Wednesday, April 14, 1999
Kentucky special session doubted
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FRANKFORT — Top Kentucky lawmakers aren't expecting Gov. Paul Patton to push for a special legislative session when he meets with House and Senate leaders late this morning.
The media and the Statehouse rumor mill has been abuzz with reports that Mr. Patton will call the General Assembly into session this summer. The regular 60-day biennial session begins in January.
Speculation about topics for a special session includes how to spend Kentucky's share of the multibillion dollar federal tobacco settlement, changes to the state's workers' comp law or once again dealing with health insurance legislation.
But Jim Callahan of Wilder, chairman of the House Majority Democratic Caucus, said he has not heard “any great or growing cry” for a special session.
Mr. Callahan and the other Democratic and Republican leaders of the legislature are scheduled to huddle privately with Mr. Patton in Frankfort for a two-hour meeting that begins at 11 a.m.
“If the governor is going to push or ask for a special session, I suspect we'll hear about it in that meeting,” Mr. Callahan said Tuesday. “But the governor usually talks to each of us individually about something like this, and he's mentioned nothing to me about a special session.”
Senate President Larry Saunders, D-Louisville, said it's possible the governor will talk about a special session during the meeting, which Mr. Patton called to discuss legislative and state government matters.
“But I haven't really seen any movement from anybody for a special session,” Mr. Saunders said Tuesday. “We're not ready or preparing for anything right now ... and at this point I just don't see it.”
Governors use special sessions to deal with what they, as well as legislators, see as urgent or complicated matters. They generally last a week or two and cost taxpayers about $40,000 a day. Mr. Patton has called special sessions to deal with workers' compensation reform and health insurance legislation.
Most lawmakers think there are not urgent matters to deal with right now, Mr. Saunders said.
If Kentucky was going to begin receiving its $3.45 billion share of the federal tobacco settlement this year, a special session would probably be needed to determine how the money would be spent, said Rep. Paul Marcotte, R-Union.
“But from what I understand, that money won't be available for another year, and we'll have ample time to deal with that issue in January” during the regular session, Mr. Marcotte said.
Mark Pfieffer, Mr. Patton's spokesman, said the governor has not indicated any desire or willingness to call a special session now that the tobacco money is off the table for this year.
Legislators said they don't see the need for a special session on health insurance, even though state employees, including a vocal bloc of teachers, have complained that changes to state laws are needed so they have more options when buying health coverage.
State labor leaders have also lobbied for a special session to change the workers' comp reform that Mr. Patton pushed through the legislature three years ago.
The law has made it more difficult for injured workers to collect some benefits.
“I don't favor any changes in the workers' comp law right now because we still need some more time to see how it works and if the changes we made a few years ago are working,” Mr. Marcotte said.
Health insurance and workers' comp will likely be dealt with during the regular session, Mr. Callahan said.
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