Beech Tree News Network

The fifth week of the 2016 Legislative Session in Frankfort was historic in a number of ways. Governor Matt Bevin signed his first piece of legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 4. We also said goodbye to former State Senator and civil rights activist, Georgia Davis Powers.
Senate Bill 4 was the first pro-life bill to pass both chambers in over a decade. SB 4 would require a woman to consult a doctor either face-to-face or by video-conference at least 24 hours prior to going forward with an abortion procedure. After the bill received concurrence in the Senate Tuesday, SB 4 was immediately delivered to Governor Bevin’s office by a large delegation of our senate members. The governor signed the bill on the spot, further promoting our efforts to protect the rights of the unborn. I was proud to not only be a cosponsor of the bill but be present for this momentous occasion.

A memorial service was held to honor the late Senator Georgia Powers, who was the first African-American and first woman elected to the Kentucky Senate. Her visitation attracted Kentuckians from all corners of the state to pay respects to her and her family. First elected to the senate in 1967, Powers was a pioneer in Frankfort who fought hard to end discrimination across the state.
 
Three other priority bills passed the Senate this week in SB 2, SB 7, and SB 15. SB 2 would make the transactions of our state retirement systems more transparent thus holding these systems more accountable. SB7 is another piece of pro-life measure I cosponsored aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood and I am proud to say it passed the Senate with bipartisan support. SB 15, which I also cosponsored, protects religious and political freedoms to those in educational institutions including students, teachers, and administrators.

A wide range of other bills passed the Senate this week; one aiming to accommodate our police officers, another to create accountability among county jailers, and yet another promoting computer science education.

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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  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, Chair of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education, and member of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy, and Transportation Committees.