Jason Hall, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky (CCK), said the conference is working on a variety of other issues during the session in the midst of its Feb. 1 victory
A bill related to informed consent prior to an abortion, which the CCK has worked on for more than a decade, was approved by the General Assembly Feb. 1.
“We have a number of other bills and a lot of them are moving,” he said during an interview on Feb. 2.
Hall is optimistic about proposals related to the restoration of voting rights for former felons and felony record expungement.
“There is reason to hope the Senate is going to move them this year. Gov. Bevin is a big supporter of both of them. I think we may get some victory in those as well. It could be a good session,” he said.
The restoration of voting rights for ex-felons would require a constitutional amendment, he said, noting that may be a slow process. He’s hopeful that one of the expungement measures, House Bill 40 and Senate Bill 77, will make it to the governor’s desk. Currently, people who have a Class D felony conviction have a difficult time finding a steady job after prison.
He’s also hopeful another measure, House Bill 18, will get some traction this session. The bill requires “reasonable workplace accommodations” for women who are pregnant or nursing, Hall said.
And the CCK is working with the ACLU on the issue — a group that is normally its opponent when it comes to women’s reproductive rights.
“That’s a good thing; we are hopefully building some relationships,” Hall said.
