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By Sen. Johnnie Turner

Guest Writer

As we start the 2024 and lawmakers return to Frankfort, I would like first to wish you a happy new year. I hope your holidays were filled with joy and laughter while spending quality time with family and friends.

The Senate returned for day one of the 2024 Legislative Session on Tuesday, January 2, with incredible performance of our national anthem and “My Old Kentucky Home” by the 100th Army Band, Fort Knox.

Legislative sessions in even-numbered years are budget sessions, consisting of 60 legislative days, unlike the shorter 30-day session that occurs in odd-numbered years. Short session years are intended to evaluate previously enacted policies and address any necessary legislative clean-up. As the Constitution of Kentucky requires, the General Assembly must gavel into session on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in January and requires lawmakers to conclude legislative business on April 15.

The primary focus in the Senate on Week 1 was to pass this year’s Senate rules, officially confirm committee assignments, and introduce initial bills. The only two items constitutionally required in this year’s legislative session are to enact a new two-year state budget and road plan.

The Kentucky Constitution gives the exclusive power and duty to tax and spend the public’s money to lawmakers in Frankfort. Our state constitution requires responsible spending with available financial resources, which is good. While the federal government can borrow and incur trillions of dollars in debt, this is not an option for our state government. The hard-earned tax dollars you give to your government must be spent responsibly, which is my promise to you as your state senator.

The total cost for the next two-year budget and road plan will be based on what was recently set by the Consensus Forecasting Group. According to this group of economic experts’ best estimates, total general fund revenues—which result from sales, income, and other taxes—are approximately $31.6 billion over the 2025-2026 biennium, with road fund revenues resulting from gas and motor vehicle taxes being roughly $3.7 billion. The state budget pays for state government operations and essential government services, and the road plans provide for investments in our roads, bridges, and highways.

Senators will have the final say in what is included in the state budget and road plan, once the House passes the bill. I will keep you updated throughout the process and will continue for the needs and best interests of southeast Kentucky.

On January 1, the second automatic reduction of our state income tax went into effect. House Bill (HB) 8 from the 2022 Legislative Session established the framework by which working Kentuckians’ income tax could be decreased responsibly. During the 2023 Legislative Session, the General Assembly passed HB 1 and codified the first two tax reductions after HB 8’s criteria were met. The January 1 income tax reduction lowers your income tax rate from 4.5 percent to 4 percent. By the end of 2024, HB 8 and the resulting individual income tax reductions will have resulted in approximately $1.8 billion being left in the pockets of taxpayers and consumers, providing you more of your own money to spend as you wish.

While the state budget and road plan will be our primary responsibility this session, there are many vital policy items to take care of. Each proposed measure, whether mundane or headline-worthy, will receive the debate and deliberation required by the legislative process.

Lastly, I would like to share with you a very important bill that I intend to file this year and hope to pass in both the House and Senate in the coming months.

The first bill I would like to share with you is Senate Bill 228, which will address marijuana and driving under the influence. As more states bordering Kentucky begin to move towards legalizing recreational marijuana, legislation is needed to address issues that will arise from increased marijuana use as it pertains to individuals operating a motor vehicle. In 2025, Kentucky will be rolling out its own medical marijuana program.

This necessary and crucial bill will be the legal limit of THC in one’s bloodstream while operating or in control of a vehicle. Additionally, this bill will allow an officer who performs a traffic stop and has the reasonable assumption that the driver of a vehicle may be under the influence of marijuana to have the authority to perform a roadside sobriety test in the same manner as any other DUI. If that test is inconclusive, but the officer still feels the individual is impaired, the vehicle operator may be requested to submit to a blood test.

As lawmakers, it is our responsibility to enact policies and regulations that address concerns and the potentially negative consequences of a medical marijuana market in Kentucky.

Feel free to share your thoughts throughout the session. Find the status of legislation by calling 866-840-2835, legislative meeting information at 800-633-9650, or leaving a message for lawmakers at 800-372-7181. You can watch and follow legislative activity at KET/org/legislature and Legislature.ky.gov.

I am truly humbled and honored to represent the 29th Senate District in Kentucky’s Capitol, and will continue to fight for the best interest of southeast Kentucky. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I or my staff can assist you or your family by emailing me at Johnnie.Turner@lrc.ky.gov or by calling me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181.

Senator Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan, represents the 29th Senate District, including Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, and Letcher Counties. Turner is the Senate Natural Resources and Energy vice chair. He also serves as a member of the Senate committees on Banking and Insurance, Judiciary, and Transportation.