February 1, 2009
Dear Prayer Warrior:
Thank you all for your prayers. The biopsy on the lymph node and mass on my neck came back non-cancerous. It seems that the Lord has allowed so many health battles in 2008 but God is good. It has been a time of trusting Him no matter what. We are excited about a new year to serve the Lord.
We began the 2009 Legislative Session on January 6th. There has been a new openness in the halls of the Capitol. The ministry is much needed at this time in our history. We have new leadership in the House of Representatives and we are facing more gambling bills. Our economy is in really bad shape and the spiritual shape of the state and nation is no better off. It just reminds us that more people need to hear the Gospel and we need to have a better testimony than ever.
Please be involved in bringing America back to God. Call your legislators and share with them what you want to see in our government. Share with them what you want to see spiritually in their lives. We need to witness more than ever.
Saundra and I have had some full days in January - we really needed your prayers. We have been preparing for groups from churches, Christian schools, home schools and senior groups that are coming to the Capitol for a tour with me. We are planning to make their trip worth it all. I will be sharing with them the history of our Capitol, how an idea becomes a law and they will be meeting with their legislators. It is a day of learning and fun. I enjoy doing this while the legislators are in their committee meetings and then when folks go home there is still plenty for me to do. I get to the Capitol building early each and stay as long as God has something for me to do. As I begin this 27th year as your missionary, I am thankful for prayer warriors that want to see America come back to God.
Our work this past month has been routine. We were in the session when they met. We helped host the Christian Home Educators Leadership Conference. We recorded and distributed "We Want America Back" radio programs. I did some normal preaching and a radio interview. There are so many ways that Saundra and I can share our faith and it is all possible because God’s people give to this ministry.
We do ask for your prayers for the work and the salvation of souls!!
Yours in Christ,
Dr. Joe & Saundra Adams
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Legislative Research Commission Gives Finial Report
General Assembly's 2008 session adjourns
FRANKFORT -- State lawmakers have adjourned "sine die," bringing the Kentucky General Assembly's 2008 session to a close.
Over the course of this year's 60-day legislative session, lawmakers considered more than 1,000 bills. More than 150 of those bills were approved and sent to the governor, including the budget bill that will guide state spending over the next two years.
A sampling of some of the legislation approved during this year's session follows:
Adventure Tourism. Senate Bill 196 will boost the state's adventure tourism industry by allowing the state to enter into agreements with private property owners for the use of their land for recreational activities. The agreements would allow property owners to permit public use of the land without facing the liability issues they otherwise would.
Agriculture. SB 242 will establish a training fund to improve, promote, protect and support Kentucky's beekeeping industry. Supporters of the bill note that bee colonies play a key role in the state's agricultural industry by helping to pollinate crops.
Alcohol vaporizers. House Bill 202 will ban the sale, purchase or use of alcohol vaporizing devices, which can be used to inhale intoxicating fumes of alcohol.
Alternative teacher certification. SB 64 will create incentives to help train those with math and science degrees who want to become certified to teach, as well as help teachers in other fields become re-certified in math and science.
Amusement park safety. SB 203 will require more frequent inspections of amusement park rides and prevent anyone under 18 from operating the rides.
Animal cruelty. SB 58 will increase penalties for those who torture dogs or cats. Causing physical injury to a dog or cat as a result of torture would be a Class A misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail, while causing serious physical injury or death would be a Class D felony punishable by 1-5 years in prison. Currently, all torture cases involving a dog or cat are Class A misdemeanors for a first offense.
Blood donations. HB 139 will allow 16-year-olds who weigh at least 110 pounds to donate blood with written parental or legal guardian consent. The bill was crafted to help address blood shortages.
Booster Seats. SB 120 will require young children who are too big for infant car seats to be placed in booster seats when riding in vehicles. The bill states that children under 7 years old and between 40-50 inches tall must use the boosters.
Bullying. HB 91 will require the state Department of Education to craft discipline guidelines. The bill will also require local school authorities to alert law enforcement when school harassment involves a potential felony. Yearly reports on school harassment will be made to the Department of Education and the Legislature.
