Sen. Wil Schroder Appointed Chairman of NKY Caucus

Members of the Northern Kentucky Caucus of the Kentucky General Assembly during their meeting on Thursday, January 5, selected State Senator Wil Schroder (R-Wilder) as their chairman for the next two years.

Senator Schroder, who previously held the position of vice chairman, thanked the caucus for their support. “I am excited to take up the position of the Northern Kentucky Caucus chairman and appreciate the confidence my colleagues have in me. The 2017 Session will be an exciting time for Kentuckians, and I look forward to the work we will accomplish with the new House majority,” said Senator Schroder.

“I would also like to thank the former caucus chairwoman, Representative Addia Wuchner, for her service to the caucus and to all of Northern Kentucky, and I look forward to working with our newly-elected vice chairman, Representative Diane St. Onge.”

Four days into the 2017 General Assembly session, Republicans are having their way. Right-to-work legislation, a Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce priority, is on the fast track to be signed into law, maybe as early as Saturday.

The General Assembly will convene Saturday, as they hold a rare meeting to finalize bills that would restrict abortions and labor unions just one week into the 2017 legislative session.

Republicans have also moved the following bills priority Senate bills forward in the House:

Sen. Wil Schroder, R-Wilder, (left) speaks with Senate President Pro Tem David Givens, R-Greensburg, preceeding action on the Senate floor.
▪ Senate Bill 3, which would allow legislators’ state pensions to be disclosed under the Kentucky Open Records Act.

▪ Senate Bill 5, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

▪ Senate Bill 6, which would require workers to “opt in” to having union dues withheld from their paychecks. It also would require unions to separately solicit money for its political activities.

▪ Senate Bill 12, which would create a new U of L governing board composed of 10 trustees subject to Senate confirmation, selected by the governor from a larger pool of 30 people recommended by the Council on Postsecondary Education.

The Northern Kentucky Caucus will be having its annual legislative forum on February 11, 2017, from 10 a.m. to noon at Northern Kentucky University’s Student Union Building in Highland Heights.