These 17 bills received Gov. Beshear’s signature, 4 vetoed for worker’s rights and constitutional violations

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk has been a busy place to be.

On March 24, Beshear took action on 21 pieces of legislation and returned three without signature.

“I will always put our Kentucky families first,” Beshear said. “I was proud to sign into law several measures that will do just that—increasing opportunity and making our New Kentucky Home a better place to live, learn, and do business. The bills that received my veto are bills that harm Kentucky workers or violate our constitution and longstanding laws.”

In a Monday news release, Beshear announced the veto of four bills. Here’s which bills were challenged at the governor’s desk and why:

House Bill 6

Beshear’s office noted that House Bill 6 would violate the Kentucky constitution by “giving the Legislative Branch and its employees a veto of administrative regulations issued by the Executive Branch.”

In a veto message, the governor wrote, “The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled more than 40 years ago that the General Assembly cannot interfere with the Executive Branch’s authority to file regulations to carry out the law.”

Further, Beshear’s office stated that if the veto of House Bill 6 is overridden, it would prevent numerous bills from going into law.

House Bill 398

The governor’s office said House Bill 398 would “abandon” policies protecting Kentucky workers and hand over regulations to the federal government.

“For example, Kentucky workers would lose important safeguards related to fall protection, exposure to toxic and hazardous materials, high-voltage electrical lines, and bulk hazardous liquid unloading,” Beshear’s office said.

In the governor’s veto message, he wrote, “House Bill 398 will lead to more workplace injuries, with Kentucky workers paying the price.”

Senate Bill 65

Senate Bill 65, according to Beshear’s office, is another piece of legislation that would violate the Kentucky constitution.

“The bill would void and nullify administrative regulations filed by Executive Branch agencies, including three that were before a subcommittee for informational review only,” the governor’s office noted.

In the governor’s veto message, he wrote, “The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled more than 40 years ago that the General Assembly cannot interfere with the executive branch’s authority to file regulations to carry out the law.”

Senate Bill 84

On the other hand, Beshear’s office noted that Senate Bill 84 would violate the separation of powers.

“It prohibits courts from deferring to a state agency’s interpretation of any statute, administrative regulation, or order,” a news release read.

In the governor’s veto message, he wrote, “The Judicial Branch is the only branch with the power and duty to decide these questions.”

Also on Monday, the governor’s office announced these bills received Beshear’s signature and will become law on their effective dates:

• House Bill 10 allows owners to request that law enforcement immediately remove someone unlawfully occupying property, under certain circumstances and provides a framework for dealing with squatters
• House Bill 30 supports state police, as well as other state and county employees, by ensuring mandated salary increases do not negatively impact the calculation of their final retirement compensation. The bill also requires the Kentucky State Police to increase leave time for retired troopers and commercial vehicle enforcement officers who return to work.
• House Bill 38 increases the penalties for those who violate a protective order.
• House Bill 73 amends a statute to add WeLeadCS, a virtual computer science career academy for Kentucky high school students, to the list of participating employers in the Teachers’ Retirement System.
• House Bill 152 relates to a Medicaid supplemental payment program for public ground ambulance providers and helps support public ambulance services.
• House Bill 184 supports economic growth by extending an existing regulatory relief program.
• House Bill 306 supports job growth by allowing an individual to qualify for licensure as a professional engineer if they have graduated from an accredited fire protection engineering technology program and obtained at least six years of progressive experience.
• House Bill 313 establishes June as Kentucky History Month, putting a spotlight on Statehood Day, June 1.
• House Bill 415 amends the Kentucky Insurance Code to exempt certain health policies from wider requirements.
• House Bill 605 will expand the number of eligible recipients for the GRANT program. The program ensures communities have the resources needed to leverage federal grants, including infrastructure upgrades, the creation of recreational facilities, increased childcare access, and public transportation, among other uses.
• House Bill 783 will clarify the rules on the use of temporary motor vehicle tags.
• Senate Bill 4 makes the Commonwealth Office of Technology responsible for standards for the use of artificial intelligence systems. The measure creates an Artificial Intelligence Governance Committee to develop standards to manage emerging risks.
• Senate Bill 22 allows the Board of Barbering to govern, regulate, and license mobile shops.
• Senate Bill 100 seeks to create a licensing and regulatory framework for tobacco and vape retailers. The measure will help keep these products from being marketed and sold to minors in the commonwealth.
• Senate Bill 120 protects children from child abuse by requiring coaches and others surrounding kids to report abuse, neglect, or other concerns.
• Senate Bill 133 allows certain amateur boxing and wrestling competitions to charge admission without having to be licensed by the Boxing and Wrestling Commission.
• Senate Bill 169 protects children from child abuse by adding internet service providers, social networking companies, mobile payment services, and cloud storage services to the list of those subject to subpoenas in investigations of exploitation and internet crimes against children.

Beshear returns 3 bills without signature

Three pieces of legislation received by the governor were returned to the General Assembly without signature or veto.

The first is House Bill 137, which clarifies that Kentucky would be able to use any method for air quality monitoring as long as it’s approved by the EPA. Gov. Beshear’s office noted that its concern is that the bill would leave the state dependent on the EPA’s methods.

House Bill 196 aims to establish the number of required certified emergency medical and mine emergency technicians (METs) at underground coal mines. The bill would require only one MET at small mine operations and would add one additional MET for underground mines with over 50 workers per 50 employees.

Beshear called House Bill 198 a “mixed bag.”

Senate Bill 63 would add a statute allowing “special purpose vehicles equipped with the required street-legal features” to drive on state roads.

Beshear said his main concern with the bill is the safety of Kentuckians, especially children riding in ATVs, UTVs, mini-trucks, and certain military vehicles. The bill would also pose a $500,000 cost to implement, as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would be required to add licensing and enforcement staff and technology upgrades.

Two more veto days remain before the General Assembly returns to Frankfort for the last two days of the session.