Cancer. SB 98 will provide Medicaid coverage for breast and cervical cancer treatments for uninsured women. SB 96 will require insurers to cover colorectal cancer screenings, in accordance with guidelines of the American Cancer Society.
Clean waterways. HB 717 will create watershed authorities to restore and improve streams around the Commonwealth. The authorities will select cleanup projects and will help leverage more money for these efforts through various grants and programs.
Criminal justice. HB 683 allows the state Parole Board to review the cases of Class C felons without a hearing, allows for GPS tracking technology for home incarceration cases, and mandates DNA collection from all felons as well as violent juvenile offenders.
Early voting. HB 479 will give citizens greater access to the voting process by allowing them to request absentee ballot applications via email. The bill also allows members of the military to return unused absentee ballots and still be allowed to vote on Election Day.
Elections. HB 370 will erase the requirement that runoff elections be held in gubernatorial primary races if no candidate receives at least 40 percent of the vote.
Energy consumption. HB 2 creates incentives for homeowners to use solar and wind energy, and to use other energy-efficient lights, windows, and insulation. The bill also requires state government and local schools to build and lease energy-efficient buildings, and establishes a low-interest loan program to help businesses and public agencies become more energy efficient.
Gas theft. SB 136 will give gas station operators a way to collect payments from people who drive off without paying for fuel. The bill outlines specific civil liability and related procedures for financial recovery after fuel theft without immediately going to court.
Holocaust education. House Joint Resolution 6 will require the Department of Education to develop a curriculum guide for schools that may be used to teach about the Holocaust as example of genocide.
Kentucky products. HB 484 will promote use of locally-grown produce and other food products by public postsecondary institutions. If colleges and universities use a vendor or food service, the legislation encourages them to use food produced in Kentucky.
Math and science incentives. SB 2 will offer incentives to increase the number of students taking advanced math and science courses in Kentucky. Incentives would be provided from a science and mathematics advancement fund aimed at improving students' math and science knowledge from elementary school through college.
Merit scholarships. SB 75 will allow students with 2.5 GPAs who are on track to graduate from college to keep their full KEES scholarship money each semester. Currently, students with GPAs above 2.5 but below 3.0 only receive half their award.
Military. HB 168 will allow active duty military serving outside the state up to 90 days to renew their driver's licenses after returning to Kentucky. They could not be cited for driving without a license during that period.
Penal code. Senate Joint Resolution 80 calls for a legislative subcommittee to undertake a review of the state penal code. The legislation would require the Legislature's Judiciary Committee to appoint a Penal Code Study Subcommittee, upon approval of General Assembly leadership. The subcommittee would be responsible for thoroughly reviewing the state's penal code and finding ways to redraft and modernize it.
Sex offenders. HB 211 will broaden Kentucky's child sex abuse laws while increasing penalties for abusers and those who fail to report abuse. The bill will include older children under state laws that protect minors from first-degree sexual abuse by raising the age of children covered by the law from 12 to 16, or 16 to 18, if the perpetrator is in a position of trust or authority.
Trauma care. HB 371 seeks to create a statewide trauma care program in the Department of public health. The bill also establishes an advisory commission and registry of trauma incidents.
Water and sewer projects. HB 608 contains line-item water and sewer projects for coal and non-coal counties in Kentucky. Funding for projects in non-coal counties will come from $150 million in bonds derived from the state's master tobacco settlement dollars, while funding for coal county projects will come from $75 million in bonds paid with coal severance revenue.
FRANKFORT -- State lawmakers have adjourned "sine die," bringing the Kentucky General Assembly's 2008 session to a close.
Over the course of this year's 60-day legislative session, lawmakers considered more than 1,000 bills. More than 150 of those bills were approved and sent to the governor, including the budget bill that will guide state spending over the next two years.
A sampling of some of the legislation approved during this year's session follows:
Adventure Tourism. Senate Bill 196 will boost the state's adventure tourism industry by allowing the state to enter into agreements with private property owners for the use of their land for recreational activities. The agreements would allow property owners to permit public use of the land without facing the liability issues they otherwise would.
