Drug abuse (especially ‘pill mills’ and ‘meth labs’) is a scourge in our State. On both sides of the aisle, on both ends of the Capitol, we all agree on that. It is an issue the legislature is taking very seriously, and one we have pledged to address.

We are considering legislation to tackle drug abuse in a number of ways – enhancing our KASPER prescription-drug monitoring program, strengthening licensing requirements for pain management facilities, and limiting access to required ingredients for meth.

We have heard from drug-enforcement professionals from across the State and nation, as well as from researchers, counselors, and citizens concerned both with the drug epidemic as well as their own rights and freedoms.

This is a complex issue that requires thoughtful, multi-faceted solutions. That is what we are hoping for – and working toward achieving – before the session’s final gavel falls in April.

The Governor’s biennial budget plan is currently being considered by House members. Multiple budget subcommittees are reviewing the details of his proposal and hearing from State agencies about their budgetary needs and concerns.

It will still be a few weeks before the budget comes to us in the Senate for our consideration. The process can seem long and tedious at times, but lawmakers do not take budgeting the Commonwealth’s $19-billion biennial General Fund lightly. We want to ensure we are spending your hard-earned money in the best way possible. And in years like this one, when most all State agencies are facing painful cuts, we want to make sure that the services Kentuckians truly need and deserve are given the highest priority, and your dollars are spent wisely.

Congressional redistricting was completed late last week after long negotiations between both chambers. House Bill 302, which contains the new lines for Kentucky’s six congressional districts, cleared the Senate on a 29-7 vote.

However, the new State House and Senate district lines made law in January were overturned last week in Franklin Circuit Court. That decision was appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court this week. Whether we will ultimately be running in our old districts or the ones the General Assembly approved in January is not yet known. For now, we are operating under a court order to run in the old ones, but that is part of the appeal.

Several bills received Senate approval this week as well.

Some of the forms required by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services for couples seeking a divorce would become available online under the provisions of Senate Bill 57. Supporters of the bill say that it will save money and make the process less burdensome.

Senate Bill 90 lays out a process for jailors to return money from an inmate’s personal canteen account after release. If funds have not been claimed after one year, they would then be available for the jail’s account.

Senate Bill 114, which would allow medical practitioners to request an override of the ‘fail-first protocol’ some insurers require in treatment of certain illnesses, also cleared the Senate this week.

All of these bills now go to the House for consideration.

House Bill 121, which would require that any Prisoners of War/Missing in Action flags purchased or displayed by public agencies in Kentucky be made in the USA, was approved by the Senate.  It now awaits the governor’s signature.

The following is a list of legislation that I have filed as the primary sponsor and the current status of those bills:

SB 36 — Relating to missing children.  Assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair is Senator Tom Jensen.

SB 37 – Relating to fingerprint background checks of long-term care employees.  Assigned to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, Chair is Senator Julie Denton.

SB 39 – Relating to school collection of data on body mass index, height, and weight.  Assigned to the Senate Education Committee, Chair is Senator Ken Winters.

**Note: The State Board of Education recently approved a proposal that would require schools to calculate and record a child’s body mass index (BMI), which relates to body fat. Kentucky’s new regulation would go into effect in the 2012-13 school year and the BMI screenings would be made during a student’s annual exam in grades preschool through five and at least once in middle and high school. I am very glad to see the state taking this action. Thank you for your support of this bill.

SB 44 – Relating to dating violence.  Relating to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair is Senator Tom Jensen.

SB 93 – Relating to brain impaired missing persons.  Assigned to the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee, Chair is Senator Jack Westwood.

SB 104 – Relating to the protection of adults – an adult abuse registry. Assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair is Senator Tom Jenson.

SB 128 – Relating to the imposition of tolls or fees on existing federal interstate highways. Assigned to the Senate Transportation Committee, Chair is Senator Ernie Harris.

SB 156 – Relating to collecting bargaining rights for police and firefighters in second class cities. Introduced in Senate this week.

