Lawmakers are working at a steady clip to override the governor's vetoes and are expected to continue late into the evening.

Among them, a bill adding work requirements to the medical and health coverage program for the poor.

Medicaid.

House Bill 695 mandates adults aged 18 to 60 without children and without a disability work at least 20 hours a week, or work with a state job placement agency to maintain their health coverage.

Close to a million and a half Kentuckians are covered by Medicaid, and that includes four out of every nine kids.

In his veto message, Governor Beshear said the bill would create barriers and delay for more than 1.5 million Kentuckians.

Several House Democrats echoed his concerns.

I want to remind the body that this bill was passed out of this chamber.

After limiting debate and calling previous question and the 11:00 hour on day 28 of this 30 day legislative session.

Had I been able to speak on it, what I would have liked to have said is that work reporting requirements are tripwires made out of bureaucracy and paperwork, and do not help people find more employment.

But they do result in coverage losses.

In Georgia, which currently has a work reporting requirement in place, only 4231 of the estimated 240,000 plus uninsured adults are able to successfully navigate the requirements and become enrolled.

The state spent as much on technology improvements to implement the requirement as it did on the actual care of the enrollees.

This is government red tape.

It does not help the health of our population.

It is smoke and mirrors saying that it's going to reduce cost, but it actually just harms our vulnerable populations in our state.

The House voted to override the governor's veto of House Bill 695 strictly along party lines, and the Senate followed suit.

The measure has an emergency clause that makes it become law with this final passage.