COLUMN
SENATE WEEK IN REVIEW
Submitted By Ray S. Jones II
FRANKFORT — With the final weeks of the session looming, we are all too aware of the short timeline and the many important pieces of legislation, including the state’s budget, that we still need to move through the process session ends.
Amidst all the hurried activity, I am pleased that Noah’s Law has passed out of the Senate and been sent to the House of Representatives, where I anticipate it will meet with similar approval.
Noah’s Law was named for Noah Greenhill, the 9-year-old son of Eddie and Stephanie Greenhill of Pikeville who has a rare medical disorder requiring special nutritional formulas. Noah has had this condition since he was about 3 months old. At age 5 and weighing 25 pounds, he was diagnosed with Eosinophillic Esophagitis. He lived the first five years of his life with constant pain, reflux, nausea, rash and intense headaches. Once diagnosed, he started on the amino acid-based elemental formula, and has felt better and gained about 31 pounds.
Noah’s insurance company refuses coverage of this formula. No child should be denied coverage for this type of specialized formula needed for his very survival. We would not deny a child with diabetes his necessary insulin, so why would we deny Noah and the 200 other Kentucky children with this disorder the necessary formula.
Senate Bill 193 provides the insurance coverage for amino acid based elemental formula for children and adults suffering from food protein allergies, eosinophilic disorders, and short-bowel syndrome. The bill contains an emergency clause so that the law would go into effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.
Another piece of legislation I championed was a measure related to disability-related expenses. Senate Bill 179, which works in conjuncture with an act passed by the U.S. Congress named the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, would allow tax-exempt savings accounts to pay for disability-related expenses. These accounts are similar to college saving plans. The account covered by the ABLE Act would be capped at $100,000 and allows no more than $14,000 in contributions per year. These accounts would disqualify people with disabilities for certain public programs, like Social Security or Medicaid.
Having a disability often requires incurring significant expenses but many public programs require a certain level of poverty to qualify. It has always been a kind of catch-22 for people with disabilities.
Several other bills that passed the Senate last week and have been sent to the House for consideration include:
* Senate Bill 175 would create a Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights through a constitutional amendment. The protections for crime victims would include the right to be notified of court hearings, the punishment and the release date for the perpetrator. The measure is known as “Marsy’s Law,” named after a murder victim whose parents are leading a national movement. Kentucky is one of 18 states without such a bill of rights. If passed by the state General Assembly, the measure would be put to voters on November’s election ballot.
* Senate Bill 178 would establish March 30th of each year as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in Kentucky. There are more than 125,000 Vietnam veterans in the Commonwealth. Designating this day is a way to honor the Kentuckians who served this nation so courageously and unselfishly during the Vietnam War.
* Despite depressed prices, Kentucky’s oil and gas industry is a billion-dollar business with about 3,000 employees. Senate Bill 188 is a continuation of efforts to modernize Kentucky oil and gas regulations. It would make test wells subject to current oil and gas permitting, reporting and construction standards. Current regulations surrounding test wells were insufficient to address changes in technology and drilling methods. The bill also allows oil and gas prospectors to keep the results from their test wells secret in situations necessary to protect their claims.
* Senate Bill 106 would permit public schools to sponsor artistic or theatrical programs that advance students’ knowledge or society’s cultural and religious heritage and traditions. SB 106 was in response to a school’s prohibition of scripture readings in a public school’s stage adaptation of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
* Senate Bill 152 would change the informed consent process required prior to an abortion in Kentucky. The bill calls for a woman seeking an abortion to receive an ultrasound and be given the option to view the ultrasound image. Doctors violating SB 152 could be fined up to $100,000 on the first violation and $250,000 for subsequent violations.
Not all the work in Frankfort occurs in the Senate Chambers. This week I had a very productive meeting about establishing an adventure trail system in southeastern Kentucky. Not only is our area perfectly suited for adventure trails, but this is also an opportunity to create jobs in southeastern Kentucky. To help get a trail system in place in Pike County, the General Assembly appropriated funds. However, there has not been as much progress made as I would like. In an attempt to jumpstart the initiative, I arranged a meeting of tourism professionals and interested parties.
This week promises to be busy as a larger quantity of bills should start to move to the Senate floor. Please stay in touch. You can e-mail me directly at ray.jones@lrc.ky.gov.
Sent from:
Senate Democratic Office
March 7, 2016 CONTACT:Leslie CaudillRosalind Turner
502-564-2470