Voices from the legislative session

Each year, I collect particularly pithy quotes from the General Assembly session. These are some of the remarks that grabbed my attention this year. Read more voices from the General Assembly in this Sunday's Opinion/Ideas section of the Herald-Leader.

“There are no good choices. There are bad choices, and there are worse choices.”
– Gov. Steve Beshear, discussing the state's financial condition.

“Frankly, the state of this commonwealth is not acceptable.”
– Beshear, in his State of the Commonwealth Address.

“The status quo is not an option, and it is not one my administration will tolerate.”
– Beshear, in his State of the Commonwealth Address.

“If you’ve got somebody who loves to roll the bones, that’s as addictive as alcoholism.”
– Larry Forgy, testifying against expanded gambling.

“This is the mother of all transparency bills. It’s the mother of all accountability bills.”
– Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, speaking about House Bill 3, which would move the filing deadline from late January to late April, after the General Assembly sessions are over. Legislators now avoid any controversial issues until after the filing deadline passes.

“We want to cooperate with the governor. And the governor ran on a pledge of no taxes, and he hasn’t proposed any new taxes. We’re with the governor.”
– Williams, responding to questions about a possible cigarette tax increase.

“The 2020 (higher education) goals have just become 2028 goals.”
– Michael McCall, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, talking about education funding in testimony to a legislative committee.

“I dislike knee-jerk reactions, including from me.”
– Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, responding to Senate passage of an anti-abortion bill.

“In some ways, he’s like Rip Van Winkle. He’s been gone 20 years.”
– Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, referring to Gov. Steve Beshear.

“We don’t have the rabbit yet. Why go on with the process of making the stew until we get the rabbit?”
– Rep. Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, arguing that lawmakers should wait until voters approve casino gambling before passing enabling legislation.

“If you don’t vote the way they want you to vote, they push you out. There’s a lot of division in here. The leadership is in disarray. They are split.”
– Rep. Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave, after she got booted from a committee for failing to vote the way House Speaker Jody Richards wanter her to vote on expanded gambling.

“I wouldn’t engage in useless activities.”
– House Appropriations and Revenue Chairman Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, responding to questions about whether he had discussed a “stream saver” bill  on mountaintop removal mining with Natural Resources and Environmental Committee Chairman Jim Gooch. Moberly attached the “stream saver” bill, which has died in Gooch’s committee annually for years, to another piece of legislation that was before the A & R Committee.

“We need some support from our own representatives in Eastern Kentucky that we’re not getting. Our heroes are Central Kentucky guys, and that’s sad.”
– Ricky Handshoe, of Floyd County, discussing mountaintop removal mining.

“We cannot win a pissing contest with (Senate President) David Williams on that.”
– Rep. Stein, speaking about different versions of child booster seat legislation.

“I think it’s a stupid bill, and you can quote me. With this one, the Senate can say it passed a booster seat bill without actually doing anything. This bill basically says, ‘Oh. please, please, please put your child in a booster seat.’”
– Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, on the Senate version of the booster seat bill.

“Your attitude is not helpful to the process.”
– Rep. Moberly, to Senate President Williams in a budget conference committee meeting.

“Mr. Speaker, we haven’t made any personal statements against any of your members, and I wish that you could get your chairman under control and talk to him and have him take a couple of deep breaths.”
– Williams, to House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, immediately after Moberly’s remark.

“I don’t appreciate that, that I need to take a deep breath. You need to take it just as much as I do.”
– Moberly, responding to Williams.

“I haven’t made any personal comments about you.”
– Williams, to Moberly.

“That’s not true. You’ve made several smart(slight pause)-aleck comments.”
– Moberly, to Williams.

“That’s what this is all about, selling out education and human services for water and sewer projects. And when you vote for this budget tonight ... that’s what your doing. You’re selling out the children of this state and the teachers of this state for water and sewer projects.”
– Moberly, during floor debate on the budget, which he voted against for the first time in his career.

“I’m voting no against this budget for the state employees. I’m voting no against this budget for the teachers. But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, I’m voting no against this budget because it hurts the children of the commonwealth and it hurts the economic well-being of the people of this commonwealth.”
– Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, during floor debate on the budget.

“It was a big spread, lots of food. Oh yeah, there was free liquor. ... I don’t think it was a cash bar.”
– Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, recalling a gala party prominent lobbyists threw for members of the Senate at Thunder Over Louisville just a few days before lawmakers returned to Frankfort for the veto days of the 2007 General Assembly. The event was repeated this year.

“After about 15 minutes, I didn’t see the entertainment value.”
– Buford, explaining why he woudn’t attend the event this year, adding that “about this time of year, I’ve seen enough lobbyists for a while.”

Comments

[maria]

Good grief, Forgy still screaming about casino gambling and how moral he is...go to health-kentucky, pictures of he and girlfriend, with drink in hand. alcohol????...is this the girlfriend that visits casino regularly?
Hypocrite Forgy, practice what you preach.

There's no crying in baseball.