2015 Bill Tracker
KFTC SUPPORTSRestoration of Voting Rights AmendmentHouse Bill 70 Senate Bill 70 | Summary House Bill 70 and Senate Bill 70, theRestoration of Voting Rights Amendment, would allow voters a chance to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to most former felons upon the completion of their sentence. KFTC also supports similar bills, HB 26 and SB 26. A KFTC factsheet can be downloaded here. | Status HB 70 passed the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee on February 10 and the full House on February 12 by an 86-12 margin (the 10th time in the last 9 years this legislation has passed the House). The House also defeated a floor amendment to add a three-year waiting period. Click HERE to see how they voted. HB 70 and SB 70 were assigned to the Senate State and Local Government Committee and did not receive a hearing or vote. |
KFTC SUPPORTSUniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA)House Bill 368 | Summary House Bill 368 would apply statewide standards to encourage “landlords and tenants to maintain and improve the quality of housing.” These standards already exist with local governments having the option to adopt them. HB 368 would apply the standards equally all across the state. Learn more with this handout. | Status HB 368 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee but did not receive a hearing or vote. Interest in the legislation should result in a hearing during the legislative interim. |
KFTC SUPPORTSThe Kentucky Forward PlanHouse Bill 132 | Summary The Kentucky Forward Bill (House Bill 132) would have made Kentucky's tax system more fair, adequate and sustainable with a broad variety of reforms. It would have raised about $575 million in new revenue, mostly from income and transactions that currently go untaxed. Lower income folks would have paid less in taxes, largely due to a 15% refundable Earned Income Tax Credit. Here is a HB 132 summary. | Status HB 132 was assigned to the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSClean Energy Opportunity ActHouse Bill 229 | Summary The Clean Energy Opportunity Actwould have created a Renewable and Efficiency Portfolio Standard requiring utilities in Kentucky to get an increasing share of their electricity from clean, renewable sources and energy efficiency programs. It also would have established a Feed-in Tariff that sets a guaranteed rate for renewable energy producers. The two policies could create 28,000 new Kentucky jobs over the next 10 years. | Status House Bill 229 was filed on February 3 and was assigned to the Tourism Development and Energy Committee. A commttee hearing scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at was cancelled due to a snowstorm. The House Economic Development Committee also planned to hear about the job potential of clean energy on March 5 and that, too, was cancelled. A hearing during the legislative interim by one or both of these committees is expected. |
KFTC SUPPORTSStream Saver BillHouse Bill 131 | Summary House Bill 131 would have provided important protections for our water by prohibiting the dumping of toxic mine wastes, most commonly associated with mountaintop removal, into "an intermittent, perennial, or ephemeral stream or other water of the Commonwealth." These are mostly headwater streams that are essential to the quality of waterways upstream and downstream. Mine wastes could be placed back on the mine site or an adjacent mine site as part of the reclamation process already specified in state and federal law rather than dumped over the side of the hill into the valleys and streams below. Download a handout on HB 131. | Status HB 131 was assigned to the House Natural Resources & Environment Committee. No hearings or votes on pro-environment bills are allowed in this committee. |
KFTC SUPPORTSEarned Income Tax CreditHouse Bill 374 | Summary House Bill 374 would close several corporate tax loopholes that allow some profitable corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, and use the revenue to fund a 7.5%Earned Income Tax Credit for Kentucky’s working families. Learn more from KCEP HERE. | Status HB 374 was assigned to the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee. A committee had a brief "discussion only" hearing on March 3 with testimony from Rep. Jim Wayne, Rep. Greg Stumbo, Jesus Gonzalez for KFTC and Jason Bailey with theKentucky Center for Economic Policy. No vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSEnergy tax creditsHouse Bill 349 | Summary House Bill 349 extends the energy efficiency and renewable tax credits, including Energy Star home and Energy Star manufactured home tax credit, to taxable periods beginning before January 1, 2023. | Status HB 349 was assigned to the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSMinimum wageHouse Bill 2 | Summary House Bill 2 will raise the minimum wage for most workers in Kentucky to $10.10 an hour over the next three years, with exceptions for several classifications of employees. It also prohibits some wage discrimination on the basis of sex, race, or national origin. | Status HB 2 passed out of the House Labor & Industry Committee on February 5 and the full House on February 10 by a 56-43 margin. The House also defeated a floor amendment to lower the wage to $8 an hour. Click HERE to see how the House voted. HB 2 was assigned to the Appropriations and Revenue Committee in the Senate where it died. |
KFTC SUPPORTSFairnessHouse Bill 379 Senate Bill 156 | Summary House Bill 379 and Senate Bill 156 prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations and financial transactions on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. | Status HB 379 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. SB 156 was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. No hearing or vote took place on either bill. |
