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State Capitol

Sharp Learning Curve for New House Members

kentucky.com

  The last few days of Kentucky's legislative session seem to be moving in spurts.  That may be felt even more by the House’s newest members.

Four members of the Kentucky House started serving in Frankfort on March 15, following special elections held to fill vacant seats. Retired Greenup judge Lewis Nicholls says there are significant differences between the House floor and a courtroom.  “It’s a whole different set of procedures and the information that they’ve given to us," he said. "It’s kind of like drinking from a fire hose."

The Greenup lawmaker believes his experience on the bench serves him well in his new position.  Nicholls says 80 to 90 percent of prison inmates struggle with addiction issues.  “You can’t expect someone to be healed from their addiction in just a few months or weeks," Nicholls said. "It takes years sometimes.  Typically in drug court, we kept people in there 18 months."

Nicholls would like to see a program structured like drug court for paroled prison inmates.

Gravel Switch attorney Daniel Elliot, 31, says since joining the House in mid-March, the session has moved at a quick pace. A political science major in college, Elliot said he knew he might one day become a politician.  “I never thought that I would be involved to this degree at this age, so that’s still a little bit of a surprise to me," Elliot said. "But life is full of surprises."

The Scott County representative says the pace has been upbeat over the last few weeks.  “Maybe it’s not as quick in the initial days of a session, but in the last couple of weeks, the pace is very, very fast and you’re voting on many bills and sometimes you’ve only seem them maybe an hour before hand,” Elliot said.

Also experiencing the Kentucky General Assembly for the first time this session are Hopkinsville Representative Jeff Taylor and Georgetown Rep Chuck Tackett. The 2016 session is scheduled to wrap up April 12.?

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