Report to the People
By: State Senator Ernie Harris

Senate budget hearings are already underway. With less than 15 working days until the end of the legislative session, the lights in the State Capitol will be burning late into the night as we dig into the budget and make sure the final spending plan is structurally sound.

While the budget is a focal point, the Senate is also moving forward and doing the people’s business.  A very important bill addressing Kentucky’s nursing shortage was approved this past week.  Senate Bill 289 establishes a Nursing Workforce Foundation to award grants to nursing education programs.  The foundation will be funded through grants and gifts from public and private entities.  Nurses are a vital component of quality healthcare yet Kentucky hospitals are reporting vacancy rates of 8 to 9 percent for registered nurses. In fact, there are more than 5,000 positions for nurses available right now in hospitals around Kentucky.  SB 289 addresses the nursing shortage to ensure the quality of the healthcare you receive is jeopardized.

Also during this past week, the Senate approved a measure that strengthens penalties in child pornography and child sex crimes cases. SB 246 is designed to protect innocent children from pornography and sexual predators.  The bill stiffens penalties on various crimes relating to child pornography and sex crimes against children.  SB 246 sends a message that Kentucky is serious about stopping pornographic material from coming into our state and that we are serious about prosecuting anyone who attempts to subject an innocent child to a sex crime.

You would have the opportunity to purchase a new “Choose Life” Kentucky license plate following the passage of  Senate Bill 255.  It was approved on a 28-4 vote.  SB 255 would give pro-life Kentuckians the option of purchasing license plates with the pro-life message. Money raised through the sale of the plates would help support pregnancy care centers in Kentucky.

In other business, members of the Senate received an update on the tremendous response to legislation we approved to give people a way to stop telemarketing calls into their homes. In the first week after legislation to establish a “zero call” list was signed into law, 79,000 Kentuckians signed up to quit receiving phone sales pitches.

To add your home phone number to the “zero call” list, call toll-free 1-800-671-7701 or sign up on the Internet at www.law.state.ky.us and click on the consumer protection link.

Legislative action will continue increasing over the next few weeks. A growing number of important bills are moving through the committee system and will soon come to the full Senate for consideration. That makes this an important time for lawmakers to stay in close contact with the people we represent so we know where you stand on the issues confronting our state.

If there’s an issue you have a comment on, I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me by calling the General Assembly’s toll-free message line at (800) 372-7181. You can also stay in touch with the legislative process by browsing the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at www.lrc.state.ky.us.