Prepared by the Kentucky LRC
FRANKFORT — While education reform, the biennial budget, and other big-ticket legislation grab headlines, the bulk of the General Assembly’s work comes on a smaller scale through small tweaks to the law that affects Kentuckians each day. This week, we passed several measures that may not end up on your front page, but they will have some impact on thousands of citizens nonetheless.
One such proposal is Senate Bill 19, which would allow pharmacy technicians who volunteer with charity groups to provide free or low-cost drugs to have their annual registration fee waived. It is only $25, but it is a powerful message to retirees and others who maintain their registration just to help the less fortunate. These charities, some of which write 20,000 prescriptions or more each year, depend on pharmacy technicians to make sure the medication is distributed in a timely manner, and with more Kentuckians in the grip of this recession, we need as many of them as we can.
Another commonsense measure, SB 47, will allow local jails to charge a co-pay to state prisoners who require medical care. One of the fastest-growing expenses for our correctional facilities is medical costs, and more state prisoners are being kept in county jails as the population increases. This legislation will allow counties to make a small dent in the growth of their jail budgets. Although inmates who cannot afford to pay would not go without care, the jails could use inmate’s accounts, which they can add to through work details and other methods, to cover those co-pays.
Many times, Kentucky businesses bidding for work in other states face a major roadblock because in-state contractors get a legal preference. SB 45 would level the playing field, by penalizing out-of-state businesses who seek contracts in Kentucky by the same amount they penalize Kentucky contractors in their state. For example, if New York contractors get a 5 percent “hometown discount” when bidding for work in Buffalo, they would face the same 5 percent penalty on work they bid for in Bowling Green. Effectively, this helps give Kentucky bidders a fair shake throughout their contracting business and keeps our economy more vibrant.
A second bill aimed at protecting domestic jobs is SB 54. Many businesses require their employees to buy particular work uniforms, safety goggles, and other items. Some even specify a certain manufacturer, which may produce their goods overseas even though like goods are manufactured here in the United States. SB 54 would prohibit public employers from requiring overseas equipment or clothing unless those goods are not produced in the USA at a competitive price. In this global marketplace, and in this economy, we must take care of our own, and SB 54 is another way to do that.