In the early days of legislative sessions, the typical rule is the lower the bill number, the higher it is on the priority list.
Going by that metric, Senate Bill 6 looks to be one of the more controversial high-priority bills that’s been filed – a measure limiting the scope of DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, programs in higher education. On the other side of the Capitol, House Bill 18 would prohibit cities like Lexington from passing rules banning landlords from discriminating against renters who use vouchers.
Then there are bills that show the shifting winds on particular issues. Take House Bill 72, which would eliminate all penalties, including arrest, for simple possession and use of recreational marijuana by adults 21 and older – a bill sponsored by Louisville Democrat Nima Kulkarni that will be a hard sell in the GOP-led chamber.
A number of proposed resolutions also raised a few eyebrows this week – including measures that would ask the federal government to do away with the REAL ID Act and another that would recognize “citizens who have been held without due process” after the January 6th Capitol insurrection.
Some Jan. 6th defendants are still awaiting trial, but an Associated Press report found that all people arrested in connection with the riot have been charged with crimes.
