2006 Legislative Priorities
KFTC’s 2006 legislative issues at a glance
The 2006 General Assembly adjourned on
April 12. These are the final results for 2006.
April 12. These are the final results for 2006.
| Issue | Summary | Outcome |
|
Tax Justice House Bill 506 KFTC position: FOR More information … |
HB 506 proposed to extend the sales tax to selected services, established an Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families, increased individual income tax rates 1-2% for upper incomes, and preserved the estate tax, raising about $200 million in revenue. | HB 506 was heard before the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee on Feb. 7. The progressive tax reform and revenue growth ideas in the bill were ignored when House members passed a budget. |
| Coal Trucks House Bill 560 KFTC position: FOR More information … |
HB 560 proposed to strengthen enforcement of coal truck weight limits by setting up an electronic monitoring system of truck weights. Coal companies that load the trucks would be responsible for overweight fines, not the truck drivers. | HB 560 was assigned to the House Transportation Committee. Despite majority support on the committee, chair Rep. Hubert Collins said overweight coal trucks were not a problem and refused to bring up the bill for a hearing. |
| Valley Fills House Bill 83 KFTC position: FOR More information … |
HB 83 proposed to prohibit the dumping of mining wastes into any waterway. Coal companies would have been required to return mining wastes to the mine site or another mining site. | HB 83 was assigned to the House Natural Resources & Environment Committee. Committee chair Rep. Jim Gooch did not allow the bill to come up for a hearing. |
| Voting Rights House Bill 480 KFTC position: FOR More information … |
HB 480 called for a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to former felons upon the completion of their sentence. | No hearing took place in the House Elections & Const. Amendments Committee after House Democrats decided not to consider any constitutional amendments. |
| Dirty Air Senate Bill 39 KFTC position: AGAINST More information … |
SB 39 proposed to take away authority for, and thereby eliminate, Louisville’s Strategic Toxic Air Reduction (STAR) program. | The House re-wrote SB 39 to keep the STAR program in place but the Senate rejected this change. The House refused to recede from its change. The bill died when no compromise could be reached. STAR remains in place. |
| Affordable Housing House Bill 338 KFTC position: FOR More information … |
HB 338 established a permanent source of funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund through an increase in mortgage transaction fees. | Public pressure overcame opposition from Senate President David Williams and forced a final-hours compromise to designate $1 of a fee collected by county clerks for affordable housing. About $4.3 million will be raised. |
| Emergency Action Plans HJR 193, SJR 230 KFTC position: FOR |
House Joint Resolution 193 called for the state to develop a program requiring owners of significant- and high-hazard impoundments to establish and make public Emergency Action Plans. | The full House and the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources approved HJR 193. Despite two readings, the resolution was not given a vote on the Senate floor. |
| Minimum Wage House Bill 378 KFTC position: FOR |
HB 378 would have raised the state minimum wage to $6 in July 2006 and to $6.50 in July 2007. | HB 378 passed the House Labor & Industry Committee in January but stalled on the House floor. House leaders sent the bill back to the Labor Committee, where it died. |
| National Health Insurance HCR 40 KFTC position: FOR |
HCR 40 urged the U.S. Congress to pass the United States National Health Insurance Act, to create “a universal, single-payer system of high quality national health insurance. | HCR 40 passed the House Health & Welfare Committee in January but was killed by House leaders who never allowed a floor vote. |
| Water Quality House Resolution 155 KFTC position: FOR |
HR 155 urges the Division of Water to make water quality data available to the public and local governments. Resolutions do not have the force of law. | HR 155 was adopted by a voice vote on February 22. |
| Mining in Robinson Forest House Bill 726 KFTC position: AGAINST |
HB 726 called for the University of Kentucky to withdraw its policy against strip mining in its 12,000-acre Robinson Forest. | The bill was never heard in committee. |
| Right to work Prevailing wage HB 38, 64 and 217 KFTC position: AGAINST |
HB 38 attempted to weaken the power of labor unions by prohibiting mandatory union membership or payment of union dues; HB 64 & 217 repealed prevailing wage laws for certain agencies. | The issues were voted on and soundly defeated in the House Labor & Industry Committee. |
| Wal-Mart Health Care House Bill 493 KFTC position: FOR |
House Bill 493 would have required any company with more than 10,000 employees in the state to spend at least 10% of total wages on employee health care. | After it passed the Banking & Insurance Committee, House leaders refused to bring up the bill for a vote on the House floor. |
| Anti-Democracy Amendment Senate Bill 236 KFTC position: AGAINST |
SB 236 was a proposed constitutional amendment that attacked judicial independence, civil rights and checks and balances between the legislative and judicial branches of government. | SB 236 was defeated on the Senate floor when it fell one vote short of the 60% needed to pass. |