More Pre-filed Legislation

Here is some more good, bad and just plain silly pre-filed legislation for the 2007 General Assembly.

First up Mike Cherry with one good idea and one not so good idea:

Cherry has one of those bills that cover a number of topics related to executive branch employees. The good idea here is that he is going to delay rewarding non-merit employees (political appointees) from burrowing into the merit system. Give that a lot of Republicans will be burrowing soon this is a great idea.

BR 185 - Representative Mike Cherry (11/21/06)
AN ACT relating to executive branch employees.
…amend KRS 18A.111 to require former unclassified employees to serve an initial probationary period of 12 months if the employee is appointed to a position in the classified service, unless he or she has prior status within the system or had been separated from his or her unclassified position at least 180 days;….

However, Cherry also has one of those bills designed to show how much the legislator is behind he troops. I’m all for honoring the military, but I’m also for hiring the most qualified people we can to be public servants. Two things to remember, one the military is all volunteer and two it’s our tax dollars that pay state employee salaries. So Mike needs to find some other way to honor the military other than rigging merit exams.

BR 286 - Representative Mike Cherry (11/21/06)
AN ACT relating to honoring military service. Amend KRS 18A.150 to expand the state hiring preference honoring military service; require the adding of five or ten preference points to a military-connected individual's examination score used for state hiring in classified positions; permit the total of an examination score and preference points to exceed 100; require that a register certificate of finalists for a state job identify all finalists entitled to preference points, whether or not an examination is actually a part of the selection method; require that an employing state agency offer an interview to all finalists entitled to preference points, except that when five or more of the finalists are entitled preference points, the employing state agency shall offer an interview to no fewer than the five most qualified of these individuals.

Senator Julie Denton really doesn’t like being responsible to the people that elect her and would really like to stay in office longer without that bothersome problem of running for office.

BR 241 - Senator Julie Denton (11/28/06)
AN ACT proposing an amendment to Sections 30 and 31 of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to elections of the General Assembly. Propose to amend Sections 30 and 31 of the Kentucky Constitution to extend the terms of State Representatives from two to four years and State Senators from four to six years beginning in 2008; submit to voters.

Next is one of those pieces of legislation that supports every negative thing you can say about the legislature. Why do we need to give a special tax break to trailer park owners? What legitimate possible reason could there be for this? I can’t think of one.

BR 179 - Representative Darryl T Owens (11/28/06)
AN ACT relating to residential utilities Amend KRS 139.470 to exempt from sales and use tax the charges for residential utilities billed to an owner or operator of a multi-unit residential facility or mobile home park, including charges for common areas; EFFECTIVE August 1, 2007.

And finally a couple of more burning issue pieces of legislation that always makes me want to know why are the wasting my money this way?

BR 252 - Senator Denise Harper Angel (11/27/06)
AN ACT relating to the designation of the Louisville Orchestra as the official state Orchestra.

BR 236 - Representative Ted "Teddy" Edmonds (11/29/06)
AN ACT designating bluegrass music as the official state music of Kentucky. Create a new section of KRS Chapter 2 to designate bluegrass music as the official state music of Kentucky.