If you support my legislation, you can assist me in getting these bills moving by calling the chairman of the respective committees to ask that a committee hearing be given.

Legislation may seem slow moving at times, but the vetting process is long and hard, as it should be.  We want to make sure that the laws created by our work in Frankfort are best for the people we serve – that they can go the distance, so to speak.  We also want to make sure you have the chance for your voice to be heard.  Please feel free to contact me with your thoughts and concerns on this or any other legislation impacting you.

To learn more about the Kentucky General Assembly and the work of the 2012 Regular Session, visit our home page, www.lrc.ky.gov.  You can also call 1-800-633-9650 for a taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings.  To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.  To leave a message for me, or any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.  People who prefer to offer their feedback in Spanish can call the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at 1-866-840-6574. You can also e-mail me directly at denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov.

This action results from the growing problem of childhood obesity – a problem that has been for a long time a concern of Senator Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville.

For the second consecutive session, Senator Harper Angel is sponsoring legislation (Senate Bill 39) that focuses on reducing childhood obesity and improving the health of Kentucky’s youth through BMI screenings.

“A 2010 study by Trust for America’s Health found that Kentucky ranked third in the nation in the number of children ages 10 to 17 considered obese,” said Senator Harper Angel, a member of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. “We know that obesity leads to many other health risks such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends BMI screens to help identify excessive weight gain early.

“I am very pleased to see the state school board taking the initiative with BMI screenings,” she added. “We need to address the growing epidemic of childhood obesity now to get our children on a better health path.”

Kentucky’s new regulation would go into effect in the 2012-13 school years and the BMI screenings would be made during a student’s annual exam in grades preschool through five and at least once in middle and high school.

Senator Harper Angel, who represents the 35th District, has served in the State Senate since 2005.

The Framers’ original intent was for a loud citizen voice – but some people question just how much influence they have on our work in Frankfort today.  For those doubters, I have an answer. The fact is that a small group of concerned citizens can still impact – and even initiate – legislation meaningful to them and their unique needs. The evidence can be found in the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 75 from the chamber this week.

Members of the Amish community in Kentucky felt that a current requirement for a bright- orange triangle mounted on the back of their horse-drawn buggies was a violation of their religious convictions. So they wrote to their lawmakers and worked together with them toward a safe solution that would not go against their religious beliefs.

The resulting legislation allows for white or gray reflective tape to be used as an alternative. The provision requires at least 100 inches of it outlining the back of the buggy, as well as several feet of tape on both sides and the front. Some supporters feel it is even safer than the orange emblem, a beautiful example of citizen-motivated legislation identifying even better solutions to the issues facing us.

We also passed several education-related bills this week. Senate Bill 95, which cleared the Senate on a 37-0 vote, encourages elementary schools across the State to establish summer learning programs for low-income students. Research shows that the achievement gap for disadvantaged students widens over the summer. This measure encourages schools to utilize a variety of existing resources, including community and business partnerships, to keep those students engaged and learning through summer day camps.

Senate Bill 38 (passed unanimously) focuses on keeping high school students interested in learning. The bill would create a career and technical education curriculum in the public school system.  Supporters hope the new curriculum will prevent at-risk students from dropping out before graduation by preparing them for careers in local business and industry that do not require a college degree.

Another proposal aimed at increasing the number of high school graduates in Kentucky cleared the Senate by a 35-2 vote. Senate Bill 109 would give local school districts the authority to adopt a policy requiring students to stay in school until age 18, or actual graduation if that comes first. Districts implementing such a policy would be required to offer an approved alternative education program that would help meet the needs of students most likely to drop out.  The curriculum outlined in SB 38 would meet those qualifications.  If made law, the provisions would take effect in the 2014-2015 school year.  The bill does not go far enough.  I support raising the statewide legal dropout age to 18.  I hope we vote another bill this session that addresses that issue.

The following is a list of legislation that I have filed as the primary sponsor and the current status of those bills:

SB 36 — Relating to missing children.  Assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair is Senator Tom Jensen.

