Report to the People
By: State Senator Ernie Harris

Last week, the General Assembly went back to work. After a month long recess in January that allowed committees to meet and discuss legislation, the General Assembly reconvened on Tuesday to do the business of the people.

Two issues that came up this week will have a significant impact on the future of the Commonwealth. Legislation dealing with government accountability and the environment were passed by committees and sent to the Senate for a vote.

As Chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, I am certainly interested in maintaining the natural beauty of our commonwealth. I'm proud to say that two bills were approved that I believe will help us achieve this worthwhile goal. The other environmental legislation of note that garnered bipartisan support was Senate Bill 56. SB 56, which I introduced, calls for the creation of the Kentucky Commonwealth Litter Education Action Network, or KY-CLEAN. It establishes a 21 person board (representing environmental advocacy groups) that would oversee an extensive public service campaign based on the popular and successful "Don't Mess with Texas" campaign of a few years ago. I believe this bill is a major step forward in cleaning up litter in Kentucky.

Senate Bill 2 deals with cleaning up contaminated property for future use. Better known as the "brownfields bill," this legislation would encourage voluntary cleanup and recycling of former industrial property and contains a provision requiring owners of contaminated property to clean it up according to an agreement with the Cabinet for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. This is similar legislation that passed the Senate in 2000 but never received a vote in the House.

This type of legislation is needed so communities can redevelop former industrial sites and create more jobs. A similar program in Pennsylvania led to the cleanup of over 800 sites and to the creation of more than 20-thousand jobs in the five years after it went in to place. Kentucky is one of only five states in the nation not to have this kind of law in effect.

Another issue the Senate continues to pursue is that of government efficiency and accountability. Senate Bills 1 and 60 both passed committee this week and deal with these issues.

Senate Bill 1, known as the Good Government Bill, deals with bringing more accountability to the legislative process. The current filing deadline to run for office is in January, which comes right in the beginning of a session of the General Assembly. This legislation moves the filing deadline for running for office back to the first Tuesday in April so we can allow people across Kentucky to watch their representatives cast votes in the General Assembly before deciding whether or not to file to run for office. This provision of the bill also moves the primary date to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June.

The second provision of Senate Bill 1 deals with contracts. It simply states that anyone who contributes to either party or gubernatorial campaign may not receive a state contract for 18 months after the contribution. This will remove the appearance of impropriety between donors and the administration.

Senate Bill 60 deals with emergency orders and regulations and bring the Senate to its rightful place in government. One way of making sure we have a strong system of checks and balances in state government is by having parity on watchdog, committees. These committees are designed to be an oversight of the Executive Branch. While in most instance these committees are unable to stop questionable contracts or regulations, they do serve as a strong flashlight which we can shine into the deepest and darkest corners of state government, exposing waste, corruption, and abuse. The House and Senate, both Republicans and Democrats alike, must be equal partners in bringing accountability to the day-to-day operation of state government.

Last year the Governor issued more than 1,400 Executive Orders. There is no current filing system in place for these Orders, so SB 60 establishes a system of categorization and numbering of Executive Orders so they can be reviewed by the General Assembly and the public. Also, SB 60 would prevent state agencies from handing down new or increased taxes or fees without legislative approval, and would prohibit agencies from enacting regulations without public notice and input.

As always, feel free to contact me at any time. You can e-mail me through the Legislative Research Commission website www.lrc.state.ky.us., or you can leave a message for me at 1-800-372-7181. If you prefer to write me, address it to Capitol Annex, Frankfort, 40601. I look forward to hearing from you as we continue this session of the General Assembly.