New area legislators take seats as session begins

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

FRANKFORT — Three new members of the General Assembly who represent counties in the Big Sandy region took their seats last week as the 2021 session got underway.

New members sworn-in in the Kentucky House included Patrick Flannery, R-Grayson, whose 96th District includes Lawrence and Carter counties; and Norma Kirk-McCormick, R-Inez, who represents the 93th District of Martin County and part of Pike County.

New Sen. Johnnie L. Turner, R-Harlan, also took his seat last week representing the 29th District, which includes Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties.

Flannery and Kirk-McCormick were both assigned to the banking & insurance, and natural resources & energy committees in the House. Flannery is also a member of the Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Regulations Committee, while Kirk-McCormick was named to the Tourism & Outdoor Recreation Committee.

Turner’s Senate committee assignments include judiciary, natural resources & energy, and transportation.

Flannery and Turner defeated Democratic incumbents in last November’s election, and Kirk-McCormick won an open House seat.

Also taking seats in the General Assembly last week were three incumbents who won re-election in November: Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville; and Reps. Bobby McCool, R-Van Lear, and Ashley Tackett Laferty, D-Martin.

Wheeler represents the 31st District of Lawrence, Martin, Elliott, Morgan and Pike counties.

McCool represents the 97th District, which includes Johnson, Morgan and Wolfe counties.

Laferty represents the 95th District of Floyd and part of Pike counties.

Some local legislators filed bills during the opening week of the General Assembly.

McCool was a co-sponsor of legislation that would scale back the governor’s executive power during emergencies, which was approved by the legislature. He also filed a bill relating to welding safety.

Laferty filed six pieces of legislation, including bills dealing with workers’ compensation, taxation of pension income, a tax credit for volunteer firefighters, occupational disease claims, wage theft, and the establishment of celebratory commissions for the Kentucky State Parks centennial anniversary, the Old Fort Harrod State Park semiquincentennial and the U.S. semiquincentennial.

Kirk-McCormick is co-sponsor of a bill to increase the minimum amount for advertising and bidding school building projects from $7,500 to $30,000.

In the Senate, Wheeler filed a bill that would prohibit sex offender registrants from being on the grounds of a senior citizens center. He also filed bills relating to de facto custodians and off-highway vehicles.

Wheeler is also among several co-sponsors of Senate bills that would limit the governor’s executive powers during emergencies.

Also, Wheeler, Smith and Turner are among several co-sponsors of a bill relating to the protection of born-alive infants.