| Last week in the General Assembly |
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| March 14, 2010 |
With the 47th day of the 60 day session of the 2010 General Assembly coming up on Monday, the Governor has signed 12 bills and one resolution: SB 19, 35, 47; HB 14, 19, 51, 75, 176, 231, 237, 240, 302; HJR 34.
Four more bills await the Governor’s signature: SB 18; HB 24, 80, 393. House Bill 393 is a reorganization plan for state government.
In a move that has to be quoted to be believed, the Senate changed House Bill 368, to allow race tracks to offer a video version of past horse races, allowing bettors to test their luck and skill. (and memory?) Bettors who remember who won the race (or who can google the information quickly) will get 81.5% of the take.
The House passed a executive budget in a partisan vote after a debate that at times sounded more like Washington than Frankfort. GOP members of the House shut off from the money tree that is the state budget accused the Dems of playing politics. The Dems didn't bother to deny the politics. They did deny they were playing. Earlier in the week, Democrats had stripped road projects from counties represented by Republicans.
A seemingly innocent accounting change started the war in the House. Speaker Stumbo and Democrats were stung when Republican representatives voted in a bloc against a bill with an accounting change that would delay business depreciation, allowing more money to come to the state. The House majority denied the measure was a tax increase. By voting against it, Republicans give themselves the option to argue that it is.
The budget goes to the Senate for consideration. Our prediction? The Republican Senate majority will hate it. They will put GOP projects back in. The budget will go to conference commitee with representatives of both parties horse trading for their pet projects.
The General Assembly will be back in session Monday at 4 p.m. for another week of toiling in the fields of legislation. Live feeds of committee meetings and both chambers are available through KET. Citizens throughout the Commonwealth should tune in for a C-Spanlike view of how law gets made.
The 2010 session is beginning to make sausage making look palatable.
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