Governor Andy Beshear signed into law KLC initiatives that address waste management franchises and interlocal agreements. However, he vetoed an initiative that clarified how the governor appoints organizational representatives to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council (KLEC) and the Advisory Council for Recovery Ready Communities.

Senator Wil Schroder (R-Wilder) sponsored Senate Bill 112 to remove redundant filing requirements with the secretary of state. The bill specifies that cities do not need to file with the secretary of state copies of interlocal agreements amended solely to add or remove parties. The law already allowed these changes to occur without the approval of the attorney general or the Department for Local Government (DLG).

Senator Stephen West (R-Paris) sponsored Senate Bill 152 to help local government officials transition their solid waste management services to a private company. The measure allows a local government to award a franchise for solid waste management services if the local government has exclusively provided the same solid waste management services in the proposed area.

Senate Bill 152 replaces a lengthy process that often delayed privatization for 18 months and required a city to notify itself. The bill requires local governments to follow state procurement laws to ensure transparency and open competition.

Beshear vetoed House Bill 335. Representative Adam Bowling (R-Middlesboro) sponsored the measure that aligns the process of appointing members to KLEC or the Advisory Council for Recovery Ready Communities with other gubernatorial board appointment procedures. It would require the governor to select appointees from a list of three names submitted by organizations that have representatives on the council.

“HB 335 is an important follow-up to our work last year with House Bill 7, which created the Advisory Council for Recovery Ready Communities,” Bowling said. “We selected organizations to be part of that council because of their important roles in the recovery process. House Bill 335 provides those organizations have a say in who represents them and ensures a proper process for these appointments, similar to the method used for other boards. We believe this is good policy, already in use on other boards, and will look to override the governor’s veto when we return next week.”

“We are disappointed that the governor vetoed House Bill 335,” responded KLC Executive Director/CEO J.D. Chaney. “The bill does not remove the governor’s power to appoint members to these councils. In fact, it uses the same appointment procedure already in place for multiple other committees and boards. We urge the legislature to override this veto.”

The House of Representatives voted to approve the measure 78-13, while the Senate voted 29-9.  Legislators will consider veto overrides and other measures still awaiting final passage when they return on April 13 for the last two days of the 2022 session.