House Republicans planning measure to let ‘safe’ Kentucky businesses reopen
Republican members of the Kentucky House of Representatives are working on a coronavirus relief bill that is intended to reopen some of the “non-essential” businesses Gov. Andy Beshear has shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Several House members are working on new language intended to help businesses and employers “cope with the problems they’re having to deal with,” according to House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect.
“It begins the process of at least starting the discussion about a way to reopen some businesses in a safe manner,” Osborne said.
Beshear ordered all non-life sustaining businesses to close on March 26. The number of coronavirus cases has grown at a slower pace in Kentucky than many other states, causing business owners and Republicans to push for reopening the economy.
The House has not yet unveiled the language of the bill, but Osborne said it is intended to move the conversation from being about essential and non-essential businesses into a conversation about which businesses are safe and which are not.
“There are some businesses that may not be termed essential that can operate in a perfectly safe manner,” Osborne said. “And if we can figure out a way to do that and comply with all CDC guidelines, then I think we need to start having that conversation.”
Beshear has said the current restrictions will remain in-place at least through the end of the month. It is unclear whether the legislature will attempt to supersede his executive order. Osborne said the language will focus on professional licensing boards, allowing them to create protocols to allow some businesses to return to work.
“When you drive down every downtown you see the closed signs, we’re not just going to be able to flip those signs to open,” Osborne said. “But this does begin the process of allowing safe protocols to be followed in certain circumstances.
If the legislature passes a new bill, Beshear could veto it and lawmakers would not have an opportunity to override his veto.
The bill comes as Republicans have begun to exert political pressure on Beshear. After criticizing the Democratic governor’s decision over the weekend to have state police troopers collected the license plate numbers of people who attended in-person gatherings, Republicans unleashed more public criticism of Beshear Tuesday.
In a statement, the Republican Party of Kentucky said Beshear isn’t doing enough to prepare for the reopening of Kentucky’s economy.
“Leaders across the country of both political parties are working to prepare for recovery even as the virus begins to peak in various hotspots,” said Mike Lonergan, spokesman for the Republican Party of Kentucky. “Kentuckians are sacrificing so much to help fight the virus. They deserve not to be left behind by Andy Beshear’s refusal to act.”
Meanwhile, the state’s Republican constitutional officers — Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Secretary of State Michael Adams, Treasurer Allison Ball, Auditor Mike Harmon and Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles — said Beshear is responsible for the Republican-led legislature’s decision to meet Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Legislative leaders asked the governor weeks ago to commit to calling a special session dated for a time when the pandemic had passed so the General Assembly could complete its business,” the statement said. “He refused. He says he is willing to give up his newfound political popularity to do the right thing, without regard to partisanship, but if that was the case and he did not want the legislature to return, he should not have vetoed bills that passed with veto-proof majorities.”
The House Tuesday also gave final passage to Senate Bill 15, a constitutional amendment known as Marsy’s Law dealing with crime victims’ rights. Voters will decide its fate at the polls in November.
The Senate and House overrode Beshear’s veto of SB 2, which would require a voter to have a government-issued photo ID to vote in the November elections.
The Senate also overrode Beshear’s veto of SB 5 and sent it to the House. It would require any special taxing district to get approval by a local governing body before it could initiate a new tax.
The Senate and House overrode vetoes on three House bills:
▪ HB 336 would let candidates for governor select their running mate for lieutenant governor before the second Tuesday in August instead of during the spring primary campaign.
▪ HB 195 would allow local governments in populations of 80,000 or more to run their legal notices online instead of in local newspaper.
▪ HB 150 would require courts in interpreting law to rely only on provisions codified in law.
Legislative leaders also unveiled a measure to establish a special task force to prepare for emergencies, Tuesday.
House Health and Family Services Committee Chair Kimberly Moser, R-Independence, informed her members that the House will consider a resolution to set up the Kentucky Emergency Preparedness Task Force.
She said it will prepare for “emerging health threats and natural disasters.”
Its duties, she said, include hearing testimony from businesses, hospitals, health-care providers, medical supply companies, medical laboratories and farming enterprises to “gauge insight on the effects and challenges they all face in a statewide emergency.”
Moser also said it will assess plans for emergencies, evaluate the role and effectiveness of executive orders in emergencies, coordinate state and local governments’ responses and strengthen the use of communications and technology.
Members will include a bipartisan group from the House and Senate, members of Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration and “any other member deemed appropriate by the Legislative Research Commission.”
It is to meet monthly and provide recommendations to the LRC by Dec. 1.
The full House and Senate started meeting Tuesday at noon. Some members wore face masks and Kentucky distilleries provided hand sanitizers for lawmakers and staff.
Their agenda includes considering Beshear’s various vetoes, constitutional amendments and other legislation. The Senate is also expected to hold confirmation hearings for several appointments made by Beshear and former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.
The 2020 Kentucky General Assembly must end by midnight April 15.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 11:16 AM.