Agriculture. SB 242 will establish a training fund to improve, promote, protect and support Kentucky's beekeeping industry. Supporters of the bill note that bee colonies play a key role in the state's agricultural industry by helping to pollinate crops.
Alcohol vaporizers. House Bill 202 will ban the sale, purchase or use of alcohol vaporizing devices, which can be used to inhale intoxicating fumes of alcohol.
Alternative teacher certification. SB 64 will create incentives to help train those with math and science degrees who want to become certified to teach, as well as help teachers in other fields become re-certified in math and science.
Amusement park safety. SB 203 will require more frequent inspections of amusement park rides and prevent anyone under 18 from operating the rides.
Animal cruelty. SB 58 will increase penalties for those who torture dogs or cats. Causing physical injury to a dog or cat as a result of torture would be a Class A misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail, while causing serious physical injury or death would be a Class D felony punishable by 1-5 years in prison. Currently, all torture cases involving a dog or cat are Class A misdemeanors for a first offense.
Blood donations. HB 139 will allow 16-year-olds who weigh at least 110 pounds to donate blood with written parental or legal guardian consent. The bill was crafted to help address blood shortages.
Booster Seats. SB 120 will require young children who are too big for infant car seats to be placed in booster seats when riding in vehicles. The bill states that children under 7 years old and between 40-50 inches tall must use the boosters.
Bullying. HB 91 will require the state Department of Education to craft discipline guidelines. The bill will also require local school authorities to alert law enforcement when school harassment involves a potential felony. Yearly reports on school harassment will be made to the Department of Education and the Legislature.
Cancer. SB 98 will provide Medicaid coverage for breast and cervical cancer treatments for uninsured women. SB 96 will require insurers to cover colorectal cancer screenings, in accordance with guidelines of the American Cancer Society.
Clean waterways. HB 717 will create watershed authorities to restore and improve streams around the Commonwealth. The authorities will select cleanup projects and will help leverage more money for these efforts through various grants and programs.
Criminal justice. HB 683 allows the state Parole Board to review the cases of Class C felons without a hearing, allows for GPS tracking technology for home incarceration cases, and mandates DNA collection from all felons as well as violent juvenile offenders.
Early voting. HB 479 will give citizens greater access to the voting process by allowing them to request absentee ballot applications via email. The bill also allows members of the military to return unused absentee ballots and still be allowed to vote on Election Day.
Elections. HB 370 will erase the requirement that runoff elections be held in gubernatorial primary races if no candidate receives at least 40 percent of the vote.
Energy consumption. HB 2 creates incentives for homeowners to use solar and wind energy, and to use other energy-efficient lights, windows, and insulation. The bill also requires state government and local schools to build and lease energy-efficient buildings, and establishes a low-interest loan program to help businesses and public agencies become more energy efficient.
Gas theft. SB 136 will give gas station operators a way to collect payments from people who drive off without paying for fuel. The bill outlines specific civil liability and related procedures for financial recovery after fuel theft without immediately going to court.
Holocaust education. House Joint Resolution 6 will require the Department of Education to develop a curriculum guide for schools that may be used to teach about the Holocaust as example of genocide.
Kentucky products. HB 484 will promote use of locally-grown produce and other food products by public postsecondary institutions. If colleges and universities use a vendor or food service, the legislation encourages them to use food produced in Kentucky.
Math and science incentives. SB 2 will offer incentives to increase the number of students taking advanced math and science courses in Kentucky. Incentives would be provided from a science and mathematics advancement fund aimed at improving students' math and science knowledge from elementary school through college.
Merit scholarships. SB 75 will allow students with 2.5 GPAs who are on track to graduate from college to keep their full KEES scholarship money each semester. Currently, students with GPAs above 2.5 but below 3.0 only receive half their award.
Military. HB 168 will allow active duty military serving outside the state up to 90 days to renew their driver's licenses after returning to Kentucky. They could not be cited for driving without a license during that period.
