By Marnie McAllister, Record Editor
A bill to ensure pregnant women and nursing mothers are accommodated in the workplace cleared Kentucky’s Senate last week in a 25 to 7 vote. It was received in the House Monday, Feb. 25.
Senate Bill 18, known as the Kentucky Pregnant Workers’ Rights Act, has the support of Kentucky’s bishops and is a priority of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky in the 2019 session of the General Assembly. The CCK represents the state’s bishops on matters of public policy.
“We’re very hopeful. It’s a worker’s rights issue supporting women who are balancing being mothers and workers. And it’s a life issue,” said Jason Hall, executive director of the CCK. “We support it on both counts. We got a pretty good vote out of the Senate and we’re hearing positive things in the House.”
The bill requires employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for pregnant women in the workplace and nursing mothers.
Hall highlighted several other bills that he said are at critical stages in the legislative process and urged Catholics to contact their representatives to urge their support. Following is a summary of those measures:
Scholarship tax credits
Another measure that has momentum is House Bill 205, which the CCK hopes will give children more educational choices.
The bill grants tax credits to those who donate money to certain scholarship-granting organizations, such as the Catholic Education Foundation in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
The bill awaits action in the House and the CCK is hopeful the measure will see movement this week.
“We need all hands on deck,” said Andrew Vandiver, associate director of the CCK, who urged Catholics to call their lawmakers. “We have a large group of supporters, but there are a lot of folks in the middle. We have to do a lot to educate them before the bill is voted on.”
Abortion
Three proposals aim to limit abortion. House Bill 148 would prohibit non-medically necessary abortions in Kentucky if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court. Roe v. Wade refers to the 1973 decision by the high court that legalized abortion-on-demand in the U.S. The bill passed the House 69-20 and awaits a Senate hearing.
“This would establish Kentucky’s law on abortion,” said Hall. “This would provide a very pro-life structure to our law if Roe v. Wade is overturned.”
House Bill 5 would prohibit abortion when it is sought because of the child’s gender, race, color, national origin or disability, except in the case of a medical emergency. It was approved the House in a 67 to 25 vote Feb. 26.
Senate Bill 9 would prohibit abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The Senate passed the bill 31-6 and it’s now awaiting action by a House committee.
Death penalty
House Bill 115 seeks to abolish the death penalty in Kentucky. An abolition bill is introduced every year, but in recent years it has seen a growth in bipartisan support. This year’s bill has a record number of cosponsors.
“We’re getting closer every year,” said Hall. “This is a sign that a lot more people are willing to put their names out there publicly.”
Hall urged people to see if their legislators have signed on to the bill and “if not, please call and ask him or her to do so.”
Poverty
Unlike the other bills that have the bishops’ support, the CCK is concerned about the newly filed House Bill 3, introduced just last week.
The measure establishes work requirements, substance abuse screenings, and other requirements for public assistance.
“The main concern is that by creating work requirements and other thresholds people have to meet it creates barriers in a system that should be based on eligibility,” said Hall.
These barriers, he said, “can exacerbate childhood poverty issues which have ripple effects.”
To reach your lawmakers, call 1-800-372-7181 and leave them messages. A tool to search for your lawmakers using your address is available at https://legislature.ky.gov.
