2012 Interim Record

2012 Interim LEGISLATIVE Volume 25, No. 6 October 2012 * Read on-line at www.lrc.ky.gov/legislation.htm* RECORD Veteran designati on now Calendar set for available on driver’s licenses 2013 Regular by Amy Rose Karr Session LRC Public Information The 2013 Regular Session of the Kentucky A new veteran designation is now being General Assembly is scheduled to begin on Jan. printed on eligible Kentucky driver’s licenses and 8 and will last 30 legislative days. state-issued photo identifi cation, members of the As usual during an odd-numbered year, Interim Joint Committee on Transportation heard in in which sessions are half as long as in even- an Oct. 2 meeting. numbered years, the session will have two parts. The designation, created by House Bill 221 The fi rst four days of the session – Jan. 8 to Jan. during the 2012 General Assembly, is available at 11 – will focus on organizational work, such no cost to anyone who has served in any branch of as electing legislative leaders, adopting rules the armed forces. It eliminates the need for veterans of procedure and organizing committees. The to provide additional proof of military service when introduction and consideration of legislation can receiving certain benefi ts, discounts and special also begin during this time. services. The second part of the session begins on HB 221 became effective on July 12, but Transportation Co-Chair Rep. Hubert Collins, D-Wittens- Feb. 5, with fi nal adjournment scheduled for programming that would allow circuit clerks to ville, talks with Rep. Tim Couch, R-Hyden at the commit- March 26. tee’s Oct. 2 meeting. print the new licenses wasn’t completed until Sept. Legislators will not meet in session on Feb. 24, Tom Zawacki, commissioner of the state’s 18 in observance of Presidents’ Day. Department of Vehicle Regulation, told lawmakers. said. The veto recess – the period of time when “I’m pleased to tell you we are now printing The Department of Vehicle Regulation is also lawmakers commonly return to their home licenses with the veteran designation on them,” he working with local circuit clerks to provide free districts to see which bills, if any, the governor said. reprints to veterans who renewed their licenses vetoes – begins on March 12. Lawmakers will According to Zawacki, many veterans are between July 12 and Sept. 24 and were unable to return to the Capitol on March 25 and 26 for the taking advantage of the new designation. More receive the designation, Zawacki said. fi nal two days of the session. than 700 licenses with a veteran designation were About 200 reprints have already been issued, The 2013 session calendar can be viewed printed during the fi rst week of implementation, he he said. online at http://www.lrc.ky.gov/sch_vist/13RS_ by RebeccaLawmakers Hanchett learnComer of gave Larryfuel Cox, the testingexecutive director lab’sToday, the progressbacklog is eliminated and sampling LRC Public Information of the department’s Offi ce for Consumer and amounts to one or two tests in a typical week, said Environmental Protection, authority to improve lab Cox, unless there is a problem reported with a barge A transportation fuel testing lab that state operations. That resulted in changes—including load of fuel or with fuel from a major supplier. Department of Agriculture offi cials say was losing sampling fuel based only on complaints beginning An excess amount of ethanol found in fuel from a around $900,000 a year under the department’s last about two months ago, said Cox. The lab was major supplier had to be handled by the department administration is on track to save roughly $400,000 unable to randomly test samples under its original early this year, said Cox. this year, according to department offi cials. concept, he said, creating a large backlog. Committee co-chairman Rep. Tom McKee, D- State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer “The visual and chemical elements of the Cynthiana, asked agriculture offi cials if sampling told the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture analysis moved rapidly, but octane and cetane on a complaint basis is enough, or if more needs to on Oct. 10 that savings have come from reduced testing proved to be a choke point, making the be done. Right now, Cox said, the sampling process expenses on the project which Comer said was entire lab process unable to meet its promoted is working—although he said the department would billed as a “money maker” to lawmakers by objective of performing anywhere from 40 to 50 have to be prepared to do broader-based sampling the department when it was overseen by state tests per day,” Cox told the committee. “In fact, should the number of complaints rise. Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer. Farmer’s only 10 tests at most could be performed on an Talks with offi cials at the University of administration began construction of the lab in ideal day because of time required for the octane fi scal year 2007. and cetane tests.” Continued on page 2 THE KENTUCKY GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1 Fuel lab, from page 1 Task force finalizing proposed Kentucky about turning fuel testing recommendations for middle over to the university are also in the Rep. Ryan works, said Cox, who said Kentucky Quarles, school sports is burdened by its $200,000 annual R-George- rent on the lab building, a $3.1 town, asks by Rebecca Hanchett million investment in underutilized LRC Public Information a question equipment, underutilized staff, and A state task force that has spent months reviewing oversight of interscholastic testing costs that outstrip annual fees at the Oct. athletics at Kentucky’s middle schools is finalizing its recommendations of what collected from fuel outlets. 10 Interim changes, if any, need to be made to middle school sports. Cox said a testing partnership Joint Com- The 2012 Task Force on Middle School Interscholastic Athletics, created with UK would be one “in which the by state lawmakers during the 2012 Regular Session with the passage of House Depart- mittee on Concurrent Resolution 155, reviewed dozens of proposed recommendations ment of Agriculture on Oct. 15 after receiving testimony that day from the Kentucky High School Agri- Today, the backlog meeting in Athletic Association. Final recommendations are expected to be considered by the task force on Nov. 26. culture is eliminated and Frankfort. continues Some of the recommendations being considered include: sampling amounts to carry Require all student athletes to undergo a pre-participation its to one or two tests in issues,” said Cox. physical examination each year; statutory a typical week, said Sen. Paul Hornback, R- Require all sports to adhere to the KHSAA Heat Index rules and respon- Cox, unless there is a Shelbyville, asked what the benefit regulations; sibility of working with UK would be over Require coaches and volunteers to complete first aid/CPR problem reported with training, and complete sports safety training similar to those offered by for regu- a barge load of fuel or farming out to private industry. State lation Agriculture department official Steve KHSAA for high schools coaches; of fuel with fuel from a major Kelly said that was discussed during Require all school to use the same return-to-play guidelines used quality, supplier. a recent meeting of a state task force at high school level after a concussion, with impact testing implemented, if with looking into the fuel lab. An attorney possible; the uni- representing the state Finance Cabinet Creation of a middle school athletic association that would serve versity performing all fuel testing at that meeting explained, said Kelly, as an umbrella organization for non-profit groups like the Kentucky Middle before providing results to the depart- that “if there was a possibility to School Football Association and the Kentucky Middle School State Wrestling ment for administrative action.” do something like this (with the Association; “If we can work out this university) then it’s obviously much No state invention required; government oversight is already arrangement, and once again we’re faster and much cheaper. functioning well at the local level. According to HCR 155, oversight of middle school interscholastic athletics very early in those discussions, “And then from our point of is now mostly left to administrators and staff at each school while the KHSAA but if we can work them out, we view, if we can do something with the establishes best practices for high school interscholastic sports among its member can sharply reduce the cost of fuel university and its Center for Applied schools in the areas of athlete health and safety, coach training, length of seasons, testing to the Commonwealth, we Energy Research (CAER)—they’re and more. can place fuel testing in the hands of the experts in energy right now… We The task force has been working since July to study current oversight of a dedicated and respected research feel like if we can get it in someone’s interscholastic athletics in the state’s middle schools and look at possible options institution, and we can conduct hands like that, that we’re protecting for the creation of best practices at the middle school level, as well as support testing on a scale that is appropriate the consumer to the best of our for non-profits organizations designed to improve middle school athletics, the to current Kentucky fuel quality ability,” said Kelly. resolution states. KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett, a member of the task force who testified during the meeting, said a new state law passed in 2012 that requires middle school coaches to complete sports safety training already required for Roll Call Votes 2013 LRC $.15 (per page) high school coaches would likely cover concussion training.

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