By BRUCE SCHREINER and PIPER HUDSPETH BLACKBURN, Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky lawmakers considered a final batch of bills Thursday before ending a 60-day session marked by Republicans wielding their clout to put their stamp on key state policies.
Bills clearing the finish line strengthen health coverage for new mothers and allow Kentucky students to receive excused absences from school for mental health reasons. Debates continued into the evening with a few hours left before the deadline to gavel an end to the session.
In a sudden about-face, the House voted to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill giving local political leaders control of public libraries. A day earlier, an override attempt failed in the House. The vote Thursday completed the override of the veto.
The legislature’s GOP supermajorities had already secured passage of key policy priorities when they voted Wednesday to override vetoes on education, taxation and public assistance bills.
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Lawmakers put the finishing touches on the session Thursday.
The Senate gave final passage to legislation that includes ensuring postpartum Medicaid coverage for low-income mothers for up to a year after giving birth. The proposal — now headed to the governor — is aimed at reducing the state’s chronically high maternal mortality rate.
Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, praised the proposal for focusing on health care at “the most vulnerable time for mom and baby.”
“Despite the increased risk of postpartum death and illness, up to half of women do not receive routine care after birth, regardless of whether they experienced complications during pregnancy or not,” he said in a statement after the bill’s passage.
The bipartisan proposal started out as a House bill but was attached to a Senate bill — a common practice in the final days of a session to get proposals over the finish line.
The House gave final passage to the bill allowing students to receive excused absences from school for mental health reasons. Supporters said the legislation signals the importance of mental health with the goal of removing the stigma of discussing the matter.
Democratic Rep. Lisa Willner called it a “big win” for students, saying it will result in “elevating conversations about mental health.”
The libraries-related bill that was passed over the governor’s objection will allow county judge-executives to appoint members of local public library boards. It also requires county fiscal court approval for capital projects of $1 million or more.
Another bill winning final passage would create a cannabis research center to study the use of cannabis to treat certain medical conditions. It was offered as an alternative to a high-profile bill aimed at legalizing medical marijuana, which stalled in the Senate.
Lawmakers wrapped up work on many of the session’s highest-profile bills Wednesday, when Republicans pushed through measures over the governor’s objections. Those measures will allow charter schools to be introduced and funded, tighten rules for public assistance and revamp the state’s tax code, with the goal of gradually phasing out state individual income taxes.
The Senate also gave final passage to a measure intended to protect Kentuckians from frivolous lawsuits that could infringe on their First Amendment rights. Roughly 31 states currently have such laws, but protections vary by state.
Lawmakers wrapped up work on many of the session’s highest-profile bills Wednesday, when Republicans pushed through measures over the governor’s objections. Those measures will allow charter schools to be introduced and funded, tighten rules for public assistance and revamp the state’s tax code, with the goal of gradually phasing out state individual income taxes.
Hudspeth Blackburn is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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