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Legislative Updates
Much has been made of the recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion, Maryland v. King, which upholds a Maryland state law that 26 other states already utilize in one form or another that allows law enforcement to take a DNA sample by buccal swab (a simple swab on the inside of the mouth) when someone is arrested for a "serious" offense.
For a little over a decade the General Assembly has been meeting every year, with alternating terms. The odd years see the legislature gavel into session on 30 legislative days, and short of something remarkable, the biennial budget is left untouched until the following even-numbered year. Those even years see a 60 day legislative session. But the legislator’s work is not confined to those short 30 and 60 day sessions.
As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee I have the opportunity to move legislation that makes a huge difference in the lives of Kentuckians. During the 2013 Regular Session I was fortunate enough to be a part of the success behind a handful of bills that I believe do just that. Human trafficking (HB3), Religious Freedom (HB279) and Military Voting (SB1) are certainly in that group and for different reasons each garnered much of the attention.
When I ran for office I obviously brought a number of ideas to Frankfort in hopes of doing good work for Kentucky. As you can imagine, these ideas are a product of my life experiences and values. One topic of particular interest to me after my time as a prosecutor is the birth of drug-dependent babies and the drug addiction and drug abuse of expectant mothers.
The 2013 General Assembly Session finished in a whirlwind over the final two days as we worked literally til midnight. But the hard work did have its rewards as several high-profile bills passed.
