Update on HB1/SB1
HB 1 is the bill that allows for the State to Reopen business/schools, and SB 1 added some reforms to the Governor's Emergency Powers. He vetoed both of them on 1/19/2021. The Legislature overturned his vetoes on 2/2/2021. The Governor the filed a temporary injunction against HB 1 in Franklin County Circuit Court with Judge Shepherd, a highly liberal judge that the majority of the time sides with Democrat politicians. This injunction and ruling was filed and granted on 2/3/2021, lasting for 30 days, during that time the Judge Shepherd will be reviewing the case (finding ways to find for Beshear) to issue a ruling on HB 1, supposedly SB 1 is still in place as current law. So this means that Judge Shepherd's ruling will likely come on 3/5/21, on of the last legislative days for the state legislature, they have a few more but barring more snow it is probably the last real legislative day, other days after that are committed to other necessary legislative procedures to close out the session.
Part of the reason that Judge Shepherd said that he agreed to the emergency injunction is that HB1 would result in many business picking and choosing which guidance from the CDC or the Governor to follow resulting in thousands of variations. Judge Shephard must have spent a lot of time at home during this pandemic. Every business, from restaurants to manufacturing has had to do this from the beginning, as much as Democrats fancy everyone following a one size fits all that Governor Beshear has mandated. Because of the variables in types of businesses, size, owners, employees, and customers every business has already adapted the best practices they can to adhere to the Governor's orders. HB 1 really at the end of the day takes away the Governor's ability to strong arm a business into compliance with his cookie cutter ideas of how a business should be operating right now. There are already thousands of variations and plans out there, Judge Shepherd's faux concerns is just cover for Beshear. Right now we wait and see what the next legal move is, but we expect the ruling to come as late as possible in order to cause as much chaos as possible, and help the Governor shift blame on how badly this pandemic has been handled by him back to the Legislature.
