2008 House Bill 81 (Use state money to make law school student loan payments for certain lawyers)

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Introduced by Rep. Rob Wilkey on January 8, 2008, to shift general fund dollars up to $14,400,000 a year into an account for lawyers employed by certain government entities or involved in certain public advocacy activities to repay law school loan debts.
- Referred to the House Judiciary Committee on January 8, 2008.
- Referred to the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee on January 22, 2008.

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Comments

Introduced by Rep. Rob Wilkey on January 8, 2008. New Comment

1) What!!!!!!!!!! [by Anonymous Citizen on December 19, 2007]
subsidize only the lawyers. Only a lawyer could think that up
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2) Very good bill, but it needs more [by Anonymous Citizen on November 14, 2007]
This is a really good bill. DPA attorneys are not paid very well and the loans needed to get out of law school are ridiculously high (mainly because first year law students are prohibited from accepting outside employment of any kind and second and third year clerkships pay very little). Court of Justice staff attorneys are the lowest paid attorneys in the state, and their jobs are extremely important. Judges rely on their staff counsel greatly, and without those folks, the wheels of justice would slow tremendously. As such, court of justice attorneys need to be included in this bill.
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3) House Bill 81 [by msnow2500 on November 14, 2007]
I would hope that this bill would be voted down. If there is an issue with compensation for these lawyers, it should be reflected in their salaries and open to public scrutiny. Given that this is a protected profession (lawyers decide who can become lawyers or even attend law school) and that many of these people decide the fate of the rest of us based on laws interpreted by lawyers and many times created by lawyers, this profession should be regulated closely. It would seem reasonable to direct these funds to salaries as opposed to a fringe benefit so the average citizen can more easily understand the compensation of those on the public payroll. I am sure there are many professions that are just as important that would like a benefit like this.
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4) Billy J Rowe, Sr [by Anonymous Citizen on November 14, 2007]
Bad Idea. What happens to all the others that have student loans, i.e. doctors, pharmacist, teachers etc. This will just be another way for lawyers to squeze every penny out of the turnip...
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5) What kind of bribe or blackmail initiated this payoff attempt. [by Anonymous Citizen on November 14, 2007]
How about you take that money and instead pay off the loans of the best performing teachers in the state. That would be a nobler use of taxpayer money. What... is this bill intended as payoffs for the slickest lawyers fronting for the Fletcher administration. Exactly which lawyers have done such a great public service to warrant payoffs of hundreds of thousands of dollars each in addition to their salaries and fees for services rendered?

Someone please justify this for me.
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6) dash [by Anonymous Citizen on November 14, 2007]
This legislation is a no go!

Why?

State does not currently have enough tax dollars to fund current services and benefits because legislators like this one do not know Kentucky's outdated, obsolete tax and structuraly flawed tax base does not produce enough funding!

What legislators who're responsible must do for KY taxpayers is quite spending money state does not have and do following in 2008 General Assembly:

Bring in more funding from passing casino gambling or raising cigarette tax by 75 cents-a-pack on cigarettes while simultaneously cutting $2 billion dollars of state expenses over-next-four-years including reviewing state tax expenditures to eliminate/reduce automatice nature of some exemptions, deferrals, preferential tax rate treatments,etc.

Forget establishing by law a lawyer welfare fund.

Dash

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