Senate passes bill To curb trashing of rentals, moves on to House
Bulldog Report
Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, the Senate Licensing & Occupations Committee chair regrets more people cannot be admitted to today’s (Feb. 4) meeting on Senate Bill 120. That’s a measure concerning the definition of pari-mutuel wagering as it is related to historical horse races.
The meeting will be livestreamed at 11 a.m. by Kentucky Educational Television at https://www.ket.org/legislature/. The committee chair, Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, stressed that he wanted to ensure everyone interested in SB 120 could follow the proceedings.
Materials for committee members will be posted online shortly before the meeting at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/CommitteeDocuments/78/. In addition to the agenda, these can include info sheets, handouts and PowerPoint presentations compiled for lawmakers to review.
More information on SB 120, including the full text of the bill, can be found at the online Legislative Record at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/21rs/sb120.html. People can receive email notifications each time SB 120 takes a step in the legislative process by signing up for Bill Watch at https://kentucky.gov/services/pages/billwatch.aspx.
Anyone who would like to share feedback on SB 120 can leave a message for their local legislators at the General Assembly’s Message Line at 800-372-7181. To directly reach a lawmaker’s office, call 502-564-8100. An operator will transfer the call to the office of the legislator you want to reach.
Bill to curb trashing of rentals goes to House
FRANKFORT – A measure to discourage tenants from damaging rental properties during an eviction passed the Kentucky Senate today by a 28-8 vote.
The measure, known as Senate Bill 11, would clarify current criminal mischief statutes by creating a category in Kentucky’s criminal code exclusively for damaging rental properties. It wouldn’t increase the penalty, said Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, who introduced the bill.
“I think this bill is even more important this year than last year because so many landlords in our commonwealth are struggling,” Schickel said, in reference to a similar bill passed out of the Senate last session. “Most landlords are very small business people.”
Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reginald Thomas, D-Lexington, rose to speak against the bill. He said tenants today could be held criminally liable under the state’s current criminal mischief statute.
“We don’t need to single them out,” he said of tenants. “We don’t need to treat them as if they are somehow … pariahs.”
Sen. Wil Schroder, R-Wilder, said he agreed that tenants could be charged under the current criminal mischief statute, but that he supported SB 11. He explained that the measure would help property managers more easily identify people with a history of trashing rental units when vetting prospective tenants through criminal background checks.
“This bill as it is today would give another tool to our landlords,” Schroder said.
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