Thread by @joesonka

Coming up at 4pm in Kentucky:

- House gavels in for Day 47/60
- Senate gavels in for Day 47/60
- Gov. Beshear's COVID briefing

Senate expected to take up SB 4 on governor's executive orders, HB 392 on merchant electric generating facilities and HB 263 to increase felony penalties on child abuse of kids under 12 years old.

The House has 47 (!) bills on its orders of the day, so who knows what we'll get today.

Gov Beshear: Kentucky's COVID positivity rate down to 4.17%

House taking up HB 318 to "close loopholes" in juvenile justice system to keep youths charged with serious violent crimes within detention. Critics say this rolls back 2014 juvenile justice reforms. Background: courier-journal.com/story/news/pol…

HB 318 passes 73-19, mostly party line.

HB 318 critics include @KYYouth

https://twitter.com/KYYouth/status/1503467624646291462

At his presser Beshear ripped into legislature/Stivers on SJR 150 passage and suggestion they didn't think it would end benefits. Said they were fully informed about what they were doing & it's "silly" to suggest otherwise.

https://twitter.com/joesonka/status/1503440412232630278

House voting to concur with Senate changes HB 144 on unemployment insurance, freezing employer contribution rate. If given final passage it goes to Beshear's desk.

HB 144 gets final passage by an 88-5 vote, goes to governor's desk.

House now taking up SB 265 to replace the entire Kentucky State University board of regents by April 1, 2022.

Rep. Graham, with long ties to KSU, speaks in favor of the bill along with the $23M in funding its expected to get.

SB 265 was amended in the House, so it will have to go back to the Senate for concurrence.

SB 265 passes 92-0, after passing Senate unanimously, too.

Senate is back from recess, taking up HB 263 to increase felony penalties of child abuse for a kid under 12 years old.

Sen. Southworth is speaking against HB 263, saying that parents could be targeted with false charges and the sentence is harsher than it should be.

Meanwhile in House they're taking up HB 215 to mandate inmates convicted of fentanyl crimes serve at least 85% of their sentence.

Senate passes HB 263 increasing child abuse penalties by a 31-4 vote. No votes are Southworth, Schickel, Meredith and Webb.

Senate taking up priority bill SB 4 to set up a framework for tracking a governor's executive orders

SB 4 passes 27-8 on party-line vote. McGarvey said the bill is unnecessary, governor's executive orders are already made public.

House passes HB 215 82-12.

Bill would only apply to fentanyl traffickers, but some members said addicts could be caught up in a trafficking charge when they need treatment.

Senate taking up HB 392 on merchant electric generating facilities. Alvarado says horse farms in his district against it because they wouldn't have say over new solar farms going up that they oppose, as it's left to a state board and not local officials.

House taking up HB 314 to allow additional cities to be formed in Jefferson County, for the first time in 36 years. Metro Council Dems says this would allow this to be done with no input from council.

A floor amendment to HB 314 is up to limit the mayor of Louisville to 2 terms. This provision was taken out in committee, and now it is being reinserted.

This floor amendment to HB 314 is attached.

Local Dems have argued HB 314 would let new cities take insurance premium tax revenues and other funds for themselves to reduce Metro Govt's revenue and hurt their ability to provide countywide services.

Meanwhile in Senate, they passed HB 392 the merchant electric generating facilities bill 28-6. The six no votes were all Republicans, Alvarado, Schickel, Schroder, Southworth, Thayer and West. John Prine and Mr. Peabody abstained.

Back in the House, Rep. Marzian says HB 314 is yet another iteration of the "War on Louisville"

Rep. Bratcher says that "no people in my district voted for" the Louisville-Jefferson County merger, and then adds "well, 40% of them did."

Bratcher says that merger was pushed by "an oligarchy"

When Rep. Bratcher said merger was pushed by on "oligarchy" 22 years ago, he added that they "found one Republican" who was for it so they could push merger down everyone's throat.

Is Bratcher talking about @LeaderMcConnell? Because Mitch McConnell certainly supported merger.

House passes HB 314 on a party-line 70-23 vote.

House now taking up HB 594 to require admin regulations to have a fiscal note with a cost analysis of its effect on regulated entities. This was a shell bill that got unveiled in a committee meeting last week.

House passes HB 594 by a party-line 71-22 vote.

House has been passing bills for more than 3 hours now and shows no sign of stopping any time soon.

I think the House is on its 20th-something bill tonight, I lost count. They may finish by 8pm, they may not.

Now there's a development

https://twitter.com/oliviakrauth/status/1503516069293703177

House done with orders of the day.

Unders win.

Rep. Koenig's gaming bills (sports betting) and Rep. Timoney's bill cracking down on gray machines just got their first readings....

Rep. Heavrin's HB 499 on child care state matching funds also got a first reading

Dozens and dozens of bills given their first readings in the House tonight.

House Bill 9 (the charter school funding bill) just got its 2nd reading and returned to the House A&R committee (which is not meeting tomorrow... as of now).

Rep. Reed again announces that House A&R "will not have a meting tomorrow. Repeat -- will not have a meeting tomorrow."

And.... Rep. Koenig's gambling bills just got referred to his Licensing committee. Background: courier-journal.com/story/news/pol…

I would *bet* that some of these gaming bills get an 8am hearing Wednesday