The Kentucky General Assembly is moving forward with efforts to extend COVID-related emergency orders. During a committee meeting Thursday, House State Government Committee Chair Jerry Miller read a long list of items included in a Senate bill on remote instruction for schools. “We need to get this out and to the floor because several of our state of emergencies expire before next Tuesday, or next Monday, Tuesday, Tuesday,” said Miller.
The committee substitute measure extends the state of emergency tied to COVID to April 14th. It, among other things, continues the waiving of costs for coronavirus testing and vaccinations, seeks to prevent price gouging and allows for the suspension of building codes for hospital overflows. The revised measure continues previous legislative language to prevent the governor from declaring a new emergency based on the same or substantially similar circumstances. Members of both the House and Senate gave the expanded measure final approval Thursday. A number of members in the Senate voted no, expressing concern about the attachment of these orders to a bill focusing on remote learning.