Penal code. Senate Joint Resolution 80 calls for a legislative subcommittee to undertake a review of the state penal code. The legislation would require the Legislature's Judiciary Committee to appoint a Penal Code Study Subcommittee, upon approval of General Assembly leadership. The subcommittee would be responsible for thoroughly reviewing the state's penal code and finding ways to redraft and modernize it.
Sex offenders. HB 211 will broaden Kentucky's child sex abuse laws while increasing penalties for abusers and those who fail to report abuse. The bill will include older children under state laws that protect minors from first-degree sexual abuse by raising the age of children covered by the law from 12 to 16, or 16 to 18, if the perpetrator is in a position of trust or authority.
Trauma care. HB 371 seeks to create a statewide trauma care program in the Department of public health. The bill also establishes an advisory commission and registry of trauma incidents.
Water and sewer projects. HB 608 contains line-item water and sewer projects for coal and non-coal counties in Kentucky. Funding for projects in non-coal counties will come from $150 million in bonds derived from the state's master tobacco settlement dollars, while funding for coal county projects will come from $75 million in bonds paid with coal severance revenue.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
TeenPact Week At The Capitol
TeenPact Kentucky is made up from home school students in Kentucky. TeenPact is a national organization for home school students that helps train young people in the area of government. Since Monday April 7Th TeenPact Kentucky students have been in Frankfort at the state capitol learning about our state government. On the left are some pictures of some of the students.
Our Guest Director for the week is Ned Williams. He is an attorney from Nashville, TN. This is a picture taken during the evening service on Tuesday night the 8Th of April.
Brother Joe Adams is the State Coordinator for TeenPact week. He is pictured here in his famous "We Came, We Saw, We Ate" Tee Shirt.
Every Camp must have some stability. Sitting here together are two of our camp Ladies. On the left is our camp Mom, Peggy Adams (no relation to Bro. Joe) and next to her is Sherry Smith, she is helping Mrs. Adams this week in the girl's dorm.
Saundra and I try to keep busy for the Lord. So since the legislature is out for Veto days we are hosting TeenPact Week and staying at the camp at night with the students. We may be a little old for camp life but it is exciting to serve the Lord. Pray for us this weekend (April 12-13). We will be in Ashland, Kentucky. We return on Monday, the 14Th, and if our daughter-in-law has not delivered our grandson, the doctor is going to induce labor. This will be our 8Th grandchild. What a JOY!!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
This week in Frankfort - April 3, 2008
Thank You for your prayers during the 2008 Legislative Session. We still have the last two Veto days, which will be April 14th and 15th. Next week I will the hosting the TeenPact week in Frankfort. We will have a group of between 50 and 60 young home school high school students plus staff from around the country that will come in to help educate these home school students on how government works. It will be a great week of studying, training and fellowship.
Below you will find an overview of what has happened this week in Frankfort. The legislative research Commission provide a great service of keeping us up to date.
FRANKFORT -- Short on days but long on hours and drama, this legislative week saw final passage late Wednesday of a two-year state budget that ameliorated some of the deepest cuts proposed by Gov. Steve Beshear, but did so without the Legislature passing either a tobacco-tax increase or approving a constitutional referendum on casino gambling in Kentucky -- two revenue-generating proposals floated this session to deal with shortfalls estimated at $900 million.
HB 406, which passed the House Wednesday night at 11:15 as the clock ticked toward a midnight deadline, is the budget for the biennium beginning this July 1 and running through June 30, 2010. It had passed the Senate some hours earlier. It was the product of a marathon conference committee of House and Senate members, who worked into an eighth day -- including one last 21-hour, all-night push -- to arrive at a compromise version of the budget agreeable to both chambers.
The two chambers came to those discussions with different revenue assumptions built into their proposals. The Senate in the version it passed last week turned down a House plan to raise the state cigarette tax from 30 cents to 55 cents a pack and to apply the state’s 6 percent sales tax to a few selected services, such as chartered air flights, security services and armored cars. That no-tax view prevailed in the conference committee.
