by Kentucky Senator

Max Wise

16th Senatorial District

First week in State Senate was an encourging experience

By Max Wise, 16th District Senator

As my first week in the KY State Senate closed, I was encouraged by the hard work and compromise that was demonstrated by my fellow state senators. I had my “baptism by fire” last week and saw firsthand and “hands-on” the legislative process taking place, and was reminded again how blessed I am to serve each of you in the Kentucky General Assembly.

I encourage everyone to follow me on social media (Facebook and Twitter), as I will be updating everyone on the passage of legislation, and will post or tweet my comments and photos of events taking place in the Senate. My intentions are to allow as much transparency to take place between the process of Kentucky state government and you, the constituent, as possible. When I was on the campaign trail, I vowed to be a “citizen legislator” and this is just one step in keeping that promise. I also hope it will serve as an educational tool and source of political knowledge and allow you to be kept up to date on my public service to you.

Our motto for this short 30-day session, set forth by Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester), is “Creating Kentucky jobs and strengthening Kentucky families”. This is how our caucus defined the overall goals of the Senate this session, and I’m proud to report that four of our priority bills to accomplish those objectives passed the Senate in our first week, and now are on the way to the House.

As many Kentuckians are aware, heroin has been on the rise in the last few years. Heroin has impacted every region of Kentucky and it was a priority that we wanted to tackle starting on day one. It was personal to me as well; just this past October, my family and I were notified that my 30-year-old brother-in-law had died in Nashville from a heroin overdose. The devastation of drug addiction cuts across every socio-economic level and crosses freely across racial, gender and age lines — its toll on our families has been non-discriminatory and our response must be unified and non-political.

So I am glad to report that legislation addressing the heroin epidemic passed unanimously with bi-partisan support on only the third day of session. Senate Bill 5, which was sponsored by Senator Chris McDaniel (R-Taylor Mill), and which I proudly co-sponsored, provides for an additional $13.3 million for heroin treatment programs and requires increased reporting so that the effectiveness of the programs can be monitored. Other provisions will allow first responders to administer naloxone, a medication which can sometimes prevent death from a heroin overdose; will allow law enforcement to waive certain charges against suspects who voluntarily warn officers that they are carrying needles; and will require convicted trafficking offenders to serve 50 percent of their sentences before being eligible for parole.

Immediately upon the passage of the Heroin Bill, we took up Senate Bill 1, or Right-to-Work legislation. After discussion on the floor, the Senate passed the bill, giving Kentucky another tool when recruiting industries to locate in the Commonwealth and create jobs. As the law stands now, Kentucky is often eliminated in the first round by a large majority of businesses because they will not set up or even consider locating in a state that is not “right-to-work”. As a candidate, one of my campaign themes was to focus on job creation. This legislation, which I was also proud to co-sponsor, is a great avenue for creating a job-friendly environment in the Commonwealth.

Friday, the Senate passed two more bills. Senate Bill 2 addresses a current imbalance of power regarding regulations that can be implemented by the executive branch without legislative oversight. This bill would establish a system for legislators to have oversight on executive administrative regulations and ensure that the statutes are in keeping with Kentucky statutes. This bill would also prevent the increased rise in executive orders, which led to what we saw recently in Kentucky, the implementation of Kentucky’s form of Obamacare, referred to as KyNect. If this bill passes this session, Kentucky voters will have the opportunity to cast their votes on the issue of allowing more legislative oversight on the executive branch since it would be an amendment to the Kentucky constitution.

Senate Bill 4 would establish that a face-to-face consultation with a physician, or “informed consent” between the patient and physician, take place before a medical procedure to perform an abortion can occur. As one who will consistently vote to protect our unborn, I was glad to co-sponsor this legislation and champion the pro-life movement.

Our first week of action emphasizes that this Senate is determined to deliver progress and make changes by providing legislation that helps create jobs and strengthens Kentucky families.

I would encourage you to follow these bills closely, along with any other legislation you may be interested in. Your input is not only valued and appreciated, it can ensure that legislators are aware of your particular interest and concerns and can make a difference in the process. I encourage you to follow the Senate bills which we pass and call members of the House and urge them to pass the bills as well.

In particular, we ask that you voice your support of Senate Bill 5 — too many Kentuckians are dying in growing numbers due to the current epidemic of Heroin Addiction. As the House failed to act on this bill last session, your phone call can ensure that house members know that voters want this matter addressed this session. We need legislative action to provide our first responders, law enforcement, and medical community the resources necessary to break the hold heroin has on our state. You can express your support for Senate Bill 5 by calling 1-800-372-7181 and asking that the House pass this life-saving measure quickly.

There are several ways to follow legislative action throughout the 2015 Session, including attending any of the sessions in person. Senate Committee Meetings are also open to the public.

The Kentucky Legislature Home Page ( www.lrc.ky.gov) is updated daily to provide the latest legislative information. Web surfers can view the issues before lawmakers by browsing through bill summaries, amendments and resolutions. The website is regularly updated to indicate each bill’s status in the legislative process, as well as the next day’s committee-meeting schedule and agendas.

In addition to general information about the legislative process, the website also provides information on each of Kentucky’s senators and representatives, including their phone numbers, addresses, and legislative committee assignments.

As I mentioned before, the Kentucky General Assembly maintains toll-free phone lines to help everyone follow legislative action. If you wish to offer your feedback or opinion on any issue, you can call the Legislative Message Line at (800) 372-7181. Those who prefer to offer their feedback in Spanish can call the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at (866) 840-6574. Citizens with hearing impairments can use the TTY Message Line at (800) 896-0305.

A taped message containing information on the daily schedule for legislative committee meetings is available by calling the Legislative Calendar Line at (800) 633-9650.