KFTC SUPPORTSAbolition of the Death PenaltyHouse Bill 82 Senate Bill 15 | Summary House Bill 82 and Senate Bill 15 would abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without parole for inmates presently sentenced to death, and permitt imprisonment for life without parole and imprisonment for life without parole for 25 years for offenses formerly denominated as capital offenses. | Status HB 82 and SB 15 were assigned to the House andSenate Judiciary committees respectively. No hearing or vote took place on either bill. |
KFTC SUPPORTSExpungementHouse Bill 40 | Summary House Bill 40 would expand expungement statues to include Class D felonies when certain conditions are met, and to exclude felonies referred to a grand jury where no indictment ensues. | Status HB 40 passed the House, 84-14, on February 25. It was assigned to the Judiciary Committee in the Senate where it died. |
KFTC SUPPORTSArrest-related DeathsSenate Bill 69 | Summary Senate Bill 69 would require an investigation and public reporting of deaths that occur during arrests. | Status SB 69 has been assigned to the Senate State and Local Government Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSPayday LendingSenate Bill 32 | Summary Senate Bill 32 attemps to limit the abuses of payday lending, including setting an annual cap on interest rates at 36%. Learn more at the website of the Kentucky Coalition for Responsible Lending | Status SB 32 was assigned to the Senate State and Local Government Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSEminent DomainHouse Bill 103 Senate Bill 113 | Summary House Bill 103 and Senate Bill 113, as currently written, are placeholders for a bill to clarify that private companies not regulated by the Public Service Commission do not have the power of eminent domain. | Status HB 103 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. SB 113 was assigned to the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee. No hearing or vote took place on either bill. |
KFTC SUPPORTSPipeline SafetyHouse Bill 272 | Summary House Bill 272 sets up a Pipeline Safety Fund in order to equip and train emergency responders for natural gas and hazardous liquids pipeline leaks, spills and explosions. It also directs the Public Service Commission to get certification in order to set up a pipeline safety inspection program within the state. | Status HB 272 was assigned to the House Tourism Development and Energy Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSUtility shutoff preventionHouse Bill 324 | Summary House Bill 324 would prohibit utility shutoffs if a financial hardship exists, a resident has a serious illness, there is an infant under 12 months of age or adults 65+ years, it is between November 1 and March 31. | Status HB 324 has been assigned to the House Tourism Development and Energy Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSLocal energy efficiency projectsHouse Bill 100 | Summary House Bill 100 would allow local governments to establish energy project assessment district programs in order to advance the efficient use of energy and water resources, and provide for local funding. | Status HB 100 was approved by the House Tourism, Development, and Energy Committee on February 5 and on by the full House on February 9 by a 66-32 vote. It was approved by the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee on March 4 and by the full Senate, with an amendment, on March 11. The House concurred with the Senate changes, 85-13, and the bill has been signed into law by the governor. Click HERE to see how the House and Senate voted. |
KFTC SUPPORTSSpecial waste landfillsHouse Bill 372 | Summary House Bill 372 requires a minimum buffer zone of 1500 feet between any special waste landfill, such as coal ash, and the property line of any residential property. | Status HB 372 was assigned to the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSMobile home residents rightsHouse Bill 327 | Summary House Bill 327 set conditions for eviction of residents of manufactured home communities; prohibit retaliation against manufactured home residents in certain circumstances; apply URLTA to manufactured home communities in c | Status HB 327 was assigned to the House Judicary Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC SUPPORTSPublic financing for judicial electionsHouse Bill 63 | Summary House Bill 63 will establish a system for public financing of elections for justice of the supreme court. | Status HB 63 was approved by the House Judiciary Committee on February 12. But House leaders refused to allow a floor vote on the bill. |
KFTC SUPPORTSElectronic voter registrationHouse Bill 214 | Summary House Bill 214 sets up electronic voter registration throughout the state. | Status HB 214 was approved by the House Elections and Contitutional Amendments Committee on February 10 and by the full House, 92-3, on February 23. In the Senate it was assigned to the State and Local Government Committee, where it died. |
KFTC SUPPORTSStudent involvementHouse Bill 236 | Summary House Bill 236 along with House Concurrent Resolution 69 would allow for a student representative on superintendent search committees and incorporate | Status HB 236 and HCR 69 were both approved by theHouse Education Committee on February 24. HB 236 passed the full House, 88-5, on February 26. HCR 69 passed the full House, 79-14, on March 3. HB 236 was approved by the Senate Education Committee on March 9. Senate floor amendments were filed related to use of restrooms by transgender students, prayer in school and making the student rep a non-voting member. On march 24, HB 236 passed the Senate 27-9-1 with the school prayer amendment. Supporters decided to let this bill die in the House rather than vote on concurrence with the Senate changes. |
