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Committee adopts substitute for bill easing out-of-state police fitness rule; sponsor says it includes 9-1-1 dispatch updates
Summary
The committee approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 237 removing a physical-activity requirement for certain out-of-state police applicants and incorporated updates to 9-1-1 dispatching laws; a member said she will offer a floor amendment to require proof of passing a physical-agility test in the applicant’s original state.
The House Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 237 that would change certification rules for out-of-state police officers and, the sponsor said, update 9-1-1 dispatching laws.
Senator Jason Howell introduced the measure and said the substitute removes the state physical-activity requirement for applicants who are in good standing in another state, provided they have served at least 10 years in that other state and have been separated from employment there no less than three months. “Senate Bill 237 just simply removes the physical activity requirement from a police officer in good standing in another state that has is employed or has been recently employed, no less than 3 months of separation, that if they're in good standing and have served in that state of certification for 10 years, it waives the physical activity requirement for them to be certified as a police officer in, Kentucky,” Howell said.
Representative Blanton told the committee he intends to offer a floor amendment to address concerns raised by “Kelly C.” Blanton said his anticipated amendment would require proof that the applicant passed a physical agility test in the originating state. He described that planned change as intended to respond to the request from Kelly C. “I will be doing it as a floor amendment ... it simply says that they have to show proof that they have passed a physical agility test, in their state of origin,” Blanton said.
Committee members moved and seconded the committee substitute and approved it by voice vote. The sponsor also told the panel the committee substitute brings into the bill updates to the state’s 9-1-1 dispatching laws; he said the language reflects matters from an earlier House measure he had introduced during this session.
The committee hearing included questions from members and discussion about the substitute. The transcript does not record a final committee vote on the full bill beyond adoption of the committee substitute, and Howell said Representative Blanton would address a related floor amendment in the next stage.