SB 37 – Relating to fingerprint background checks of long-term care employees.  Assigned to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee,  Chair is Senator Julie Denton.

SB 39 – Relating to school collection of data on body mass index, height, and weight.  Assigned to the Senate Education Committee, Chair is Senator Ken Winters.

SB 44 – Relating to dating violence.  Relating to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair is Senator Tom Jensen.

SB 93 – Relating to brain impaired missing persons.  Assigned to the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee, Chair is Senator Jack Westwood.

SB 104 – Relating to the protection of adults – an adult abuse registry. Assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chair is Senator Tom Jenson.

SB 128 – Relating to the imposition of tolls or fees on existing federal interstate highways. Assigned to the Senate Transportation Committee, Chair is Senator Ernie Harris.

If you support my legislation, you can assist me in getting these bills moving by calling the chairman of the respective committees to ask that a committee hearing be given.

This is just a one-week snapshot of the legislation we are working on this session. There are many other issues being discussed in the Capitol. I encourage you to join in those discussions. Your voice is needed while laws are in play that affect you. As always, I stand ready and willing to listen to your thoughts and concerns.  Our committee meetings, and chamber proceedings, are open to the public and aired on KET. If you cannot drive up, then tune in.

To learn more about the Kentucky General Assembly and the work of the 2012 Regular Session, visit our home page, www.lrc.ky.gov.  You can also call 1-800-633-9650 for a taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings.  To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.  To leave a message for me, or any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181. People who prefer to offer their feedback in Spanish can call the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at 1-866-840-6574. You can also e-mail me directly at denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov.

Senator Harper Angel represents the 35th Senate District in Jefferson County.

But another important task set before us during this and every session of the General Assembly is updating and improving State laws and policies of lesser dramatic scope, but ones that need attention nonetheless. While little of this work will be prominently headlined in the newspapers, included in the nightly TV news, or even get a quick passing mention on radio, it is still vitally important.

This week we recognized the State-proclaimed Disability Awareness Day, with the Capitol hosting a group of advocates for those with special needs. We are especially attentive to laws affecting the more than 850,000 Kentuckians with disabilities.

We discussed several measures to make practices fairer and more open to people with disabilities. For example, special-needs students who finish a modified course of study currently receive only a certificate of completion. We feel they deserve a diploma, too. On Tuesday, the full Senate gave unanimous approval to award an alternative but actual diploma to students who complete an individualized high school curriculum.

We also worked to create safeguards to protect our livestock farmers. In 2010, a group of Kentucky farmers lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Eastern Livestock company bankruptcy. While banks scrambled to protect their assets in the fallout from that collapse, farmers were left holding bad checks.

The Senate passed Senate Bill 92, a provision that would place stricter bonding and licensing requirements on livestock purchasers like Eastern Livestock. We also approved (by a 32-3 vote) another bill that would create a livestock-seller’s lien to give farmers more legal security than they currently have in the process.

Other bills now going to the House for their consideration include Senate Bill 21, which would allow school districts to remain open on election days, providing that no school buildings are used as polling places.  This will give school districts added flexibility in scheduling instructional and make-up days in their calendar.

As I said, none of these measures are especially flashy, and some of them may not even affect you or the great majority of Kentuckians. But they are meaningful to a number of our fellow citizens. And they are significant to the Senate, which is dedicated to making this Commonwealth a better place for each and every person who calls Kentucky home.

The following is a list of legislation that I have filed as the primary sponsor and the current status of those bills:

SB 36 — Relating to missing children.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.

SB 37 – Relating to fingerprint background checks of long-term care employees.  Assigned to the Health and Welfare Committee.

SB 39 – Relating to school collection of data on body mass index, height, and weight.  Assigned to the Education Committee.

SB 44 – Relating to dating violence.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.

SB 93 – Relating to brain impaired missing persons.  Assigned to the Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee.

SB 104 – Relating to the protection of adults – an adult abuse registry. Assigned to Judiciary.

SB 128 – Relating to the imposition of tolls or fees on existing federal interstate highways.

