Another round of priority bills will soon land in the Kentucky House's inbox.
Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate passed three measures at the top of their to-do list with little floor debate. One bill - SB10 - would shift statewide elections to even-numbered years, a revision sponsor Chris McDaniel characterized as a win-win.
"This is a simple way to save a significant amount of money while at the same time increasing voter participation and ensuring that our democracy does not suffer a death by starvation," he said, repeating arguments made during the bill's brief stay in committee.
But the measure is unlikely to gain a foothold down the hall as long as Democrats remain at the helm.
"I just don't think that we need to change things. It means that there would have to be what, an extra year?" House Speaker Greg Stumbo told reporters, appearing skeptical the state could enjoy the millions in projected savings touted by McDaniel.
The Prestonsburg Democrat also said he suspects the GOP have ulterior motives. While he stopped short of elaborating, the opposition party has long maintained Republicans are fishing for more votes by rewriting the election calendar.
Among the other bills OKed by the Senate were: a measure requiring women seeking an abortion to attend a face-to-face consultation with their physician at least 24 hours before the procedure, and SB45, permitting open records requests into state pensions.
