It’s day seven of the 2019 General Assembly. Believe it or not, this year’s session is already nearly 1/4 completed. And what has been accomplished so far? Bubkis.
The Senate has passed a few bills, but the House has yet to even hear any. We’re sure the reason that would be offered would be the pace of the committee system, but that didn’t seem to be an obstacle two years ago when, by this point, bills on right-to-work, prevailing wage, abortion restrictions and the University of Louisville had not already passed, but had been signed into law.
So what changed? As one Republican legislator told us, it is the “Hoover factor.” They credited Jeff Hoover with the pace two years ago. “When we came in, the organization was already there. Hoover had the little things like committee, seats and offices assignments already lined out. That let us focus on passing those bills.” The legislator stopped short of explicitly criticizing current House leadership, but said, “Let’s just say it took some extra time for the little stuff this year.”
We at ITC are not defending Hoover, or others implicated, for the well-publicized sexual antics. As previously stated, the ITC policy is not to involve ourselves in “he said, she said” situations. However, Hoover admitted to inappropriate behavior, and although allegations against the others were not admitted, Hoover’s were the most egregious with sexually-charged text messages.
What we will say is that we wonder what the state of Frankfort would be right now had that not happened. Hoover was one Republican who was willing to stand up to Bevin. Had “Jane Doe” not come forward, we have to wonder if he might have run against Bevin in a primary this year? Or perhaps as a running mate for Jamie Comer?
Republicans in the state have reason to be mad at Hoover. While not the first by any means, he allowed the tawdry to interfere with his responsibility. His resignation as Speaker left a vacuum in Frankfort, as he was the adult in the room who could tell Bevin when enough was enough.
Will another Republican step up and be that person? Or will Bevin run roughshod over the legislature this year? Only time will tell, but what is obvious is that it’s not just Hoover paying his penance, it’s the people of Kentucky as well.
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