Conferees were under the gun to get the bill passed ahead of the Legislature's 10-day veto recess, which is designed to give lawmakers a chance to override gubernatorial vetoes. The governor has 10 days, excluding Sundays, in which to veto a bill sent to him. That includes individual line-items in the budget bill. By passing the budget Wednesday -- before recessing until the final days of the session on April 14-15 -- lawmakers preserved their ability to override any vetoes the governor imposes.
At this writing Beshear has said he does not intend to veto the entire document, but was reviewing individual line-items as possible targets for his veto pen.
In conjunction with the budget bill, the House and Senate also approved Wednesday a separate but companion measure to provide $150 million for water and sewer projects, and small community projects in coal counties paid for with coal severance-tax receipts. As part of that agreement, some $230 million in state transportation money was freed up for road projects.
The budget bill itself -- which covers some $19 billion in Executive Branch spending for the coming biennium -- passed the Senate 35-3, and the House 74-21.
The budget lawmakers passed restores all or portions of many of the most controversial cuts Beshear had proposed, especially in education. Instead of the 12-percent cuts in higher education he envisioned, this budget imposed only a 3-percent reduction. Base funding for public schools -- including 1-percent raises for teachers and school employees in each of the next two years -- is $43.5 million more in 2008-09 and $85.6 million more in 2009-10 than the administration proposed.
State employees would also get 1-percent annual raises.
The budget also appropriates $60 million in bond funds for the Bucks for Brains program aimed at luring top researchers to state universities, and fully funds the Kentucky Education Excellence Scholarships program (KEEP) for the biennium.
It provides money for new infrastructure at Fort Knox, which is expecting an influx of new troops in the next few years, and for two worldwide events scheduled for Kentucky — the 2008 Ryder Cup golf tournament in Louisville and the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington. There is a mechanism in the budget agreement for the Louisville bridges project to proceed. Overall, most state government programs receive more funding in the final budget than in the spending proposal Beshear submitted the Legislature in January.
Although taxes aren't raised, the budget finds additional money by replacing fewer state employees when they retire, by refinancing some state debt, by requiring the Kentucky Lottery to contribute more of its profits to the state, and through other efficiency measures.
With passage of the budget, most of the work of this year's session is concluded, although several bills remain in conference committee and could yet be voted on during the two veto days in April. Among those is the state-employees pension-rescue bill, which has yet to be agreed upon in final form by conferees, and would need to be voted on by both chambers. Also still in conference committee is the executive branch ethics-reform bill.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Anti-Casinos Ralley At KY Sate Capitol Building
Pastor Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church organized a rally for the churches of Kentucky to show their concern for the proposed Casino gambling bill. There were between 600 and 700 people that came to the rally on March 5, 2008 to say NO to Casino Gambling in Kentucky. Below are some pictures of Pastor Fugate speaking, the crowd and of course my wife holding her sign that spelled an acrostic for casinos - Citizens Against Sin sIn siN On Society.
March - Newslwtter
March 1, 2008
Dear Prayer Warrior:
The 2008 Legislative Session is now more than half over. It is hard to believe that time has gone so fast. We are having a great spiritual session in spite of the battle over the casinos. Continue to pray that God will defeat any move to add casinos to our list of sin taxes and that God will show our leaders where the new revenue will be that they need to balance the budget.
The 2008 Legislative Session is now more than half over. It is hard to believe that time has gone so fast. We are having a great spiritual session in spite of the battle over the casinos. Continue to pray that God will defeat any move to add casinos to our list of sin taxes and that God will show our leaders where the new revenue will be that they need to balance the budget.
Pray for our legislators as they stand for what is right and as we seek to minister to them during this session. We had a great time in many churches in the month of February. We had a mix of God and Country Services, mission conferences, special days at some of our supporting churches, Capitol tours, Legislative Prayer Breakfasts and other meetings. All of these things we have done around our ministry in the Capitol each day.
