Four local legislators voted against a bill Friday morning that would ban paddling of children in Kentucky schools, while another lawmaker is sponsoring a bill to change how some juveniles are dealt with in the justice system.
House Bill 22 outlaws corporal punishment in Kentucky and it passed the full House on a 65-17 vote.
Four of those ‘no’ votes came from Representative Myron Dossett of Pembroke, Representative Walker Thomas of Hopkinsville, Representative Jason Petrie of Elkton and Representative Lynn Bechler of Marion.
Dossett cites his own experience in believing paddling can be an effective way to discipline, despite research from experts showing corporal punishment does more harm than good.
Representative Thomas’ concerns were more with language that bans paddling or spanking in private schools.
Representative Melinda Prunty of Greenville was the only area lawmaker to vote for the bill, which now heads to the Senate for consideration. Approximately 20 percent of school districts in Kentucky still allow corporal punish, though it’s unlikely all of them still utilize the practice.
Meanwhile, Senate Bill 87 is sponsored by Senator Whitney Westerfield and would give judges discretion on whether juvenile cases should be heard in adult circuit court when a gun is involved. He says current state law requires those juveniles to be tried as adults, even if the gun was never used.
That bill now heads to the House for consideration.
Hear local legislators discuss these topics and more on our Legislative Update Program Sunday morning at 9 on Lite Rock 98.7 and online at lite987whop.com.