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My Response on Seatbelt Law Proposal

Ron –

Thanks for the update.  I think it is very unfortunate that we lose our freedoms a little bit at a time.  In the case of the seatbelt law, it appears that the federal government is using our own money to try to bribe us to take away our freedom.  Police should not be arresting people for failure to wear a seatbelt, as this does not put any other innocent party at any greater risk. In fact, the risk of injury to innocent third parties will be increased due to the congestion and hazards that will be created when policemen pull people over to arrest them for failure to wear a seatbelt.   I always wear a seatbelt, and I don’t doubt that wearing seatbelts saves lives, but I prefer to live in a free country where people can decide for themselves whether or not to wear a seatbelt without fear of being arrested.  If your goal really is to save lives, why not enact laws requiring us all to drive Hummers, to eat our vegetables, and to carry guns for self-protection?  We elected you to keep the dangerous criminals off the street and to fill the potholes, not to run our lives for us.

Please tell the federal government that we may just decide to withhold our federal gasoline taxes if they continue using them for purposes other than the construction and maintenance of federal highways.  Or at least spend your energy on things that don’t affect our lives, like what the official state musical instrument should be, instead of enacting more and more intrusive laws.  Instead of enacting more intrusive laws, please be more like Ronald Reagan – go take a nap!

Thanks.

Resa

Theresa Fritz Camoriano

Camoriano and Associates

8225 Shelbyville Rd.

Louisville KY 40222 U.S.A.

phone 502-423-9850

fax 502-426-1167

http://www.inventky.com

resa@inventky.com

From: Crimm, Ron (State Rep.) (LRC) [mailto:Ron.Crimm@lrc.ky.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:32 PM
To: Crimm, Ron (State Rep.) (LRC)
Subject: Legislative Update by State Representative Ron Crimm
Sensitivity: Personal

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

By State Representative Ron Crimm

Education, Transportation big issues for 2006 Session

As the second week of the 2006 General Assembly drew to a close, we began to get a better look at how this year's session would unfold.

Committees continued to hear bills and on Monday, January 9 members of both the House and Senate came together for a Joint Session of the General Assembly to hear Governor Ernie Fletcher’s State of the Commonwealth Address. In addition to highlighting some of last year's accomplishments - including passing a bipartisan budget - the governor used his third such address to lay out his vision for the commonwealth. Next week, on January 17, we will hear from the governor again as he presents his two year budget plan.

In the meantime, two of the biggest issues we face this session are also two of the most critical to the future of our state: education and transportation. Among the education issues we will consider this session is teacher pay. As I mentioned, the governor discussed the need for increasing teacher pay in his speech and actually talked about it several weeks ago with the Kentucky Educators Association. One plan would increase teacher pay over the next four years. We expect the governor to release his plan as part of his budget on January 17.

In addition to ensuring we do all we can to attract the best and brightest educators to our classrooms and maintain the quality teachers we have today, the 2006 General Assembly may also look at ways to increase the use of technology in the classroom. Technology has exploded into the classroom and teachers have come to use smart boards and computers to deliver the world to students from Pikeville to Paducah with the flick of a wrist.

Already this week we passed HB 75, legislation that would allow our universities to finance construction of dorms, hospitals and other auxiliary facilities on their own, giving them more flexibility and greater ability to determine their own needs on a school by school basis. These bonds would still need approval of the General Assembly, but the state would not be responsible for the debt. Kentucky is one of only five states that do not currently give universities the flexibility to issue auxiliary enterprise bonds. House Bill 75 passed the House 95-0 and the bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

Among the transportation issues we will debate is HB 86, legislation known as the "primary seatbelt law." Currently Kentuckians are required to wear a seatbelt while riding in a moving automobile but as a secondary violation law enforcement officers can not pull over violators unless they are also violating a primary law. HB 86 would change current law to make it a primary violation. Proponents of the bill say it could save around 62 lives in just the first year and bring the state $11 million in federal dollars for road safety.

We will also likely be discussing a graduated drivers licensing program. We have at least two bills before us, HB 12 and HB 90 that would require teens between 16 and 18 years to hold an instructional permit for 180 days and receive at least 60 hours of supervised driving, including at least ten with a licensed person who is at least 21 years old. Kentucky teens with an intermediate drivers license would not be allowed to drive between 12 midnight and 6 a.m. or at any time with three or more people under the age of 18 they are unrelated to.

Another bill we will consider this session is HB 272, legislation that would require quick clearance of the vehicles involved in automobile accidents that did not involve fatalities or injuries. In 2004, there were 133,718 automobile accidents on Kentucky roads and approximately 77 percent involved only property damage. By allowing these accidents to be quickly moved out of the way, we may avoid any additional accidents that may be the result of traffic congestion, secondary crashes and the risk to people standing outside of the vehicles at the accident site. While the number of secondary crashes here in Kentucky is unavailable, the Federal Highway Administration estimates the national figure to be around 20 percent of all motor vehicle accidents.

This week I was honored to host a group of constituents from here in our distict. Two ladies from Eastern High School, Brittney Anderson and Bethany Stamp presented petitions urging the installation of crash barriers on the Gene Snyder Freeway to the House Transportation Committee. As you know, we have seen some terrible accidents on this stretch of road and these young ladies did a great job of making an argument for these barriers. Brittany and Bethany also met with Secretary of Transportation Bill Nighbert and Governor Fletcher. Bethany's mother, Carol Stamp, joined them for their visit to the capital.

These are just a few issues that we will be dealing with in the weeks and months to come. In the meantime, I can be reached here at home anytime, or through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. In addition to the message line, the General Assembly offers several other toll-free lines to help you keep up with the session. A taped message containing information on legislative committee meeting schedules is available by calling 1-800-633-9650. Information on the status of each bill lawmakers consider will be available on the Bill Status Line, 1-877-257-5541.

Those with hearing impairments may leave messages for me by calling the TTY message Line at 1-800-896-0305. If you have internet access you can e-mail me at ron.crimm@lrc.ky.gov or keep track through the Kentucky Legislature Home Page:http://www.lrc.ky.gov.

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