have any questions or comments about the issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at [email protected].  You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.

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  Senator C.B. Embry, JR (R-Morgantown) represents the 6th District including Butler, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, and Ohio Counties. He is Vice Chair of Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection, Chair of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education, and member of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy, and Transportation Committees.

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