Some of the churches we were in February are: Justiceville Baptist Church in Pikeville, KY with Interim Pastor Richard Meek for a God & Country Service; Grace Baptist Church in LaGrange, KY with pastor David Woosley for a day of special preaching; Open Door Baptist Church in Paducah, KY with Pastor Bob Kelley for a missions conference, Pine Grove Community Church in Liberty, KY where Bro. Jeff Edwards is pastor; Bible Baptist Church in Lexington, KY with Pastor Sidney Bates. We had four great Legislative Prayer Breakfasts and had a Non-Public School Commission Meeting. We added to this soul winning, counseling sessions, office work and many great times in prayer with our Lord and Savior. What a joy it is to be your missionary and be able to preach and minister to all these people and see all the results that God allows in the work. Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Saundra and I pray for everyone that gets our monthly newsletter because you are so special in the work.
I have made all my appointments to the Veterans Administration and we should know about their decision in the near future. It could be a few months but it will be a blessing when it comes. I am using my mobility cart in the Capitol for the long walking and it is working out well. It sure saves on my legs. Saundra and I feel your prayers and know that God is allowing us to do more than ever even though we are dealing with our health issues. We can do all things through Christ, who is strengthening us.
Yours in Christ,
Dr. Joe & Saundra Adams
Friday, February 29, 2008
This Week In Frankfort - February 29, 2008
The Legislative Research Commission give an overview of the weeks activities. Below is the report of the highlights of this weeks activities.
FRANKFORT -- A major reform of the state's public-employee and teacher retirement systems -- systems beset with unfunded liabilities totaling billions of dollars -- passed the House unanimously this week, a week that also saw a constitutional amendment on casino gambling approved by a House committee.
The pension-reform measure -- House Bill 600 -- seeks to put the brakes on a growing $26-billion shortfall in the pension funds, which affect more than 445,000 current and retired state and local government workers and teachers. Actuaries say the system will go broke by 2022 if nothing is done.
Under the House bill, future state hires would have to contribute more to their retirement, and work longer to qualify for full benefits. Employee contributions would rise to 6 percent of their salary, as opposed to the current 5 percent. Future state and local employees would need 30 years of service to qualify for full benefits, up from the current 27. They would also have to be at least 55 years old. (There is no current age requirement for receiving full benefits, as long as a worker has 27 years of service). Hazardous-duty employees such as police and firefighters would have to work for at least 25 years instead of the current 20 to receive full benefits.
Another major change: The annual cost-of-living increase for retirees will be fixed at 1.5 percent. Currently, the pension system COLA is pegged to the rate of inflation as determined by the Consumer Price Index, and has been running around 3 percent in recent years. The bill also eliminates so-called double dipping, a practice under which retired employees return to work in state government and establish a second pension plan.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
Meanwhile this week, a House committee voted 7-2 to approve HB 550, a constitutional amendment that would authorize up to nine casinos in Kentucky. Committee debate on the measure centered on whether it should set aside up to five of the nine casino licenses for the state's horse tracks. Under the bill as finally approved and sent to the House, however, tracks could apply for licenses, but would have no assurance of getting them.
Although the casino bill has now cleared its first hurdle, the road ahead is a long one for this as for any constitutional amendment. It must pass both the full House and full Senate with 3/5ths majorities (60 yea votes in the House, 23 in the Senate) and then be ratified by Kentucky voters in a statewide referendum next fall.
Meanwhile, the Senate this week passed legislation to help address one of the gravest health threats facing Kentuckians: Cancer. More than 22,000 Kentuckians are diagnosed with cancer each year, and nearly 10,000 die. The two bills the Senate passed are aimed at giving Kentuckians increased access to screening and treatment for some of the most common and deadliest forms of cancer.
Senate Bill 96 requires health insurance plans to cover colorectal screenings for anyone over 50, as well as anyone considered at increased risk. Similar legislation, HB 162, has also been approved in the House. Kentucky men have the highest rate of colon cancer in the nation, and rates for Kentucky women are far above the national average.
Senate Bill 98, meanwhile, would ensure that all women in Kentucky have access to breast and cervical cancer treatment. The bill authorizes Medicaid to cover those treatments for uninsured Kentuckians, even those not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. This is already state policy because of an executive order, but the Senate bill would actually write it into law.
