5pm KY Legislative Session Overrides Governor's Vetos 03.29.2021

Jean seltzer.

A packed agenda for the final two days of kentucky's legislative session.

The governor vetoed 27 bills during the ten-day legislative break....republican s...who have a super majority in both chambers...went right to work on their first day back in session...overriding those vetoes.

The first bill up in the house...critics say weakens the state's open records law by shielding legislative records and keeping people who live outside of kentucky from requesting records.

Abc 36's monica harkins covers the floor fight in our top story at five.

It's common for lawmakers to explain their vote on the floor...but monday afternoon it was a passionate plea from democrats to not change kentucky's access to information.

So what are we talking about?

Changing the state's open records law.

It's not only a way journalists hold the government accountable it's also a matter of transparent governing and citizens rights to public records.

Something governor beshear voiced during his announcement of his veto...saying it's a recipe for secrecy.

This bill allows lawmakers to deny requests asking for legislative records - meaning records pertaining to how lawmakers are conducting business.

It's this that had democrats fired up in the house.

"rep.

Stevenson: this law has the impression in the communities that we're not doing their bidding and we are trying to hide something.

So i voted no because the only reason we're here is because the people sent us here to do their work and everything we do belongs to them."

Bill supporters say there's a bipartisian appeals process that people can go through if they feel like they're being wrongfully denied access.

This was just one of many debates in both chambers today that democrats voiced their opinion despite having no political power.

Monica harkins, abc 36 news.

### the senate