KFTC OPPOSESLocal Sales Tax OptionHouse Bill 1 | Summary House Bill 1 would amend the state constitution (if approved by voters) to give Kentucky cities the authority to enact local sales tax increases of up to 1% for specific capital projects, if approved by local vote. Read HERE why the LOST is a bad idea and there are ways to raise local revenue that are more fair. | Status HB 1 passed the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee on February 10 and the full House on February 12 by a 65-32 margin. Click HERE to see how the House voted. HB 1 was assigned to the State and Local Government Committee in the Senate, where it died. |
KFTC OPPOSESRural telephone deregulationHouse Bill 152 Senate Bill 3 | Summary Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 152 (known as the "AT&T Bill") would weaken Public Service Commission's oversight over telephone providers. This would have several impacts, including:
| Status HB 152 passed out of the House Economic Development Committee on February 5. It passed the full House on February 24 by a 71 to 25 vote after House members rejected floor amendments that woudl have added some consumer protections back in the bill. See how House members voted HERE. HB 152 was fast-tracked in the Senate with committee approval on the morning of March 2 and a Senate floor that same afternoon. It passed 30-3. Gov. Steve Beshear has signed HB 152 into law. SB 3 was approved by the Senate Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor Committee on February 11. It already has been taken from committee and given two readings on the Senate floor, setting the stage for a quick floor vote that was never needed because of the action on HB 152. |
KFTC OPPOSESRight to workSenate Bill 1 | Summary Senate Bill 1, the “Right To Work Act,” would prohibit mandatory membership in or financial support of a labor union as a condition of employment. | Status SB 1 passed out of the Senate with a vote of 24-12. It was defeated in the House Labor and Industry Committee on February 12 by a 4-15 vote.. |
KFTC OPPOSESOil and gas drilling, frackingHouse Bill 386 Senate Bill 186 | Summary House Bill 386 and Senate Bill 186 were identical bills written by the Kentucky Energy Cabinet to address concerns about the growing wave of deep drilling and fracking but it falls short of protecting communities from many of the most significant impacts stemming from high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracking. | Status HB 386 passed the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee on February 24 and, being put on the fast track, passed the full House on February 25 by a 96-0 vote. An attempt to add a two-year moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracking was quashed by House leaders. HB 386 has been assigned to the Natural Resources and Energy Committee in the Senate and was given one reading on the Senate floor. SB 186 was approved by the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee on February 25 and, also on the fast track, passed the full Senate the next day, 37-0. An attempt to add a two-year moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracking was quashed by Senate leaders. SB 186 passed the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee on March 10, the full House 99-0 on March 11 and was signed into law by Gov. Beshear on March 19. See how they voted on SB 186 HERE. |
KFTC OPPOSESUnmined minerals taxHouse Bill 130 | Summary House Bill 130 would reduce tax revenue for schools and county governments in counties where coal is mined by eliminating the unmined minerals tax for coal reserves that haven't been mined in the last 10 years. | Status HB 130 has been assigned to the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC OPPOSESUnmined minerals taxHouse Bill 338 | Summary House Bill 338 would exempt unmined coal reserves from state and local property tax if the owner does not hold a valid permit to mine. | Status HB 338 has been assigned to the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC OPPOSESNuclear power plant constructionHouse Bill 84 | Summary House Bill 84 would have circumvented Kentucky's existing ban on the construction of nuclear power plants by allowing plants to be constructed on sites previously used for the manufacture of nuclear products. | Status HB 84 was assigned to the House Tourism, Development, and Energy Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
KFTC OPPOSESNuclear energySenate Bill 90 | Summary Senate Bill 90 would have removed the de facto ban on nuclear power facilities by requiring only a plan for storage of nuclear waste rather than a permanent means of disposal. | Status SB 90 was approved by the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee on February 25, and by the full Senate 30-7 on March 3. It was assigned to theHouse Tourism, Development, and Energy Committee, where it died. See how the Senate votedHERE. |
KFTC OPPOSESNet meteringSenate Bill 196 | Summary Senate Bill 196 would have destroyed the residential net metering program that we currently have, while doing nothing good to encourage the growth of net metering in the commercial sector (though we believe this is not what the sponsor intended). | Status HB 196 was assigned to the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. No hearing or vote took place. |
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