With the filing deadline in late January, but with the legislature not adjourning until April 15, most of the session occurred after senators and representatives knew whether or not they would have opposition. This, the reasoning went, gave them cover to vote on unpopular bills, knowing they wouldn't draw an opponent in the primary.
So what did the legislature do? Instead of pushing the filing deadline back until later in the session, they moved it up. Previously, the deadline was the last Tuesday in January, which was still far too early. Now, candidates have to file by the first Friday following the first Monday in January as a result of Senate Bill 60 passed by the General Assembly last year. . This year, that's Jan. 10.
This means that practically the entire 60-day legislative session will play out after legislators know whether or not they are guaranteed renomination. That gives legislators even more time to pass bad bills.
And plenty of them will be forthcoming. There are numerous anti-Second Amendment measures that have been prefiled, including some with bipartisan support. There's a proposal to increase the state sales tax to 8 percent. And no doubt, there will be another effort to increase Kentucky's gas tax, which -- sadly -- has been championed by some GOP representatives as well as so-called conservative groups like the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
Back before Kentucky adopted annual legislative sessions, an oft-heard bromide was that the state would be better off if the General Assembly met for two days every 60 years instead of 60 days every two years. The less time the legislature's in session, the less damage it can do to your freedoms and your paycheck.
Now, the Republicans who hold the majority in both chambers will have even more time to wreak havoc and work mischief to the detriment of the state's taxpayers. If the deadline had been pushed back to the end of the session, legislators would have to look over their shoulders with every vote, fearful of angering constituents and attracting an opponent.
Under the new system, the field of candidates will be set before the first week of the 2020 session concludes. This doesn't bode well for those of us who saw what happened two years ago with the services tax, which outraged voters in both parties. Would the Senate and House of Representatives have overridden former Gov. Matt Bevin's veto if members had known it might make them vulnerable to a primary challenge? Possibly not -- which may be why they moved the deadline up. Incumbents are usually all about self-protection, and this is another good example.
I don't recall any discussion on this legislation when it was under consideration, and I certainly never heard any good arguments for its passage. What was the rationale? This move is a disservice to Kentucky voters and taxpayers. In the end, it provides yet another good example of how the GOP's "new majority" in the legislature hasn't been the huge success we hoped for when we finally flipped the House and gave Republicans control.
