FRANKFORT — Partisan bickering dominated the first day of Kentucky's legislative session Tuesday as near-parity between political parties in the Senate continues to make for an uneasy and bitter backdrop in the General Assembly.

        Northern Kentucky law makers insist the differences between the Republicans — who hold a slim 20-18 Senate majority — and Demo crats can be worked out and legislators can make accomplishments in the session.

        “It's just people lettin' off steam,” was how Sen. Katie Stine, R-Fort Thomas, described a civil but spirited exchange on the Senate floor between Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and Minority Leader David Karem, D-Louisville.

        “People were just stating their case and then moving on,” Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Erlanger, said of the confrontation that was played out in speeches delivered by the two Senate leaders.

        “They got it off their chests, and now I think they are ready to go,” he said.

        But the tenor of the speeches and a recent history of partisan fighting between the parties portends a session of possible gridlock and continued skirmishes.

        Democrats still are smarting from the bitter state budget struggle during the end of last year's legislative session.

        Democrats accused Republicans of shutting them out by refusing to allow Democratic senators to file late amendments to the budget.

        Then, during January's organizational session, Democrats once again complained, saying the Republicans used their majority status to block some Democratic senators from landing committee slots they had requested.

        In the past — when Democrats held the majority — Republicans were allowed to make their own committee assignments, Mr. Karem argued in his floor speech.

        “Unfortunately ... by unilaterally imposing committee assignments, your party has moved the Senate to an even higher level of partisanship,” Mr. Karem said in remarks addressed to Mr. Williams.

        “The public is weary of partisanship, bickering and discord,” he said.

        “Senate Democrats are weary too, weary of all those things and the disharmony that poisons our governing.”

        But Mr. Williams, in a rebuttal to Mr. Karem, said Democrats have a short memory of using partisan muscle to silence Republicans.

        When Democrats held the chamber, they frequently “ran roughshod” over Republicans, refusing to allow many, if any, GOP-sponsored bills to be heard or passed, Mr. Williams reminded the chamber.

        Republican Floor Leader Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, said that in the last year's session, a Democrat — Sen. David Boswell of Owensboro — led the Senate in the number of bills passed, the point being that Republicans were allowing Democratic bills to be heard and voted on.

        Mr. Williams entered a touchy area when he accused Democrats of taking their orders “from the other end of the hall ... and from the first floor,” meaning Senate Democrats are controlled by the Democratic-controlled House and Gov. Paul Patton, a Democrat whose office is on the State Capitol's first floor.

        “We're going to have to remind (Mr. Williams) the Democrats got thrown out of the first floor in the last session when the governor got mad at us,” Mr. Karen told reporters later. “He's never even been thrown out of the damn governor's office.”

        Mr. Westwood and other senators are optimistic the first-day fray won't impede the passage of legislation, such as reducing the tax vehicle owners pay each year when they renew their license plates.

        “That's a hated tax, and people have told us they want it cut,” Mr. Westwood said. “I think we can move forward. There are going to be differences, but everybody realizes that we're sent here to do a job, and we need to get it done and not let partisanship get in the way.”

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