Beech Tree News Network

It has been an exciting first week back in Frankfort. On Tuesday, January 3, we officially began the 2017 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly and we hit the ground running. Speaker-elect Jeff Hoover was officially sworn in and became Speaker Hoover and we welcomed the new House majority.

We had a busy week passing bills and having policy discussions that we hope will move our state in the right direction. The bill that passed the Senate with the widest margin of support so far is Senate Bill 3, a bill I cosponsored, which is a measure that would give citizens access to information about the retirement benefits of current and former members of the General Assembly. The bill passed the Senate on a 36-0 vote.

The first bill to pass the Senate chamber this week was Senate Bill (SB) 5, another piece of legislation I proudly cosponsored, which would prohibit a woman from having an abortion if she is 20 weeks or more into a pregnancy. The measure passed the Senate on a 30-6 vote. SB 5, like all the other bills the Senate passed this week, has been sent to the Governor with the expectation that it would soon be signed into law.

Another pregnancy-related measure we considered this week would require women seeking an abortion to have an obstetric ultrasound and receive a medical explanation of what that ultrasound shows. Women could decline to see the ultrasound images or hear the fetal heartbeat if they choose. House Bill 2 was approved by the Senate on a 32-5 vote.

I am also proud to be the primary sponsor of several Senate bills this session: SB 21, which would allow the use of some experimental drugs in the treatment of terminal patients; SB 38, which addresses timber theft; SB 73, which lays out laws relating to autocycles; SB 81, which relates to death-in-the-line-of-duty benefits for the Department of Military Affairs; and SB 82, which would allow current and retired members of the United States military and their eligible dependents use of the morale, welfare, and recreation facilities under the control of the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs.

We in the Senate will continue to fight for Kentucky jobs and Kentucky families, and with a new majority in the House and a Republican governor, I truly believe our Commonwealth will see long-overdue growth and prosperity. Once the Senate reconvenes in February, we will continue with the legislative process. I look forward to hearing your concerns and ideas for our district and state.

If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at [email protected].  You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.

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 Note:  Senator C.B. Embry, JR (R-Morgantown) represents the 6th District including Butler, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, and Ohio Counties. He is Vice Chair of Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection Committee, and co-chairman of the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee. He also serves as a member of the Agriculture Committee, the Natural Resources and Energy Committee, the Transportation Committee, and the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education. For a high-resolution .jpeg of Senator Embry, please visit http://www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/portraits/senate06.jpg.