FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) – The Kentucky Supreme Court has declared that Senate Bill 151, a sewer turned pension bill, is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court ruled against Bevin 7-0 stating that the bill did not align with the state’s three readings requirement which states that a bill must be read on three different days in each legislative chamber.
“To summarize, SB 151 with its original wastewater services title and text was “read” twice in the House before the introduction of the Committee Substitute that removed and replaced all its text but left the title intact,” reads the court opinion.
Attorney General Andy Beshear filed suit to stop SB 151, citing that the bill did not get the actuarial analysis that most bills require.
In August, Governor Matt Bevin, filed an appeal to the take the battle to the state Supreme Court, bypassing the Court of Appeals.
“Our pension system is already dangerously close to collapsing. Without the reforms in SB 151, the system will continue to decline and remain the worst-funded in the nation,” Bevin attorney Steve Pitt said. “These are weighty issues that will impact every Kentuckian. They must be decided by our state’s highest court and not based on the highly suspect ruling of a single judge.”
The law prompted thousands of teachers to protest at the Capitol, resulting in the closure of more than 30 school districts across the state.
