By LAURA KEENER, Special to The Record
The regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly began Jan. 3 and legislators wasted no time in advancing several bills that have stalled in committee in previous years. Part of the reason for the fast pace of the 2017 assembly is that Kentucky, for the first time in 17 years, is operating with a single-party government.
The 2016 election left the Kentucky Senate with a Republican majority and gave the House of Representatives a Republican majority — and not just a majority but a super majority. Twenty-seven of the 38 available seats in the Senate and 64 of the 100 available seats in the House are now held by Republicans. It takes a majority to pass most legislation, but certain other measures need a three-fifths majority (that’s 23 votes in the Senate and 60 votes in the House).
“In order to pass a budget or, really, any kind of legislation at all, you had to have at least the consent, if not the active buy-in, of leaders of both parties. That’s no longer the case when it comes to issues that are do-able — some good, some bad from our perspective,” said Jason Hall, executive director for the Catholic Conference of Kentucky (CCK). “Literally the Democratic leadership has no real ability to influence the process and that’s the big change.”
The CCK represents the concerns of bishops on matters of public policy, often working in Frankfort and with elected officials on legislative issues. The conference also educates Catholics about issues of concern to the church and encourages participation in the public square.
Annual Catholics @ The Capitol events, sponsored by the CCK across Kentucky, offer Catholics a summary of the CCK’s legislative agenda.
A series of four Catholics @ The Capitol events are set for the Archdiocese of Louisville. During the events, the CCK will give an update on bills of concern to the bishops.
As the first five days of the General Assembly came to a close Saturday, Hall offered an update on a few pieces of legislation that have advanced:
- The “Ultrasound Bill” — House Bill 2 requires abortion providers to provide the opportunity to view an ultrasound to women seeking an abortion. The provider is required to offer but the woman has an affirmative right to refuse. The governor signed the bill Jan. 9.
- The CCK has long-supported similar proposals.
- Ban on abortion 20 weeks after fertilization — Senate Bill 5 has also passed and was signed by the governor Jan. 9. Twenty weeks is approximately the stage when an unborn child is viable and when it is believed he or she can begin to feel pain. The CCK supports the measure.
- “Right to Work” — House Bill 1 allows workers to labor in a unionized workplace without having to join the union or pay dues. Twenty-six other states have passed similar laws. Kentucky’s bishops have, for many years, expressed concern that these laws ultimately undermine the bargaining power of employees and depress wages. Despite significant displays of opposition, HB 1 was signed by the governor Jan. 9.
- “School choice” — House Bill 162 and Senate Bill 102 are measures that would offer tax credits to businesses and individuals who donate to certain scholarship-granting organizations. The CCK supports the measures. As the session moves forward, this will be a major focus of CCK’s advocacy in Frankfort.
The CCK wants Catholics to voice their concerns to legislators.
“Elections happen regularly, numbers change, people come and go, but the need to have the people’s voice and to be involved never changes,” said Hall, calling it a matter of responsible citizenship for Catholics to be involved in the political system.
“As Catholics, our faith calls us to make our communities and our society more reflective of Gospel values — lifting up the least of these and being a voice for the vulnerable is very important to us. As Americans and Kentuckians that should influence what we value and what our priorities are and what we support or oppose. We are citizens, but we are Catholics first,” he said.
When it comes to public policies, sometimes Catholics hold back from speaking their values because they are concerned about imposing the faith. Hall said there is a vast difference between imposing one’s faith and advocating, from a reasoned point of view, values that are informed by faith.
To illustrate the difference, he shared an analogy shared with him by Bishop Ronald Gainer, former Bishop of Lexington. Bishop Gainer, according to Hall, said that if Catholics asked that the feast of the Immaculate Conception be made a state holiday, that would be imposing the faith. But when Catholics ask legislators to defend the unborn or adopt policies that would expand access to healthcare, that’s not imposing the faith, that’s expressing values in the context of a public-policy debate.
“In our political process we have no more right to dictate policy than anyone else does, but we also have no less right,” said Hall. “So that’s what we do, we advocate, just like anyone else can advocate, and we hope others of goodwill see the merit of our position and we can have some positive effect on the development of policy.”
The Kentucky General Assembly is on recess until Feb. 7.
Laura Keener is the editor of The Messenger, newspaper of the Diocese of Covington, Ky.