Now that the 2019 session of the Kentucky General Assembly has concluded (except for one veto day on March 28th), it is easy for one to recognize and conclude that Matt Bevin controls the legislature.
First, it is clear the Kentucky State Senate was the driver in the 2019 session. The Senate controlled the agenda from start to finish. Before the session started, both bodies agreed that school safety was the top issue to be addressed. Was it HB 1? Yes. But it was also SB 1 and the Senate version was the bill that moved thru the process. The House Bill 1 never moved. As previously reported, ITC was told that Senate leaders assured House leaders that SB 150, the so-called “constitutional carry” gun bill, more correctly named the “gunslinger bill”, would not be considered or passed. But low and behold, the Senate did pass SB 150 and the House then wilted and passed the bill. Although the bill passed overwhelmingly, ITC was informed by several members of the House they did not feel good about the vote and did not appreciate being put in that position.
Then, came the final day. The Senate, and more specifically Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, was holding more than 50 House bills in consent calendar. Thayer refused to act on those House bills unless and until the House gave in to him and passed a revised version of SB 34, the anti Secretary of State bill. This, even after Thayer had acted very immaturely in an outburst in an House committee after the committee voted down his bill. He was described as the “big bad bully” on the House floor. But again, House leadership gave in. Soon after the House passed a revised version of Thayer’s SB 34 around 9:00 p.m. Thursday night, Thayer then moved and the Senate adopted the more than 50 House bills which had been stuck in the Senate. Thayer 2, House leadership 0.
Which gets us to Bevin. Thursday night, Bevin apparently went to the Senate and met with Republican Senators. Reportedly, Bevin was there to lobby the Senate against the House Bill filed by House Floor Leader Bam Carney which would reduce the salary of Bevin’s close friend and Director of Commonwealth Office of Technology. If you recall, Mr. Grindle received a pay raise of more than $150,000.00, raising his salary to $375,000, the highest paid such position in the nation! House and Senate leaders agreed (?) early on that action needed to be taken to scale back that salary and bring it in line with surrounding states. Rep. Carney, by agreement of all leaders ITC has been told, filed the bill. That bill passed the House unanimously. But guess what, once again, the Senate did not keep their commitment, and the bill died in the Senate on Thursday. After Bevin had met with Senate leaders.
Senate controls the House (no reasonable observer could argue otherwise), and Bevin controls the Senate. Bevin, in picking Sen. Ralph Alvarado as his running mate, may be much smarter politically than all his previous actions would indicate. When it came to the 2019 session, make no mistake….Bevin and the Senate won!
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