"Hope momentum from last year's special session to provide relief for small businesses adversely affected by the Alternative Minimum Tax will carry over into an all-out repeal of the tax in this year's short 30-day session? Well, don't hold you're breath, unless you can make it until April 2008 or longer.
A major portion of both the state chamber and small business caucus' agendas for the '07 session seemingly got a boost when Republican members of the House spoke strongly for its removal in the lead-up-to session, which gets underway in earnest on Feb. 6. However, both the Senate president and speaker of the House (who has been an outspoken detractor of the tax since it was introduced in Gov. Ernie Fletcher's 2005 tax reforms) have stated recently they would like to see the tax played out through the end of the budget cycle 17 months from now.
Lobbyists from both the state chamber and the Kentucky Small Business Caucus concede that their 2007 efforts will be best focused on other issues for the state's businesses as the government's bean counters wait to see how much the revised business tax brings into the state's coffers.
"The question is nowwhat's left, how much does it represent in terms of just going forward with the full repeal," said Mike Ridenour, vice president of public affairs and top lobbyist for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce at the Capitol. "And I think until they have that data available and until you have some experience available, it is going to be difficult to make any kind of hard press for an immediate repeal."
New Lexington leadership
One of the House Republicans pushing for the all-out repeal is Lexington's Stan Lee, who during the four-day organizational portion of the session following New Year's was elected as minority whip, one of three Central Kentuckians to assume new roles of leadership in the lower chamber.
Democrats Kathy Stein of Lexington and Charlie Hoffman of Georgetown were also elected to new roles of power in the House. Hoffman unseated Nicholasville's Bob Damron as House Democratic Caucus leader and Kathy Stein was selected as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, succeeding longtime chair Gross Lindsay, D-Henderson, who lost his House seat in the May primary.
Stein faced a different type of battle to gain her post than did Hoffman and Lee - who unseated Ken Upchurch, R-Monticello, as the man in charge of gauging his party membership's support for legislation. Stein had to fend off vocal opposition to her candidacy from the Family Foundation. The conservative advocacy group called her a "San Francisco Democrat" and stated her "outspoken and ardent pro-abortion and pro-gay rights positions" don't jibe with the feelings of the state and make her one of the most liberal members of the House.
Even though there probably aren't two other members of the House who differ more ideologically than Stein and Lee, both say they will aim to use their roles to benefit the people of their districts, all of Lexington and the commonwealth as a whole.
Lee said he will once again push for the full repeal of the AMT by filing a bill to do away with it, as he did during the special session of the legislature during the summer, and attempt to block the University of Kentucky's plan to offer health benefits to domestic partnerships including same sex couples.
Stein said she will use her position to attempt an overhaul of the state's penal code, which she said has become antiquated and unnecessarily complex over time, and "if it isn't (corrected) soon, we are going to break the bank on the budget for corrections."
Chamber Day Dinner
The success of the January 4 Chamber Day Dinner at the Lexington Center could lead to the event's departure to Louisville as the annual legislative dinner nears capacity limits for the Bluegrass Ballroom, the city's largest space for these types of dinners.
A record crowd of more than 1,100 attended the dinner to hear the top four leaders from the legislature and Gov. Ernie Fletcher speak.
The crowd has grown by about 20 percent a year recently, according to Ridenour, including being up 200 people over the 2006 event. "I think we're going to stay pat with Lexington for next year, because I think we can pack 1,200 in there if we get real creative," Ridenour said, but if attendance keeps rising, a move to Louisville is likely.
Mr. BizLex goes to Frankfort
Just as I did during the five-day special session in the summer, I will be in Frankfort for much of the 2007 session and will be posting immediate updates to the "2007 General Assembly Updates" page available on the right side of the www.bizlex.com home page. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive an e-mail notification of when the site has been updated with news, please e-mail me at erik@bizlex.com. Also don't hesitate to e-mail me with ideas or questions you might have about the session.
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