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The House Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee's jurisdiction includes military affairs; veterans’ nursing homes, cemeteries, rights, benefits, and education opportunities; and military memorials, and many things related to public protection.
These bills from that committee were voted into law; look any of them up here - all details, bill language, amendments, and vote history are available for your review. A great resource!
Preventing Veteran Suicide – HB 30 creates the Kentucky Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Suicide Prevention Program within the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs.
Saving Infant Lives – HB 272 allows staff at the location of a safe haven baby box to be temporarily offsite as long as it does not impact the required response time for recovering an infant placed in the box. The measure also requires informational signage about the baby boxes to be placed at schools.
Protecting Kentucky Children – HB 453 requires the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to identify if adults involved in alleged reports of child abuse and/or neglect are active duty military personnel, and inform the appropriate Department of Defense advocacy agency of the case.
Recognizing Purple Star Schools – HB 469 formally establishes the Purple Star School Program within the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs. The program is a national effort to support military-connected children as they relocate to new schools as a result of a parent’s change in duty station.
Easing the Transition for Military Children – HB 471 allows the use of military orders as proof of residency for the purpose of school enrollment or course registration and prohibits school districts from requiring in-person enrollment if military-related duties prevent a parent or guardian from being present.
Enhancing Emergency Response/Next Generation 911 – HB 528 ensures continuation of matching monies to complete the implementation of Next Generation 911, which provides things like GPS location and other "smart" features to 911 calls. HB 6 includes $5 million to complete the project.
Supporting Kentucky National Guard Families - HB 715 eliminates a requirement that Kentucky National Guard members be deployed before they are eligible for the military family assistance trust fund. The measure also expands the existing adoption assistance program to include former members of the Kentucky National Guard and allow the adoption of stepchildren to qualify.
Updating Training for Telecommunicators – HB 782 creates the Public Safety Telecommunicator Work Group to develop new training for the public safety telecommunicator academy.
Creating Alert Systems for Missing Adults and Children – SB 45 creates the Ashanti Alert to provide for efficient communication of information to law enforcement agencies, media, and the public about missing adults and suspect information in cases of suspected abduction. The measure also includes provisions of HB 682, creating the Ian Alert System to communicate information about a missing child with an intellectual disability or mental illness.
Protecting Children from Registered Child Sex Offenders – SB 249 requires registered sex offenders convicted of a crime involving a minor to use their real name on social media platforms.
I will cover more of the 215 enacted bills in future newsletters. There were nearly 1000 bills that were introduced and not passed - some good, some bad, some will be re-filed.
My 4 Committee assignments are:
- Elections & Constitutional Amendments
- State Government
- Transportation
- Information Technology Oversight Committee (House Co-Chair)
Watch live internet video of the session and committees on this KET link.
I welcome your input and perspective on legislative issues (online form here).
My office number is 351D in the Capitol Annex.
Office phone is 502-564-8100.
State email is John.Hodgson@lrc.ky.gov
I will do my best to answer your questions and consider your input on District 36 issues if you would like to contact me.
In Case You Missed It:
Here are some links to my key bills from the recent Session -
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