The Kentucky General Assembly is currently in its veto recess, meaning the state House of Representatives and state Senate are waiting on Governor Andy Beshear to review and take action on the more than 160 bills that passed the 2024 legislative session.
Kentucky 10th District Senator Matt Deneen sponsored four bills that passed through the general assembly. One of those, Senate Bill 18, has been signed into law. Deneen says the bill is an example of his goal for common sense legislation that benefits the commonwealth in and out of District 10.
“I’ve been able to find some things that just need to be updated and changed to avoid wasteful spending and to make sure that our school districts have the best equipment that they can for the safety of our children in the transportation realm, but at the same time we do that in a way that provides fair competition for tire manufacturers and policy alignments through the Kentucky Department of Education,” Deneen said.
Deneen says common sense was also the motivation behind Senate Bill 17, which was requested by county coroner offices in Kentucky to amend a policy requiring a five-day turnaround on the issuance of death certificates.
“With all of the different types of toxicology and ballistics tests, and all the autopsies and forensic tests that are required to truly find the cause of death, that five-day turnaround was not enough time to get those things done, to provide families with accurate information about their loved one’s passing,” Deneen said.
Another of Deneen’s bills is Senate Bill 265, which modifies Kentucky’s alternative teacher certification pathway.
“We want to make sure that those folks have bachelor’s and master’s degrees and are certified in those areas or working towards a certification in those areas, so Senate Bill 265 basically provides that framework and those guardrails to ensure that our students get the very best by those that have the experiences needed that may not have started in education,” Deneen said.
More information on the bills can be found through the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.
