By RICK GIRDLER
State Senator

As 2018 comes to a close, I’d like to extend warm wishes and sincere hope that you and your loved ones enjoy a holiday season in good health and full of happiness.

This year was momentous for the General Assembly as we passed pivotal legislation, traveled across the commonwealth holding policy discussions, and recently finalized our policy goals for the upcoming legislative session.

The laws passed in 2018 will contribute to the well-being of our state for years to come. We passed a two-year budget with crucial funding for important programs like SEEK (Support Education Excellence in Kentucky), which now provides more money per K-12 student than ever before.

The tax reform package approved by the General Assembly established a flat 5-percent personal income tax, allowing you to keep more of your hard-earned dollars in your pocket. The road plan will spend more than $2.4 billion over the next two years to help rehabilitate our ailing roadways and other infrastructure such as bridges.

During the interim, joint committees were presented with testimony on a wide range of topics to help determine legislation for our upcoming 30-day Session in 2019. Additionally, we established multiple special committees designed to tackle specific issues afflicting Kentucky. These included efforts to make Kentucky’s children safer with the School Safety Working Group and improving the state’s overall health with the Diabetes Medical Emergency Response Task Force.

The 2019 Session will be upon us in a few weeks, and we were thrilled to add two new senators to our caucus, bringing our total number of members to 28, the most we have ever secured. Sen. Matt Castlen will be our new senator for the 8th District, replacing the outgoing Sen. Joe Bowen, and Sen. Robby Mills will become the senator from the 4th District.

I’m looking forward to being home in my district with friends and family to enjoy the holidays and spend more time with my constituents. I’d like to personally express my gratitude to each and every one of you who reached out, provided input or testified before the General Assembly this year. Your assistance was crucial and truly helped guide us as we finalize our legislative priorities for the 30-day session.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Be well, and I look forward to hearing from you again in 2019.

If you have any questions or comments about the issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at (800) 372-7181 or you can email me at rick.girdler@lrc.ky.gov. You can also review the Legislature’s work online at www.lrc.ky.gov.

Sen. Rick Girdler (R-Somerset) represents the 15th District, including Boyle, Lincoln, and Pulaski counties.