BY TOM LATEK

Kentucky Today

Legislation that would prohibit the enforcement of any federal ban or regulation of  firearms by Kentucky law enforcement agencies was among the bills winning approval in the Kentucky House on Wednesday.

House Bill 153, sponsored by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, would also ban allocating public resources or money in the enforcement of federal firearm bans.

He told his colleagues on the House floor that this is not a new concept. “Some of our neighbors, West Virginia, Missouri, and Tennessee, have passed this. At last count, 115 of the 120 counties have approved similar resolutions.”

Opponents said they had concerns about bills that conflicted with federal law. Among them, House Minority Leader Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort.

“In joining the United States, we agreed that the Constitution was the supreme law of the land, and federal law is supreme over state law,” Graham stated. “We’re going against the Constitution of the United States, to which we have all pledged to defend and support.”

Supporters said that was not an issue, and the bill passed 78-19.

Another measure the House took up, HB 180, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, would establish biomarker testing coverage requirements for health benefit plans.

“Most of us have been touched by cancer in some way, and have seen the devastating effect of chemotherapy,” she said.  “Kentucky has the unfortunate ranking as number one in the nation for lung cancer, and we have abnormally high rates of other cancers and chronic diseases.”

Moser, a health care professional herself, aid requiring the use of biomarkers would allow medical providers to tailor their treatment to the specific form of cancer that was discovered.  “This allows for precision treatment with less trial and error, less devastating side effects, and even premature death.”

It was approved on a 97-0 vote without debate.  Both bills now head to the Senate.