While the budget made most of the headlines last week in Frankfort, the Kentucky General Assembly has or is working on other notable measures.
The two-year spending plan designates significant funds for reserves and state Representative Myron Dossett of Pembroke hopes that gives the state the wiggle room it needs to move forward with tax reform that would move Kentucky toward a more consumption-based system similar to Tennessee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee recently forwarded on Senate Bill 38 to the full Senate. Senator Whitney Westerfield chairs that committee and says it would designate the crime of incest as a violent offense, meaning convicted offenders would have to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
There is legislation filed that would move the primary election to August 2 and the filing deadline to May 31 as a contingency plan for if the lawsuit filed by the Kentucky Democratic Party against the recently approved redistricting maps isn’t ruled on quickly and Representative Walker Thomas of Hopkinsville says it’s anyone’s guess what will happen between now and the current filing deadline of Tuesday afternoon.
You can listen to local lawmakers discuss many issues during our weekly legislative update program on Lite Rock 98.7 and online at lite987whop.com.