While one-third of this legislative session is now in the history books, the majority of its story is yet to be written.  If you are not already involved in the issues and bills of interest to you, I encourage you to start now.  Please let me know your thoughts and concerns on the legislation impacting you.

To learn more about the General Assembly and the 2012 Regular Session, visit the Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov.  You can also call 1-800-633-9650 for a taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings.  To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.  To leave a message for me, or any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.  People who prefer to offer their feedback in Spanish can call the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at 1-866-840-6574.  You can also e-mail me directly at denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov.

Senator Harper Angel represents the 35th Senate District in Jefferson County.

This week, the Senate approved Senate Bill 24 that would require children to be 5 years old prior to August 1 of the year they begin kindergarten.  The measure would, however, allow parents to petition local school boards for early admission of gifted students.

The bill passed with two dissenting votes.  If the House agrees and it becomes law, it would take effect during the 2017-2018 school year.

The Senate granted committee approval to several proposed bills that are making their way through the process.  One of those that passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously was legislation that would allow the use of reflective tape on horse-drawn buggies and similar slow-moving vehicles as an alternative to the orange reflective triangle currently required. Members of the Amish community say the big, bright emblem violates their religious convictions against garish displays. This measure, Senate Bill 75, would, we hope, address those concerns.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration reported that 6.5 percent of Kentuckians have used prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes in 2010.  This contrasts with the national average of 5 percent.  These figures are alarming.  As we continue to combat the growing prescription drug problem in the Commonwealth, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing this week on this important issue.  Senate Bill 42 would put pain management facilities under the regulation of the State Board of Medical Licensure.

Pain management facilities, “pill mills,” are places where licensed physicians typically write prescriptions for extremely potent pain medication to almost anyone who asks and has the money to pay.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends States pass, enforce, and evaluate pill mills, doctor shopping, and other laws to reduce the abuse of some prescription medications.  SB 42 is just one of the bills we will see this session dealing with this critical issue facing our Commonwealth.

The following is a list of legislation that I have filed as the primary sponsor and the current status of those bills:

SB 36 — Relating to missing children.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.

SB 37 – Relating to fingerprint background checks of long-term care employees.  Assigned to the Health and Welfare Committee.

SB 39 – Relating to school collection of data on body mass index, height, and weight.  Assigned to the Education Committee.

SB 44 – Relating to dating violence.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.

SB 93 – Relating to brain impaired missing persons.  Assigned to the Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee.

SB 104 – Relating to the protection of adults – an adult abuse registry. Assigned to Judiciary.

As we continue working through this 60-day “long” session, many more bills will be considered by the full Senate on their way to becoming law.  As always, I encourage you to be informed and involved in the legislation affecting you.

To learn more about the work of the General Assembly and to keep up with the 2012 Regular Session, visit the Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov.  You can also call 1-800-633-9650 for a taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings.  To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.  To leave a message for me, or any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.  People who prefer to offer their feedback in Spanish can call the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at 1-866-840-6574.  You can also e-mail me directly at denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov.

The senator said it was necessary that she re-file her notification and declaration papers with the Secretary of State’s office in order to remain in compliance. State law requires that two registered voters of the same party from the district in which the candidate is seeking election must sign the candidate’s papers. Due to the new redistricting plan signed by Governor Steve Beshear, one of the voters who signed Senator Harper Angel’s original filing papers in December is no longer living in the 35th district.

“Though this might seem to be a minor technical issue, it was necessary that I re-file my papers with signatures of voters from my district as it is drawn now,” said Senator Harper Angel.

The senator said she will continue to be an advocate for the citizens of the 35th district and looks forward to communicating with her new constituents very soon.

Senator Harper Angel, who has served in the Senate since 2005, has been a leading proponent of laws to protect the Commonwealth’s children, seniors and citizens with disabilities.

She gained statewide attention when she successfully sponsored the ban on texting while driving, and, since its passage, her Golden Alert for impaired missing adults has become a vital tool in reuniting families. She has filed legislation during the 2012 session that strengthens the Golden Alert. Senate Bill 93 expands the Golden Alert to include not just the mentally impaired but physically and developmentally disabled individuals as well and removes age requirements.

