Kentucky lawmakers pass several bills in third week of 2022 legislative session

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky lawmakers passed several bills this week, the third of the 2022 Regular Session, in Frankfort.

In a news release, Sen. Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville, said the House and the Senate passed several Republican-crafted redistricting maps for congressional and state House districts during the first week of the 2022 Regular Session.

House Bill 2, the Kentucky House of Representatives map, and Senate Bill 3, the congressional map, were then vetoed by Gov. Andy Beshear Wednesday, saying the boundaries reflect "unconstitutional political gerrymandering."

However, the bills returned to the General Assembly and were overridden by a majority and are expected to take effect "pending any legal challenges."

The Kentucky Democratic Party, however, joined a group of Franklin County residents in filing a lawsuit Thursday challenging the districts created in the maps, calling them "unconstitutional," "partisan" and a "geographical absurdity." The lawsuit asks that the maps be invalidated and deemed unconstitutional.

Also this week, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 9 -- also known as the Read to Succeed Act -- in a 27-7 vote. The bill aims to "increase literacy for thousands of Kentucky's children." It would amend the state's Read to Achieve Program, created in 2005, by "creating a comprehensive system of supports, interventions, and evidence-based learning" to help improve early literacy in schools.

Additionally, SB9 would create the "Read to Succeed Fund," which would be used to train teachers on how to improve reading skills in kindergarten through third grade. It would also fund statewide professional learning academies in reading, according to a news release. Funding could also be used to create a literacy training program. SB9 is now headed to the House for consideration.

Lawmakers also passed several bills relating to long-term care and assisted living.

Senate Bill 11 was also passed, which calls for licensing assisted living facilities as licensed long-term care. It would also allow personal care homes to become licensed assisted living. The goal, lawmakers said, is to align the state's assisted living social model with other states. It passed the Senate in a 30-2 vote.

Senate Bill 100 aims to "enhance a patient's physical, mental, or social well-being" by creating an "essential compassionate caregiver" designation to visit someone living at a long-term care facility, assisted living community or state mental hospital in person.

Another bill passed by lawmakers aims to help with the opioid epidemic, which they say has "severely impacted" the state and has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Senate Bill 56 "defines an opioid antagonist as any U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved medication designed to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose." It passed in a unanimous vote of 35-0.

The House also overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday aimed at ensuring that mental health-related absences from school are excused for students. House Bill 44, a bipartisan measure, now heads to the Senate after a 94-0 vote.

This comes as the Kentucky House passed its version of the budget, House Bill 1, Thursday.

Lawmakers expect budget deliberations to "become a significant issue in the coming weeks."

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