House Bill 8 is a constitutional amendment that would give the legislature new leeway in two respects.
First, chamber leaders could reconvene the General Assembly for up to 12 extra days a year if they choose. Second, it would scrap the constitutionally required dates on which sessions must end, permitting lawmakers to gather later in the year should three-fifths of the legislature approve the altered calendar.
House Speaker David Osborne told the Courier-Journal the pace of news and events has grown faster and the changes would make for a more nimble General Assembly, allowing the legislature to react more quickly when "situations arise that we hadn't anticipated."
Gov. Andy Beshear fired back at the proposal in his Thursday press briefing, questioning the need for more time.
"How about they actually use the time that they have? We are two-thirds through this session and three bills have reached my desk," he said. "That is 40 of 60 days that, if they would use, they wouldn't need to call themselves into session again."
As a constitutional amendment, the proposal would also need to pass muster with voters. And that could prove an uphill battle. The question was put to Kentucky voters on the ballot just four years ago and was defeated with 54% of voters opposing the idea.