During the 2012 session, she will also work for passage of legislation to make it a felony not to report a missing child in a timely manner and make fingerprint checks mandatory for staff at adult institutional and long-term care service providers for the elderly and disabled.

“It has been an honor to serve the 35th district in the Kentucky State Senate and I am proud of the work I have done,” said Senator Harper Angel, who served as Jefferson County’s Property Valuation Administrator from 1990 to 2004.  “However, there are still many issues facing the citizens of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky that need to be addressed.”

Senator Harper Angel’s hard work in the General Assembly has earned her a position to have her voice heard.  She is a member of the powerful Appropriations and Revenue; Economic Development, Tourism and Labor; Health and Welfare; Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations, and Education committees and the Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources.

Senator Harper Angel thanked her supporters.  “I am honored by the confidence the citizens of the 35th District have placed in me,” she said.  “We’ve had a lot of success, but there’s more to do and I look forward to the challenge.”

A Governor who used language striking enough to give pause outlined that prospect in two sobering early-session speeches.

In his State of the Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the House and Senate on the session’s second night, Governor Steve Beshear called Kentucky’s budget situation (unspecifically but vividly) “wretched.”

Last week’s follow-up Budget Address was more specific. It was the message of a Governor whose budget writers — after 10 previous rounds of cuts since 2007, with some agencies seeing cuts totaling 38 percent — have run out of rabbits to pull from their hat.

Basically, Governor Beshear was passing that empty hat to lawmakers. It felt like a night of reckoning.

He outlined shortfalls so vast in the cumulative scheme of recent years, with cumulative cutting now so deep, that the budget he proposed was, he said, “inadequate for the needs of our people.” It was another sobering phrase. Newspapers headlined it.

Kentucky’s two-year, $19.5 billion General Fund budget is once again back to basics. Federal stimulus money, which flowed so generously the past two years, is gone to come no more. Fund transfers, the obvious cutting of fat, the easy efficiencies and economies, accounting tricks like delayed debt payments — those are mostly used up, or even worse, as in the latter instance, coming back around and coming due.

In the deep trough of the Great Recession, they were just patches. They combined in recent years to account for about $3 billion in non-recurring dollars. That string, though, has about run out.

Three one-time moves involving big money were still left to the administration, and all three are played in the budget proposal. Some $103 million is taken from the state’s $122-million Rainy Day Fund. A tax amnesty program is proposed that could, with any luck, bring in $61 million. And a budget summary handed out later shows $245 million in proposed fund transfers. The summary posits a $742 million gap, all told, between ongoing revenues and base spending.

Bottom line: Even with those one-time millions, it is a budget that comes up $286 million short, and envisions new cuts of 8.4 percent across much of state government, with some few exceptions.

Taking the full hit would be the governor’s office along with all other constitutional officers, plus the cabinets of Economic Development, Finance, Energy and Environment, Labor, Public Protection and Tourism.

Some legislative leaders said given revenues and needs, they saw little room for much change in the overall stringency of the administration’s plan. Still, legislative spending priorities will almost certainly prove somewhat different from the administration’s. The question is, how much and what way?

Only the Legislature can pass a state budget. It will be the Legislature, over the next three months that writes the line-by-line particulars of the budget. The governor can only propose. And, while what he proposed for much of state government was pain, it was not all bad news and cuts.

The administration did find money for a few spending increases, including $21 million to reduce the backbreaking caseload of social workers, an issue much in the headlines lately. The money would enable 300 new social-services workers to be hired, at least 100 of them frontline doorknockers.

Another recent page-one concern – the struggle against prescription drug abuse – would get new money too, with $4 million to expand the state’s tracking program to fight it. Substance-abuse treatment for adults and teenagers in the Medicaid program would get $8 million. That is new

Such treatment is not now available in the state-federal health-coverage plan for low-income Kentuckians.

