Accomplishments
Samara has hit the ground running in her fight for our 18th district residents. In fact, two of the bills she sponsored during her first legislative session have now been passed into law. Her successful legislation includes a bill to better aid the spouses of military veterans (HB 276, 2020) and a bill that marries Kentucky law with the federal SECURE Act (HB 331, 2020). The SECURE Act seeks to encourage apprenticeship programs and to help cut the red tape on the payment of student loans.
Samara has co-sponsored a number of bills that seek to improve our healthcare systems and honor our military veterans – especially women veterans. She has also worked on legislation that promotes pro-life policies and child welfare, such as strengthening the adoption program, protecting children from violence, and seeking to end human trafficking. One of Samara’s biggest campaign talking points during her first race revolved around education; she has worked hard to promote computer science education and student mental health assessments.
2020 Sponsored Bills
*HB 276: AN ACT relating to licensing.
Clarifies the eligibility for a special military license plate, provides a special military license plate sticker for spouses of veterans, and clarifies the proof required for a veteran designation on an operator’s license.
It changes an active component member to a member of the Armed Forces of the United States; changes the veteran’s widow to the veteran’s surviving spouse; allows for the legally married spouse of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States to purchase a special military-related license plate and receive a sticker identifying the plate as that of a military spouse; updates the list of documents that can be used as proof of veteran status.
HB 277: AN ACT relating to license plates for disabled veterans.
Allows disabled veterans who are paid at the 100 percent rate for service-connected disabilities by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to purchase disabled veteran license plates with no initial fee or renewal fee
*HB 331: AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Educational Savings Plan Trust.
Matches Kentucky law with the current federal law. In December 2019, the SECURE Act passed Congress and expanded the rules for 529 Accounts making two changes. First, it allows for funds saved through a 529 account to be used to pay for apprenticeship programs that are registered and certified with the United State Secretary of Labor. Second, it allows for funds saved through a 529 account to be used to pay for student loans.
HB 390: AN ACT related to adoption leave.
Requires employers to provide the same leave policies to adoptive parents as they provide to birth parents; changes the applicable age of an adoptive child from seven to ten; creates an exemption for specified categories of adoption
HB 511: AN ACT relating to the donation of game meat.
Allows for cooperative extension agencies and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, or any government agency for the purposes of education, promotion of hunting or fishing, to accept the donation of game meat for free meal distribution to individuals in need.
HB 565: AN ACT relating to the Treasury.
A modernization bill for the Kentucky State Treasury, updating laws from the 1970s and early 1990s.
*An asterisk denotes bills that were signed into law.
