House Bill 176 is not the only bill to move quickly through the Kentucky House of Representatives. House Bill 1 — better known as Amanda’s Bill — was approved by the entire House in a 97-0 vote just eight days after it was filed.
However, don’t expect Amanda’s Bill to speed through the Kentucky Senate like HB 176, which was put on the fast track only to meet a federal deadline. The fate of HB 1 in the Senate has almost everything to do with the politics behind the bill and almost nothing to do with the actual merits of the bill.
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, is the primary sponsor by Amanda’s Bill, and by making it House Bill 1, Stumbo has declared the bill the top legislative priority of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. But the fact that the bill soared through the House without a dissenting vote does not assure it of quick action by the Republican-controlled Senate. After all, Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, is not interested in giving Stumbo crowing rights for his successful sponsorship of such a popular bill.
In fact, in past years, Williams would intentionally not advance bills sponsored by former Speaker Jody Richards when they arrived in the Senate. By the same token, Richards would use his power to stall in the House Senate-approved bills sponsored by Williams.
Our hope is that this doesn’t happen with Amanda’s Bill. It is a serious bill that deserves the consideration of the full General Assembly. It should not be allowed to die in the Senate simply because of its sponsor in the House. Such political games are a disservice to the people of Kentucky, both Democrats and Republicans.
Officially, HB 1 is named the Amanda Ross Domestic Violence Prevention Act. Former State Rep. Steve Nunn has been accused of murder in the shooting death of Ross, Nunn’s former girlfriend who had secured a domestic violence order protecting her from Nunn.
Amanda’s Bill would allow judges to order people named in domestic violence orders to wear ankle monitors. He said placing the monitors on people who pose a domestic violence threat could alert potential victims of imminent danger, and could have potentially saved the life of Amanda Ross and others if they had been in use previously. Tracking devices would send a signal when the person wearing the monitor gets too close.
“This technology was right there under our noses all the time and we didn’t realize it,” Stumbo said.
More than 10 states that have similar laws in place, Stumbo said.
It’s a fact domestic violence orders are frequently ignored and actually can provide potential victims of violent attacks with a false sense of security. However, some local officials have questioned whether ankle bracelets could strain the budgets of local courts. That’s a legitimate concern, particularly at a time of extreme budget constraints.
We also would hope only those who secure the domestic violence orders would be able to track the whereabouts of the recipients of those orders.
It will be interesting to see whether Williams allows a bill sponsored by Stumbo to advance in the Senate or whether he plays power politics to kill a bill that passed with House without a dissenting vote. If he does, he should be ashamed.
