Despite the slick roads and thick accumulation of snow across the Commonwealth, the Kentucky General Assembly returned ready to work following the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.

The general atmosphere in the Capitol was one of anticipation as citizens rallied for causes in the Rotunda and met with their legislators throughout the week.

Senate Bill (SB) 8 passed the Senate this week with overwhelming bipartisan support and is headed to the House for a vote. The bill provides civil immunity for damaging a vehicle if a person enters the vehicle with the reasonable, good-faith belief that a dog or cat is in immediate danger of death if not removed. Also known as a “Look Before You Lock” law, the bill will hopefully cut down on the amount of heat-related illnesses and deaths of pets in Kentucky.

During even-numbered years, members of the Kentucky General Assembly craft a two-year budget for the state. This year’s budget discussions kicked off with Gov. Matt Bevin’s State of the Commonwealth Budget Address on the evening of Jan. 16.

The General Assembly is held accountable by taxpayers, and must use taxpayer dollars in the most responsible manner possible. Although this budget will be tight, I believe this is one more step to getting our state’s financial health on track.

The budget address by the governor is one of the first steps in crafting a final budget that will guide Kentucky’s financial decisions for the next two years. Once the governor outlines his plan, the Kentucky Senate and House will craft their own budget plans, and all three parties — after long discussion and input from stakeholders — will come together to create a final budget.

Bevin outlined his vision for moving Kentucky in a positive direction starting with a balanced budget that meets our pension-funding obligations. Although spending cuts were proposed, the governor also proposed that the SEEK “per pupil” funding will remain the same — the highest it has ever been — and 100 percent of lottery proceeds will continue going toward student scholarships.

His proposed budget also includes additional funding for law enforcement, public prosecutors, and defenders; additional dollars to fight the opioid and substance abuse crisis; and more support for adoption and foster care initiatives.

Again, the governor’s budget proposal is just that — a proposal.

We face a months-long process of negotiations, studies and public hearings before a final draft is crafted. The final product will likely look much different from the governor’s original proposal, but the driving force behind it remains the same. We must put our state on a financially-sound path forward.

In committee, I presented Senate Bill 25 which will require any local tax from unelected persons, like board appointees, to submit the tax proposal to the locally-recognized governing body. In most cases this is a city commission or fiscal court. That elected body can choose to approve the tax proposal, deny the proposal or take no action.

This is fundamental legislation that negates an unintended reprisal of the taxation without representation maxim of old. Currently, boards can propose to raise taxes and citizens, who will pay the tax, have no means to hold them accountable. This needs to change, and will change, if Senate Bill 25 passes both chambers and is signed by Bevin.

Finally, my office played host to many groups from around the state. Most of these visitors were advocates who visited on Child Advocacy Day. I met with representatives from various organizations who provide care, support and nurturing to the most vulnerable children in the Commonwealth.

These groups do invaluable work and it was my honor to hear from them. It was also a treat to meet with pediatric residents from the University of Kentucky. These meetings always take me back to my residency days and it was so cool to meet the next generation of promising medical practitioners. Kentucky is in good hands!

Please feel free to call me about these issues or any other public policy issue toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me atRalph.Alvarado@LRC.ky.gov.

You can also review the legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.

Please note, much of this update was crafted with help from my communications staff. I have personally reviewed its content and selected information that I knew you would find valuable. I also added a few personal touches at the end to give you a feel for my Frankfort experience. Some weeks I will have more time to write than others but I will always personally review and amend the updates to make sure District 28 is informed about my role in Frankfort.*

Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-Winchester) represents the 28th State Senate District including Clark and Montgomery counties and the eastern portion of Fayette County.