2007 Legislative Session Summary
I believe that this was a successful session in which we passed major pieces of legislation, which I proudly co-sponsored, that will have a positive impact on Louisville and its residents.
One of those - House Bill 305 to raise the state minimum wage to $7.25 per hour - was a centerpiece of House Democrats' "Commitment to Kentucky Families" agenda.  House Bill 305 will increase the state minimum wage took effect this summer, followed by a jump to $6.55 an hour in 2008.  By 2009, minimum wage workers will make $7.25 -- 40 percent more than they are making now.

House Bill 549 creates a new funding mechanism to cover over one-fourth of the cost of the $465 million Museum Plaza project planned for downtown Louisville. It will allow a local portion of the lodging taxes expected from a hotel planned as part of the Plaza to cover part of the public infrastructure improvements needed for the project.

The Legislature also approved an incentive package aimed at keeping Ford Motor Company in Kentucky. Ford employs more than 8,000 workers at its two Louisville plants, with a combined $4-billion-a-year impact on Kentucky's economy.

 We passed House Bill 337, which will allow Medicaid to reimburse providers for additional smoking cessation treatments. Currently, Medicaid covers nicotine replacement therapies, but House Bill 337 expands those treatment options to include counseling, and prescription and over-the-counter medication.

 We also passed the “Boni Bill,” named after Boni Frederick, a Henderson state employee who was killed last fall while supervising a home visit between a mother and her child, who had been placed in foster care.

 This bill, a key priority of the House, will provide a much stronger safety net for social workers.  It enables the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to use up to $6 million to hire as many as 80 more of these employees and to enact several protective measures including speedier criminal background checks, safer visitation locations, andmore accurate reporting of threats or violence.

 As much as we accomplished, however, my colleagues in the House and I wish that more could have been done.  Our top goal heading into the session was restoring the $370 million worth of projects that were vetoed last spring.  They were overwhelmingly supported by the legislators in 2006, and everyone – including the governor – appeared on board early this year.

 We all recognize the need for these projects, most of which are for our postsecondary campuses.  Many would have been self-funded, because they would have brought in new revenue to cover the cost of borrowing to build them.  These include renovations at the University of Louisville's Miller Hall and parking facilities on campus.  Also included was $6 million for Glacier Run (a polar bear exhibit) at the Louisville Zoo and $2 million for improvements at Brooklawn children's home.

 Unfortunately, this issue became entangled with the state Senate’s late plan to overhaul the retirement system for state and county government employees.  The Senate refused to approve the vetoed projects unless the House signed on to its pension reform plan.

 Because the Senate proposal was only unveiled with just a few legislative days remaining, the House took the position that more time was needed to study changes to a multi-billion dollar program, leading to the impasse.

 We all agree that significantly more money is needed to financially shore up the retirement systems for those workers as well as teachers.  But the House is committed to studying the issue in depth this year, in the hope a plan can be devised that is both fair and affordable.

 Several other important pieces of legislation got caught in the back and forth wrangling between chambers including two bills I co-sponsored. 

 House Bill 70 would have put a constitutional amendment on the November 2008 ballot asking voters if voting rights should be automatically restored to felons who have completed their sentence.  House Bill 3 would have put another constitutional amendment that would have prohibited the governor from pardoning anyone who had not been charged with a crime. Unfortunately, neither of these bills passed but I have hope that they will fare better in the 2008 session.

 I served my first term as Chair of the Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs and worked hard in this short session.  Many important bills are assigned to this committee and I am proud to serve as its chairman.

While the 2007 session had its disappointing moments, much good was accomplished and Louisville will benefit from our legislative efforts. I am always mindful of my resposiblity to represent you and all of my constitutents in District 43, and look foward to your input as we move into the 2008 legislative session.