Legislative Tracking

2010 Kentucky Legislative Session

Last Updated - March 11, 2010

The Kentucky Forest Industries Association is tracking a wide range of legislation that has been introduced in the 2010 Legislative Session.  The major forestry legislation is listed below.  We encourage all members that have any questions to contact the office for more details.

We urge KFIA members to contact their legislators and make clear to them the need to maintain budget dollars for the Division of Forestry.  The recent cuts have amounted to over 16% and further cuts will result in even more personnel reductions since overhead and other costs have been cut to the bone.  Legislators need to be made aware of the need to maintain adequate funding for the Division of Forestry to assist landowners with managing their forests, fighting forest fires and supporting the issues related to volunteer certification of landowners and loggers.  The message to legislators needs to emphasize that the Division has taken a larger percentage cut than most state agencies and needs to have their budget increased by a minimum of $800,000 per year to just maintain current services.  At the very least we need to make sure that they do not get cut anymore than the Governor's recommended budget.

A number of other issues are being followed and discussed related to worker's compensation for logging, repeat bad actors and timber trespass and we expect to see legislation on some of these issues.  We are also watching closely for proposed changes in taxes and fees that could affect the wood industry.  KFIA is supporting HB 308 a forest health bill that has been introduced to help deal with problems such as the emerald ash borer and the current quarantine.

House Bill 3 - An ACT relating to the advancement of clean energy use and production.  Creates new sections of KRS chapter 278 to define renewable energy resources and energy efficiency measures; set benchmarks for usage of efficiency measures, renewables and low-carbon resources; establish a market for clean energy certificates; permit deviation from the benchmarks under some circumstances; amend sections of KRS Chapter 42 to include renewable energy projects in the Bluegrass Turns Green program; amend sections of KRS chapter 154 to make energy storage and energy efficiency technology projects eligible to participate in Kentucky Alternative Fuel and Renewable Energy Fund Program; amend sections of KRS Chapter 154 to make facilities that make components or systems used in alternative fuel, gasification, renewable energy, or energy storage eligible to participate in the Incentives for Energy Independence Act; amend KRS 152.715 to include natural gas-derived liquid fuels in the definition of "alternative transportation fuels"; amend KRS 154.27-010, 154.27-020, and 154.27-060 to include natural gas or natural gas liquids as a permissible feedstock for an alternative transportation facility, and to establish a minimum investment level of $1,000,000 for such facilities; create a new section of KRS Chapter 143A to allow a severance tax credit for natural gas or natural gas liquids used as feedstock at an alternative transportation facility.  Assigned to the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee.

House Bill 308  - Officially forms the Forest Health Board designed to address forest health issues in Kentucky and specifically deal with the emerald ash borer.  The Board is currently operating as the informal Forest Health Task Force and the legislation will officially approve the Board and include annual reports to the legislature and improve the possibility of financial support from the federal government to address related issues and address the quarantine of the ash borer.  The bill has passed the House and have been assigned to the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee.

House Bill 309 - Would officially abolish the Kentucky Wood Products Competitiveness Corporation, which has not been active for a number of years.  Allows the Cabinet for Economic Development, Division of Forestry and University of Kentucky to offer some of the services the corporation was responsible for in the past.  This bill has been assigned to the House Economic Development Committee.

House Bill 349 -  An act relating to unemployment insurance to amend sections of KRS Chapter 341 to adopt recommendations of the UI Task Force; amend 341.030 to increase the taxable wage base to $9,000 on January 1, 2012 and increase by $300 each year to 2022, not to exceed $12,000; amend KRS 341.096 to revise definition of rate of "insured unemployment rate" by basing it on the weekly average number of weeks claimed for regular benefits; modify the tax schedule trigger amounts; amend KRS 341.275 and 341.277 to impose interest or amounts billed reimbursing employees; amend KRS 341.350 to impose a one week waiting period before benefits payments begin; limit the waiting week period to one per benefit year; make the waiting week compensable at end of the claim; amend KRS 341.380 to provide that on January 1, 2012, the weekly benefit rate shall be 1.923% of total base period wages.  Passed the full House and is in the Senate State & Local Government Committee.