Kentucky General Assembly ajourns with no agreement on state budget

State lawmakers have adjourned "sine die," bringing the Kentucky General Assembly’s 2010 regular session to a close on the 60th and final session day allowed by the state constitution.
 
The Senate and House – which each had their own preferred budget plans – didn’t reach a final compromise on the state’s next two-year spending plan by the session’s end, creating expectations that Gov. Steve Beshear will call lawmakers back to Frankfort for a special legislative session before the July 1 start of a new fiscal year.
 
Lawmakers considered more than 800 bills during this year’s session, including measures to improve services to stroke victims, offer new protections to domestic violence victims and require more transparency and openness from taxpayer-funded organizations.
 
Topics covered by legislation approved this year include the following:
 
Accountability. Senate Bill 88 allows greater public scrutiny of the Kentucky League of Cities and the Kentucky Association of Counties by making both groups adhere to the state’s open records and open meetings laws. The bill also requires the groups to place spending reports online and develop policies on ethics, procurement, hiring and compensation.
 
Agriculture. House Bill 398 creates an equine council to advise the state on equine health matters and strive to establish regional care centers for unwanted, neglected and abused horses. The legislation also establishes a livestock care standards commission and prohibits local governments, with some exceptions, from having on-farm animal care standards that exceed state standards.
 
Autism. HB 159 expands health insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The bill requires large-group and state employee insurance plans to provide coverage in the annual amount of $50,000 for children with autism from age 1 to 6 and up to $12,000 a year for older children with autism.
 
Bee habitats. Senate Joint Resolution 177 requires the state apiarist to work with the Transportation Cabinet and local beekeeping clubs to identify state-owned rights-of-way that could be made into pollinator habitat sites for bees. Another piece of legislation, HB 175, encourages the development of bee habitats on mine reclamation sites to speed up plant growth and improve soil stability.
 
Child abuse. HB 285 boosts training for health care officials, day care workers and others who work with children improve their abilities to spot signs of child abuse.
 
Coal. HB 283 reduces delays in issuing coal mine permits. The legislation increases certain coal mining fees and directs money from the increased fees to expedite the mine permitting process.
 
Corrections. SB 17 makes it a felony for workers at prisons, jails or detention centers to have sex with inmates.
 
Domestic violence. HB 1 allows judges to order those who violate a domestic violence order (DVO) to wear a global positioning system tracking device to help ensure that abusers remain the required distance from victims. The bill allows felony charges to be pressed against DVO violators who attempt to remove a court-ordered tracking device. The legislation is known as Amanda’s Bill in honor of state worker Amanda Ross, who was shot to death outside her Lexington home last fall.
 
Drugs. HB 265 strengthens the prosecution of drivers found to be under the influence of illegal drugs or certain prescription drugs. The legislation also criminalizes two street drugs: synthetic marijuana and piperazines.
 
Education. HB 160 makes it easier for community and technical college students to transfer credits to four-year universities.
 
Historic site. HB 420 designates the Hurricane Creek mine site in Leslie County, at which 38 miners lost their lives in 1970, as a state historic site.
 
History. HB 339 creates the Commonwealth of Kentucky War of 1812 Commission to plan activities for the War of 1812 Bicentennial – which is two years away – and commemorate the significant roles Kentuckians played in the war.
 
License plates. SB 71 creates a special license plate for recipients of the Silver Star Medal or the Bronze Star Medal awarded for valor. HB 96 permits the surviving spouse of a Purple Heart recipient to keep special license plate assigned to that recipient. HB 261 creates Gold Star Fathers license plates similar to the Gold Star Mothers plates that are already offered.
 
Literacy. SB 163 directs the Department of Education to provide assistance in teaching strategies that help teachers improve their students’ reading skills. The bill also encourages development of comprehensive middle and high school reading plans.
 
Mental health. HB 231 creates a new level of specialty treatment centers for children with severe psychiatric disorders who must currently go to other states to receive the level of care they require.
 
Military family assistance trust fund. SB 30 extends the eligibility of military personnel and their families eligible for military family assistance trust grants from 90 to 180 days after the end of deployment.
 
Music. House Joint Resolution 154 designates Kentucky’s Sam Bush as "The Father of Newgrass Music" and Bowling Green as "The Birthplace of Newgrass Music."
 
Nurses. SB 127 allows every public university in the state to offer advanced doctoral programs in nursing upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education.
 
Parks. HB 14 offers up to three free overnight stays at state parks lodges to totally disabled military veterans, subject to space availability and other criteria.
 
Parole. HB 564 increases the amount of good time and education credits available to prisoners. The legislation reduces prison time by up to 90 days – instead of the current 60 – for any prisoner who receives a GED or high school diploma, college degree, or certain other certifications of education achievements while incarcerated. Prisoners who complete drug treatment programs can receive up to 90 days credit.
 
Road safety. HB 415 prohibits texting while driving. Violators will be given courtesy warnings until Jan. 1, 2011, after which violators will face fines and court costs. The legislation also prohibits cell phone use by drivers under 18.
 
Salvia. SB 107 makes it illegal to possess, grow or traffic a form of the salvia plant that some people use as a substitute for marijuana.
 
Stroke centers. SB 1 is aimed at saving lives and improving health care by attracting stroke patients to the state’s best stroke care centers. The legislation allows the state to bestow a special designation on nationally certified primary stroke centers in Kentucky.
 
Student-athletes. HB 327 encourages high school athletic competitions to be scheduled outside the regularly scheduled school day. The legislation also allows student-athletes to be counted present at school on the dates of athletic competitions on two days each year, provided that the students make up any missed assignments.
 
Suicide prevention. SB 65 requires annual suicide prevention instruction for school principals, guidance counselors and teachers. HB 51 requires suicide prevention materials to be distributed to middle and high school students and requires the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services to post suicide prevention information on its website.
 
Teachers’ retirement. HB 540 shores up the teachers’ retirement fund by increasing payments into the fund by teachers, retired teachers under 65 and school districts. The measure is expected to save the state an estimated $61 million over two years.
 
Veterans’ services. HB 377 ensures that combat veterans charged with crimes are provided with contact information for services that offer help for post-traumatic stress and other combat-related disorders.