Some key areas would be spared the full 8.4-percent cuts. State universities would be cut by “only” 6.4 percent next year, and Kentucky State Police and most public safety agencies by 2.2 percent.

Some few areas – albeit admittedly among the state’s most costly — would escape the knife altogether. Exempted from cuts would be Medicaid, basic SEEK funding for grades K-12, preschool programs, Corrections, veterans’ affairs, child and adult protection, mental health, public defenders, student financial aid, mine permitting, and strip-mine reclamation.

While all would be spared actual cuts, in most cases inflation and rising costs would inevitably take their toll. Most notably: While SEEK funding for elementary and secondary education wouldn’t be reduced, it is essentially frozen at its current level – so anticipated increases in student population mean per-pupil expenditures would in fact drop back to 2008 levels.

Other education-related programs do face actual cuts. Key support programs like after-school initiatives and family resource and youth-service centers would be cut by 4.5 percent.

But in positive news, the stand-alone state Road Fund is doing well, riding the back of higher gas prices. Several major road projects (paid for specifically from that fund) will, the governor says, proceed. His proposed budget includes $100 million for Louisville’s Ohio River bridges project in the next two years, plus $236 million in previously approved bonds for that project. The bonds would be paid off later out of the Road Fund.

The budget also sets aside $143 million to continue widening a dangerous stretch of Interstate 65 north of Bowling Green, where major wrecks seem almost daily and too often deadly.

Other light in the tunnel: General Fund revenue is growing again, too, as Kentucky’s economy continues its slow but steady recovery.

That welcome growth is projected to increase modestly throughout the two-year budget. But even the most optimistic hoped-for growth falls far short of replacing the one-time federal stimulus funds that shored up the state budget during the worst of the recession.

The absence of stimulus money explains a widespread public disconnect out there, with folks wondering: Why do we hear about revenues improving, yet also that deep cuts are needed? The answer is ‘structural imbalance’ – using one-time money to plug revenue gaps to meet ongoing expenses.

Along those lines – and to address that situation –the Governor used his Budget Address to once again pitch his signature issue, expanded gambling in Kentucky. He called on the House and Senate to pass and send to the voters a constitutional amendment to allow casinos in Kentucky. He contended that casinos at the state’s racetracks alone would dump one-time license fees of $266 million into the Treasury, and thereafter pump $377 million yearly into the General Fund.

So far, no expanded gambling proposal in recent years has gained sufficient legislative traction to even approach two-chamber passage. How – or even if – the issue unfolds this session remains unknowable, and unknown. But legislative response so far has been muted, at best.

Meanwhile, the other immediately compelling issue of the session’s first month – state, federal and judicial redistricting – proceeded on pace, with the Senate signing off on a reapportionment plan the House passed for itself earlier, while adding its own for itself.

The two chambers had jointly unfurled white flags on drawing new district lines, agreeing not to interfere in the other body’s determination of its own makeup.

As in the House plan that passed, where majority Democrats drew districts that in several cases pit incumbent Republicans against each other, so did majority Republicans in the Senate draw lines that in several cases pit incumbent Democrats against each other. Such is the nature of redistricting, always the most bruising, political, and personal process any legislative body undertakes.

With no prior gentlemen’s agreement, however, Congressional redistricting is up in the air. The chambers passed substantially different plans that will need a conference committee to resolve. Work on that is scheduled to resume Monday, at this writing.

Redistricting of House, Senate and Congressional districts is a once-a-decade Constitutional requirement. States must adjust district lines to account for population changes or shifts identified by the most recent U.S. Census. It is a legally and technically tough job, easy to find fault with, and certain to caused bruised feelings. But it is ultimately central to good representative government, necessary under our system — and something every Legislature is glad to see in its rearview mirror.

It is still early in the session and we have much work yet to be done. To keep you up-to-date on my work, I have included a list of legislation that I have filed as the primary sponsor and the status of those bills:

• SB 36 — Relating to missing children.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.
• SB 37 – Relating to fingerprint background checks of long-term care employees.  Assigned to the Health and Welfare Committee.
• SB 39 – Relating to school collection of data on body mass index, height, and weight.  Assigned to the Education Committee.
• SB 44 – Relating to dating violence.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.
• SB 93 – Relating to brain impaired missing persons.  Assigned to the Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee.
• SB 104 – Relating to the protection of adults. Assigned to Judiciary.

