Senator Joey Pendleton represents Christian, Logan and Todd counties.
There are 138 legislators in the Kentucky General Assembly, and we all have different ideas as to how we can reduce the vast budget deficit staring us
in the face. We can all agree, though, that eliminating government waste and inefficiency is the surest way to know the peoples’ work is being
conducted properly. Tax dollars are too precious to fritter away when so many Kentuckians depend on government to do its job the right way. This week,
our focus was on accountability, transparency, and efficiency, with an eye on reducing government costs not just this year, but for the long haul.
Several government offices already put their spending online, allowing Kentuckians to see what their officials are spending and where they are spending
it. It is a simple but effective tool to help people understand where their tax dollars are going. Perhaps more importantly, it is also a significant
curb on those who would otherwise waste taxpayers’ money. Simply knowing that expenses will be placed online for all citizens to see will cause many
employees to be more careful with the State’s checkbook.
Senate Bill 40 would take the innovations of these State offices and make it law, requiring all three branches of government, including the General
Assembly and its staff, to put spending online in a searchable database, making it easy for taxpayers to see where the money is going. The records
would be updated monthly at the very least, and anything routed through the State’s electronic accounting system would be updated weekly. The database
would even contain links to the actual documents if they were available, so that people could understand what is really happening, instead of a simple
one-sentence description that does not tell the whole story.
Senate Bill 87, meanwhile, takes that transparency and accountability one-step further. We have all read the stories of the excessive spending by the
Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) and the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACO), both of which are funded by our local governments through dues and
insurance premiums. SB 87 puts these two groups under the same reporting requirements as we are seeking for state government -- to help ensure that
these incidents do not happen in the future. SB 87 also clarifies that because they are funded indirectly through tax dollars, KLC and KACo are subject
to open records and open meetings laws.
When the events at these two groups first came to light, the state Auditor of Public Accounts conducted a thorough review of their operations and
issued a report with several recommendations. We have incorporated some of the Auditor’s suggestions into the bill to make sure that they are followed.
Under SB 87, the boards of both organizations would have to develop formal written policies on how money is spent and how employees are compensated.
They would also have to develop ethics policies so that it would be clear to staff what the guidelines are for their actions.
In addition this week, we endorsed legislation that will make transactions transparent to law enforcement so they can cut down on theft. Current law
mandates that pawnbrokers take down information on those who pawn items at their shops. SB 123 mandates that they open up that database to the Kentucky
State Police. Three-fourths of all items stolen from Kentuckians annually is lost forever, nearly $100 million they will never get back. Allowing KSP
to see what items are being pawned and who brought them in can be a valuable lead when it matches up with something reported stolen.
As we enter our second month, even more bills will get our attention. That is why it is more important than ever for lawmakers to stay in close touch
with the people we serve to report on our work and ask for feedback.
Please remember to call our Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 or visit our web site at www.lrc.ky.gov to stay abreast of our legislative work
and do your part to keep democracy alive. You may also contact me at joey.pendleton@lrc.ky.gov.