Health insurance, grandparent rights on the table

TOM MCKEE | COMMUNITY RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST

FRANKFORT -- With the second week of the 2006 Regular Session now behind us, the General Assembly is getting into a comfortable rhythm as the various legislative committees ready the first bills for a vote by the full House or Senate.

The leaders of both chambers use this time to promote legislation they especially would like to become law, and they try to give the other chamber plenty of time to consider their proposals.

For the House, that is centered around an agenda we are calling "A Commitment to Kentucky Families." It consists of several dozen bills, the first of which are now ready for a vote by the 100 House members.

That includes a bill I was proud to co-sponsor that ensures veterans have a built-in advantage for all non-political state government jobs, not just a portion of them. The House's State Government Committee unanimously approved it (House Bill 24) last Tuesday.

On Wednesday, House leaders unveiled their plan to give small businesses a little financial relief from the high cost of health insurance. Our goal is to give each of these businesses a credit each month for every employee.

It is estimated that 578,000 Kentuckians, or 14 percent of the state's population, do not have health insurance. While that percentage is a little better than the national average, it still is much too high, and our hope is that this bill will play a strong role in lowering it.

We in the House were glad to see that Gov. Ernie Fletcher, in his State of the Commonwealth address early last week, favored a similar approach. His support for the House goal of raising teacher pay to the average of the seven surrounding states is also a positive step.

On Thursday, the House's Health and Welfare Committee spoke up in favor of grandparent rights by approving House Bill 45. This legislation will give grandparents and other guardians legal authority to make medical or school-related decisions if they are the child's primary caregiver. This bill would not be absolute, however. It could be revoked if the child moves back with his or her parents, for example.

That same day, the full House voted unanimously for House Bill 75, which will give our public universities the ability to issue their own bonds for projects that bring in a steady stream of revenue, such as a dormitory. Nearly every state already allows this, so we are hoping that Kentucky can be added to the list, giving our universities more control over meeting the needs of their students.

As chairman of the House's Agriculture and Small Business Committee, I often sponsor many bills that are designed to help our farmers. This legislative session is no different.

Perhaps the most important is HB 183, which will define just how far local and state governments can go in condemning private property for the public good.

There is little question that eminent domain, as this practice is called, is warranted for such public projects as roads and courthouses. This bill would not interfere with that, or when it is used to condemn areas that are clearly run down, but it will ensure that governments do not just hand over one person's private property to a private developer for such things as a shopping mall.

I believe this bill will go a long way to protecting our family farms.

Some of the other legislation I am sponsoring includes House Bill 247, which will create a standard grading program for hay quality; House Bill 268, which calls on the Department of Agriculture to prescribe the best methods to test pesticides; House Bill 267, which modifies the law governing the production of apples and strawberries; and House Bill 269, which re-defines the Kentucky Grape and Wine Council.