I will keep you posted on the work of the General Assembly, and ask for your feedback as well. To do my job well, I need to hear from you. To leave a message for me, or any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 or in Spanish at the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at 1-866-840-6574.  You can also email me at denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov.

For more details about the work of the General Assembly, you can visit the Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov.  A taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings is updated daily at 1-800-633-9650. To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.

Senator Harper Angel represents the 35^th Senate District in Jefferson County.

Committee approval is the first step in a long legislative process that, for successful bills, means passage by both the House and Senate, reconciliation of differences between the two chambers, and signing by the Governor. It is a long journey.

Our opening slate of topics this year include some of the most important issues facing the Commonwealth.

We have seen the media reports and heard from our constituents about how substance abuse (especially methamphetamine abuse) is plaguing our State. This is not the first time we have discussed drug problems in the Legislature, and unfortunately it will not be the last. As illicit drug production and distribution schemes evolve, so must our tactics against them.

We began tackling the most urgent current drug-related issues of pill mills and meth labs with pre-filed bills even before the session began. This week that work intensified.

In a joint meeting of the Senate and House Judiciary Committee, we heard from several experts on the State’s meth epidemic. University of Kentucky researchers and seasoned drug enforcement professionals testified on the scope of meth-lab incidents, as well as the effectiveness of previous and current anti-meth legislation in the State and nation.

This is a complex problem that will require thoughtful legislation. We want to curb drug abuse – the scourge of meth especially — while being mindful of the rights of law-abiding citizens. Our hope is that by April – or before – we will have written and passed such a bill.

Talks began this week about other important topics, as well. Some of the most vulnerable citizens in our State took center stage as legislators discussed schools, long-term care facilities, veterans, open records in child-abuse fatalities, and the Impact Plus behavioral health program.  Committee hearings do not always get a lot of attention, but they are key first steps in the process of a bill becoming a law, and citizens are always welcome.

The following is a list of legislation that I have filed as the primary sponsor and the current status of those bills:

• SB 36 — Relating to missing children.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.
• SB 37 – Relating to fingerprint background checks of long-term care employees.  Assigned to the Health and Welfare Committee.
• SB 39 – Relating to school collection of data on body mass index, height, and weight.  Assigned to the Education Committee.
• SB 44 – Relating to dating violence.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.
• SB 93 – Relating to brain impaired missing persons.  Assigned to the Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee.

It is still very early in the legislative session. The pace will continue to increase in the coming weeks and months.  I will keep you posted, and ask for your feedback as well. To do my job well, I need to hear from you. To leave a message for me, or any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181. People who prefer to offer their feedback in Spanish can call the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at 1-866-840-6574.  You can also email me at denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov.

For more details about the work of the General Assembly, you can visit the Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov.  A taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings is updated daily at 1-800-633-9650. To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.

Senator Harper Angel represents the 35^th Senate District in Jefferson County.

After the closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge, the exit ramp from westbound I-64 to I-65 was closed to improve traffic flow where these two routes merge with Interstate 71.  As a result, the free-flow traffic condition from Story Avenue to I-64 was changed to a short merge condition.  To help with traffic control, KYTC installed first a yield sign and subsequently a stop sign at the top of the ramp.

“But we have observed a disregard for the traffic control devices at the Story Avenue ramp resulting in an increase in crashes,” said Matt Bullock, Chief District Engineer for the Department of Highways Louisville District.  “After reviewing crash data and traffic operations at this location, we decided to close this ramp until the Sherman Minton Bridge reopens.”

Eleven crashes have occurred at the Story Avenue ramp, including eight rear-end collisions, since the Sherman Minton Bridge closed on Sept. 9, 2011.  In the three years prior to the bridge closure, two crashes were reported at the same location – both involving alcohol.  Approximately 2,700 vehicles use the entrance ramp each day.

