Girdler finishes busy first week as state legislator

Commonwealth Journal (Somerset, KY)

Jan. 08--One week down -- and it's been a busy one.

Rick Girdler just finished his first week in Frankfort as a State Senator, replacing his nephew, Chris Girdler, as the District 15 representative for Pulaski, Lincoln and Boyle Counties.

"It's been a whirlwind, to say the least," he said.

That hasn't just been because of politics of usual. Even the new digs have been a lot to take it.

"You get in those buildings and they've got a bunch of hallways," Girdler joked. "I get lost more inside there than I do anything else."

Byzantine labyrinth aside, things are bound to be complex for a government newcomer. Girdler, a Shelter Insurance agent here in Somerset, stepped into a unique situation -- a completely Republican-controlled Kentucky government. That's nothing new for the Senate, where Girdler sits, but Republican governors like current office-holder Matt Bevin are rare in the Bluegrass State, and rarer still is a GOP-led House of Representatives, where Rep. Jeff Hoover -- who represents a portion of Pulaski County, as well as Clinton, Cumberland, and his native Russell Counties -- is the first Speaker of the House since the early 1920s.

That's good news for Girdler, since he's a Republican -- but it also means he hasn't been able to ease into things. Instead of the normal gridlock that comes with opposing parties with balanced shares of power, the Kentucky GOP has been able to go full steam ahead with its pet project bills.

Hoover told the Commonwealth Journal in November that the first part of the short legislative session in January, specifically the first four days, would be dedicated to setting up the organization. Much of the legislation-passing would likely take place later on, after the lawmakers return in February to finish out the remainder of the 30-day session.

Yet, the bills have been coming fast and furious, and not on softball topics. Bills dealing with subjects like reproductive rights and Right-to-Work laws have been headline makers in these early days of the session.

And just because Girdler is on the majority side doesn't mean he's at home in an echo chamber.

"It's been interesting. A little more intense than I thought," said Girdler. "Even though we've got 27 Republicans (in the Senate), among them, there are 27 different opinions. We all agree on 90 percent of stuff, but they're passionate about what they believe. You get in a caucus meeting and you hear it."

Not that he's complaining.

"I like that," said Girdler. "That's what makes America great."

Girdler said the Senate crafted and approved "about five or six bills" that went to the House, and in turn received a trio of bills from the Representatives.

One of the bills passed in the Senate was one that would ban abortions after a woman has been pregnant for 20 weeks. It's one of the most newsworthy bills, as abortion policies always make for a controversial topic, and it's a bill which Girdler voted to approve.

"That was kind of a sticky bill for the other side of the aisle," said Girdler. "I'm anti-abortion. If I had my way, it would be the heartbeat rule (which would ban abortions at the detection of a heartbeat from a fetus), but I don't think they can do that or feel they can't, so they went with the 20 weeks -- the theory is, a baby can feel pain starting around 20 weeks."

Another bill the Senate addressed was one that would put a 10-person panel in place to replace the Board of Trustees for the University of Louisville; a separate board would approve 30 candidates and the governor would pick 10, and the Senate would have confirmation hearings.

"It's not like it was in the past. We changed is up a bit," said Girdler.

Girdler spoke to the Commonwealth Journal on Friday before getting a little rest, and heading back Saturday morning to finish out the early part of the session. Lawmakers will return on February 7.

As such, there was a lot to get done for a Republican Party seeking to make up for lost time, when Democratic opponents wouldn't pass their bills in the past.

"If you look, the bills being voted on (Saturday) are bills the Senate has pushed through the last several years -- Right-to-Work, the prevailing wage, the abortion bill -- that have been voted in by the Senate overwhelmingly, bipartisan (support) too, and the it would go and die in the House. Those are the bills that have been (a focus of) the first five days."

___

Visit the Commonwealth Journal (Somerset, Ky.) at somerset-kentucky.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.