Being a successful legislator requires patience and persistence. Issues arise that call for a bit of both, or quite a lot of one or the other. Failure to exercise these often results in legislative failure and frustration. In my time in the Senate I have seen firsthand how lengthy the deliberative legislative process can be. Many times the “deliberative” process is less deliberative and more “political shenanigans” than I’d like to deal with, but you press on. Important work must be done. Passing a law to create dating violence protections in Kentucky was a work still undone when I arrived in 2013, but not anymore....
Rep. John Tilley (D, Hopkinsville) and I have been hard at work preparing legislation to bring about great changes to Kentucky's Juvenile Justice system. Please take a couple minutes to read our joint op-ed that has gone live across Kentucky explaining why. You can also read it at both the Lexington Herald-Leader and Louisville's Courier-Journal.
Our partners in law enforcement continue to discover new synthetics and dangerous, experimental chemical compounds being created and abused, threatening Kentucky families. However, we remain vigilant for necessary changes to the law to protect against these substances.
With the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex serving as host, the General Assembly’s Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary traveled to the region on Friday for its first meeting following this year’s legislative session.