KYTC plans to install barricades at the entrance ramp on Monday, Jan. 9. To access westbound I-64, motorists will need to follow Story Avenue to Main Street in downtown Louisville and then access the interstate at 22nd Street.

Dial 511 or log on to 511.ky.gov for the latest in traffic and travel information in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  You can also get traffic information for the District 5 counties at http://transportation.ky.gov/District-5/Pages/District-5-Traffic-Advisories.aspx  and www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict5

The Kentucky General Assembly convened Jan. 3 for the 2012 Regular Session, with more than 200 bills already filed and ready to start working their way through the legislative process.

Redistricting is one of the first and most time-urgent items on our agenda.  As constitutionally mandated, we redraw House, Senate and Congressional district lines every decade to account for population changes or shifts identified by the most recent U.S. Census. This can be a highly political and personal issue, but the end goal is always to get you into a cohesive and balanced district that meets all the legal requirements.

Redistricting needs to be accomplished quickly, before the filing deadline for this year’s elections, at the end of this month.

As with every 60-day “long session,” our biggest job this year is writing State government’s biennial budget.  That is going to be especially difficult this year. Recent revenues have slightly exceeded projections, but increased costs, the absence of significant one-time federal stimulus money and past budget actions mean that the State faces a $337 million deficit in the next two years.

But even in hard financial times, education is always a top priority in the Legislature. Ensuring Kentucky’s children are getting a quality education is centrally important to us. We will be addressing a number of education bills, ranging from increasing the high school dropout age to increasing the number of college degrees in the Commonwealth.

We will also consider ways to address substance abuse problems in Kentucky. Nearly a third of Kentuckians report they have a family member or friend who is abusing prescription drugs. One bill we will consider would place tougher regulations, licensure requirements, and monitoring on “pill mills.”  These are facilities where licensed physicians require little explanation from patients, or assessment of their condition, before writing prescriptions for potent narcotics.

We currently have the fourth-largest number of meth lab incidents in the country.  Pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in meth, is being monitored through the “Meth Check” program, but many producers circumvent that law by having multiple people visit multiple pharmacies to secure the amount needed to make methamphetamine. Legislation has been proposed to help close that loophole.

The following is a list of legislation that I have filed as the primary sponsor and the current status of those bills:

SB 36 — Relating to missing children.  Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.

SB 37 – Relating to fingerprint background checks of long-term care employees.  Assigned to the Health and Welfare Committee.

SB 39 – Relating to school collection of data on body mass index, height, and weight.  Assigned to the Education Committee.

SB 44 – Relating to dating violence.  Relating to the Judiciary Committee.

This is a very brief overview of how things look in the opening days of this session. It is much too early to predict all of the more than 1000 bills we will consider before the final gavel falls in April.  I will continue to write each week about the work we are doing in the Senate.  But there are many other ways to stay informed about the legislature, as well.

The Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov, provides information on each of the Commonwealth’s senators and representatives, including our phone numbers, addressees, and committee assignments.  The site also provides a bill tracking service, and committee meeting schedules.

By going to our eNews page, www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/listserv.htm, you can subscribe to frequent e-mail updates on what’s happening at the Capitol.  In addition, the General Assembly has its own blog, Capitol Notes, www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/capitol_notes.htm, that will allow you to receive legislative updates at your leisure.

You can also stay in touch with General Assembly action in the following ways:

·         A taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings is updated daily at 1-800-633-9650.

·         To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.

·         To leave a message for any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.  People who prefer to offer their feedback in Spanish can call the General Assembly’s Spanish Line at 1-866-840-6574.  People with hearing difficulties may leave messages for lawmakers by calling the TTY Message Line at 1-800-896-0305.

·         You may write any legislator by sending a letter with the lawmaker’s name to: Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601.

·         You can e-mail me directly at denise.harperangel@lrc.ky.gov.

Senator Harper Angel represents the 35th Senate District in Jefferson County.