by Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ –
Here are a dozen examples of bills that have easily passed the Republican Senate in the last two years but died in the Democratic House.
They could be in play if the GOP captures the House in November.
1. Abortion ultrasounds
In 2016, the Senate voted 32-4 for Senate Bill 152to require a doctor to display the ultrasound images, and to explain what the images show, to a woman prior to having an abortion.
2. ‘Right-to-work’
The 2015 Senate voted 24-12 to pass Senate Bill 1 – the so-called “right to work” bill that would prohibit as a condition of employment membership in a labor union or payment of union dues.
3. Transgender bathrooms
In 2015, session the Senate passed Senate Bill 76 by a 27-9 vote – the bill that would forbid transgender students from using school bathrooms designated for the opposite biological sex.
4. Disclose legislator pensions
In 2016, the Senate voted 38-0 for Senate Bill 45 that would require public disclosure of individual pension benefits for current and former state legislators.
5. Repeal Prevailing Wage
In 2016, the Senate voted 26-11 for Senate Bill 9, which would have repealed a law that requires a local “prevailing wage” be paid to laborers on schools and university construction projects.
6. ‘Religious Freedom’
In 2016, the Senate voted 22-16 in passing Senate Bill 180, which would have allowed the owner of a business – based on his or her religious convictions – to refuse service to a customer under certain circumstances.
7. Pension systems transparency
In 2016, the Senate voted 38-0 for Senate Bill 2, which would have made administrative changes and required greater transparency from state pension systems, including requiring competitive bidding when hiring investment managers and disclosure of fees paid to those managers.
8. Charter schools
In 2016, the Senate voted 28-9 for Senate Bill 253 authorizing pilot charter schools in Jefferson and Fayette counties.
9. Medical Review Panels
In 2015, the Senate voted 24-12 for Senate Bill 6, which would have established medical review panels to vet malpractice lawsuits and issue an opinion on their merits before the case is considered by a jury.
10. Elect statewide officers in presidential years
In 2016, the Senate voted 28-9 for Senate Bill 10, a constitutional amendment that would move elections of governor and other state constitutional offers to the same year that the presidential election is held.
11. Restrict Franklin Circuit Court
In 2016, the Senate voted 27-10 to pass Senate Bill 202 to allow many state agency lawsuits, which now must be filed in Franklin Circuit, to be filed in other circuits.
12. One-for-one needle exchange
The Senate this year added an amendment to House Bill 160 that would have required that one dirty needle be turned in for each clean needle distributed in local health department programs aimed at curbing the spread of HIV and hepatitis C among drug users.
