Talk of the Town — Bills of the Conference
KYA is a great way for a group of diverse people to come together and propose legislation from all walks of life. Since KYA is such a diverse environment bills are bound to be controversial in some way.
In Bluegrass, one bill with such infamy is BG 22, which creates a Tax-free holiday on the last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of July. I was able to speak with the bill sponsors over the bill, where I gathered this information. “The idea for the bill came to mind as something different,” said the bill sponsors. “We wanted an opportunity to give back to the public”. Of course, not all controversy is contained to Bluegrass, as Commonwealth has its fair share of intriguing bills. BG 22 passed Senate Committee A at the Hotel. BG 22 passed the House Committee at the Hotel and is headed for a meeting with the Lieutenant Governor.
In the words of Presiding officer candidate Landin Standyk, “Death is a touching subject”, and this certainly holds true with this bill. CW 8 was over the legalization of Euthanasia or assisted suicide. During the debate, the sponsors brought up the story of “Vatsin” in a heartfelt opening statement describing the agony of her last moments. The process for Euthanasia under this bill is a complicated one, requiring 2 signatures from personal physicians, a mental health professional, and the patient themselves all with witnesses. We are awaiting the results of the bill at the Hotel today.
Have you ever had the need for a nuclear weapon? If bill CW 13 was to pass, getting one would not be an issue. CW 13 is an act relating to the redefinition of the 2nd amendment. According to the bill sponsors, this bill is necessary for the security of a free state, and to ensure weapons are never confiscated. This bill would completely negate all gun control for citizens over the age of 18 according to the sponsor. This bill had stark opposition from almost all sides of the spectrum. Delegates debating from the committee brought up the fact that this bill could lead to total anarchy, and that someone with the right amount of money in Kentucky could hold the state hostage. From a judicial standpoint, the bill could be interpreted as invoking the supremacy clause as it pertains directly to a federal statute that was previously mentioned in the bill itself. The bill was defeated in Senate B at the hotel.