The Senate also voted this week to eliminate the position of state Treasurer as an elected office, and move its responsibilities to other executive branch agencies. In addition, SB 14 requires that the state's two elected watchdogs -- Auditor and Attorney General -- run for office on a non-partisan basis, with no party affiliation listed on the ballot.
The General Assembly has a number of ways for citizens to stay informed about legislative activities during the session. They can visit the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at www.lrc.ky.gov or call several toll-free numbers:
· The Bill Status Line: 866-840-2835.
· The Calendar Line (for meeting schedules): 800-633-9650.
· The Message Line (to leave a message for an individual legislator): 800-372-7181.
FRANKFORT -- A major reform of the state's public-employee and teacher retirement systems -- systems beset with unfunded liabilities totaling billions of dollars -- passed the House unanimously this week, a week that also saw a constitutional amendment on casino gambling approved by a House committee.
The pension-reform measure -- House Bill 600 -- seeks to put the brakes on a growing $26-billion shortfall in the pension funds, which affect more than 445,000 current and retired state and local government workers and teachers. Actuaries say the system will go broke by 2022 if nothing is done.
Under the House bill, future state hires would have to contribute more to their retirement, and work longer to qualify for full benefits. Employee contributions would rise to 6 percent of their salary, as opposed to the current 5 percent. Future state and local employees would need 30 years of service to qualify for full benefits, up from the current 27. They would also have to be at least 55 years old. (There is no current age requirement for receiving full benefits, as long as a worker has 27 years of service). Hazardous-duty employees such as police and firefighters would have to work for at least 25 years instead of the current 20 to receive full benefits.
Another major change: The annual cost-of-living increase for retirees will be fixed at 1.5 percent. Currently, the pension system COLA is pegged to the rate of inflation as determined by the Consumer Price Index, and has been running around 3 percent in recent years. The bill also eliminates so-called double dipping, a practice under which retired employees return to work in state government and establish a second pension plan.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
Meanwhile this week, a House committee voted 7-2 to approve HB 550, a constitutional amendment that would authorize up to nine casinos in Kentucky. Committee debate on the measure centered on whether it should set aside up to five of the nine casino licenses for the state's horse tracks. Under the bill as finally approved and sent to the House, however, tracks could apply for licenses, but would have no assurance of getting them.
Although the casino bill has now cleared its first hurdle, the road ahead is a long one for this as for any constitutional amendment. It must pass both the full House and full Senate with 3/5ths majorities (60 yea votes in the House, 23 in the Senate) and then be ratified by Kentucky voters in a statewide referendum next fall.
Meanwhile, the Senate this week passed legislation to help address one of the gravest health threats facing Kentuckians: Cancer. More than 22,000 Kentuckians are diagnosed with cancer each year, and nearly 10,000 die. The two bills the Senate passed are aimed at giving Kentuckians increased access to screening and treatment for some of the most common and deadliest forms of cancer.
Senate Bill 96 requires health insurance plans to cover colorectal screenings for anyone over 50, as well as anyone considered at increased risk. Similar legislation, HB 162, has also been approved in the House. Kentucky men have the highest rate of colon cancer in the nation, and rates for Kentucky women are far above the national average.
Senate Bill 98, meanwhile, would ensure that all women in Kentucky have access to breast and cervical cancer treatment. The bill authorizes Medicaid to cover those treatments for uninsured Kentuckians, even those not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. This is already state policy because of an executive order, but the Senate bill would actually write it into law.
The Senate also voted this week to eliminate the position of state Treasurer as an elected office, and move its responsibilities to other executive branch agencies. In addition, SB 14 requires that the state's two elected watchdogs -- Auditor and Attorney General -- run for office on a non-partisan basis, with no party affiliation listed on the ballot.
The General Assembly has a number of ways for citizens to stay informed about legislative activities during the session. They can visit the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at www.lrc.ky.gov or call several toll-free numbers:
· The Bill Status Line: 866-840-2835.
· The Calendar Line (for meeting schedules): 800-633-9650.
· The Message Line (to leave a message for an individual legislator): 800-372-7181.
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