The following information appeared in the October 26, 1973 edition of The Ledger Independent:
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The Mason County Farm Bureau has initiated an educational campaign the inform the public of the dangers that could result from passage of the Constitutional amendment providing for annual sessions of the Kentucky legislature.
Farm Bureau’s position is being shared by several business and trade organizations including Associated industries of Kentucky, the Louisville Chamber of Commerce.
The amendment would provide for annual sessions of the General Assembly of 45 non consecutive days over a total time span of up to six months. Another minor change would increase the in-district residency requirements for legislative candidates.
Currently the legislature meets for 60 consecutive days excluding Sundays and holidays every two years. The total time span involved is two and one half months.
Farm Bureau’s opposition to the measure is based on several factors including its eventual cost to taxpayers the effects of increased legislative time and the quality of legislative members and legislation.
This amendment wouldn’t just double the legislature’s time in session it would multiply it almost four times says Louis F. Ison a Mercer County farmer and president of KFB.
It stands for reason that a legislature in session six months every year is going to cost more a lot more than one in session just two-and-one-half months every other year he added.
“But the increase of legislative salaries and staff expense is very minor compared to the increased number of spending bills which would almost certainly result from longer and more frequent sessions of the legislature. In other states where annual sessions have passed this is where the taxpayers have really felt the effect.”
Ison said one really disturbing aspect of giving Kentucky a nearly full time legislature is the fact that some of the most successful and qualified potential legislators would be unable to serve. They could not be away from their businesses, professions, farms or jobs for such an extended period of time.
A simple majority is all that is needed to approve an amendment to the Constitution.
The Farm Bureau cites that the legislature passed a broad home rule law in 1972 and feels that with this legislation there should be less need than ever before for annual sessions. Under the law local communities are now authorized to do for themselves many of the things that the legislature once was required to do.
In 1969 Kentuckians voted down an annual sessions proposal. Although advocates of the measure say this years version of the amendment differs in certain details from the 1969 version the Kentucky Farm Bureau believes that to present the subject again this year violates the intent of the Constitution.
The Farm Bureau said the passage of the bill would mean increased salaries for the legislators that they would require more clerical help, added work and the space and expanded parking and service facilities.
