We are now over halfway through the 2022 General Assembly and last week there was no slowing down.
March 1 was the last day to file new bills, so we were quick to file the rest of our bills for this session. More than 700 bills have been filed this year, but only a fraction will pass into law.
Last week, the House passed key pieces of legislation ranging from an omnibus pro-life bill to tax modernization legislation that would leave an estimated $1 billion in the pockets of Kentuckians across the state.
Another important event that happened last week was the Supreme Court ruling on HB 454 from the 2018 Regular Session. In an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has the right to continue defending HB 454 against legal challenges.
Known as the Human Rights of a Child Act, the measure specifically states that “no person shall intentionally perform or induce or attempt to perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman: that will result in the bodily dismemberment, crushing, or human vivisection of the unborn child; and when the probably post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 11 weeks or greater; except in the case of a medical emergency.”
I was proud to join the other members of the pro-life caucus with Attorney General Cameron in a press conference on Thursday, March 3, to deliver the news.
Strengthening the Penalties for Violations of Protective Orders: HB 488 increases the penalty for a second or subsequent violation of an order of protection. It is meant to protect those who are victims of domestic abuse and have a restraining order on their abuser.
The first violation would be a class A misdemeanor and the second or any following violation would be a class D felony. It also states that any following violations would not have to involve the same person as the first violation.
I am a proud sponsor of this legislation and look forward to working with the Senate on this measure.
Pro-Life Omnibus Bill: Last week was a big week for the pro-life movement in the state of Kentucky. Not only did the Supreme Court uphold HB 454, the House passed HB 3, a pro-life omnibus bill. This bill, also known as Humanity in Healthcare, has five key components. It addresses abortion on minors, medical/chemical abortions, dignified disposal of fetal remains, public funding, and complications.
It requires a medical provider to examine the patient in-person before the woman takes the chemical abortion pill, and physicians must schedule a follow-up appointment. Doctors must also inform the patient about the side-effects and complications that could arise from the abortion pill.
It also calls for the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy to create the Kentucky Abortion-Inducing Drug Certification Program, which would focus on ensuring that physicians who prescribe medication to induce a chemical abortion have proper credentials and a signed contract with another physician who can handle any medical complications that arise.
It additionally includes a requirement that physicians must attempt to contact both parents, if the woman is still a minor, and it raises the standard to acquire judicial bypass. Parents would also have a say in how the remains of an aborted child are handled.
Lastly, HB 3 includes language that essentially creates a state version of the Hyde Amendment and would prevent state dollars or federal bypass funds from being directly or indirectly used to fund abortions.
Tax Modernization: Last week the House passed an extremely important piece of legislation that would modernize Kentucky’s outdated tax laws. HB 8 would reduce the personal income tax from 5 percent to 4 percent as of January 1, 2023. While the first decrease is paid for with money we reserved in this year’s budget, revenue forecasts show that there is enough growth in our future to sustain this 1 percent cut, but HB 8 also includes provisions that make it possible to grow revenue in other areas without an increase in taxes.
The bill broadens the tax base to include transportation services like Uber and Lyft, non-medically essential cosmetic surgeries, and legislative and executive branch lobbying.
Expanding Access to Quality Healthcare: HB 525 helps to expand the Community Health Worker program to create a statewide system. Community Health Workers (CHW) are public health workers who help patients navigate healthcare systems and public health services.
They are key healthcare employees, and it is important to expand the CHW program so more people can become certified CHWs. The measure creates a certification for CHWs to standardize care, and it would direct the Department of Medicaid Services to partner with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to allow CHWs to be certified. I was proud to be a co-sponsor of the important legislation.
Limiting Charitable Bail Organizations: Maddy’s Law honors the life and tragic death of Madelynn Troutt, who died after being hit by a stolen vehicle being driven under the influence by an individual who was released from jail after a $5,000 bond was posted by a charitable organization.
HB 313 would limit charitable organizations from providing bond assistance in cases where the bail is set over $5,000. It also prohibits charitable bail organizations from providing funds for domestic violence/dating violence cases or when the individual charged is held under a court order.
The measure requires photo identification when posting bail or bond on behalf of an organization, and any bond made by these organizations that is forfeited due to the commission of a new offense shall be given to the victim of the new offense. Lastly, it would require charitable bail organizations to make annual reports to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary.
Protecting Religious Freedom: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw restrictions put in place that stopped people from attending in-person worship services. HB 43 addresses this exact issue stating that in a state of emergency, places of worship will not be deemed unessential. It recognizes that religious freedom is essential to our commonwealth and prevents state and local governments from prohibiting religious services during a state of emergency.
As always, I can be reached here at home anytime, or through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Feel free to contact me via email at Samara.Heavrin@lrc.ky.gov. If you would like more information, please visit the LRC website www.legislature.ky.gov.
Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield
