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Democrats hope to force vote on abortion exceptions as session winds down
FRANKFORT — Democrats are hoping to force lawmakers to take a stand on loosening Kentucky’s near total ban on abortion before going home Monday. Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, announced Thursday that he is filing a discharge petition for his Senate Bill 99, which would create exceptions in the abortion ban for rape and incest. He […]
Beshear lets school ‘guardians’ bill become law without his signature
Kentucky school districts will have the option of employing armed “guardians” to fill vacant law enforcement positions on campuses under a bill that became law Tuesday without Gov. Andy Beshear’s signature.? Senate Bill 2 is a Republican-backed measure that built upon a bipartisan school safety law that was passed in 2019 after a shooting at […]
Government transparency decisions await Kentucky lawmakers when they reconvene Friday
FRANKFORT — A bill that open government advocates warn would introduce loopholes into Kentucky’s open records law could make its way to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk when lawmakers return to Frankfort later this week.? The final two days of the 60-day regular session — Friday and Monday — are set aside to consider gubernatorial […]
Bill outlaws ranked-choice voting?in Kentucky, but that’s not why Beshear vetoed it
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a bill that received a late addition to outlaw ranked-choice voting in Kentucky.? However, Beshear singled out another provision in House Bill 44 as the reason for the veto. That provision requires the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to annually furnish “lifetime Kentucky death records” to help the State […]
McConnell criticizes Biden, makes no mention of Trump in Shelbyville luncheon speech
SHELBYVILLE —?U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell stressed his support for continued U.S. aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia during a speech Wednesday to a luncheon crowd in Shelbyville.? The Shelby County Farm Bureau and Shelby County Chamber of Commerce hosted the gathering. McConnell, whose parents moved to Shelbyville later in life, has spoken at […]
McConnell praises his ‘favorite freshman’ Sen. Katie Britt speaking in Louisville
LOUISVILLE —?U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell introduced his “favorite freshman” senator to a crowd at his alma mater Tuesday.? U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, a first-term Republican from Alabama, delivered a lecture as part of the McConnell Center’s Distinguished Speaker Series at the University of Louisville. She spoke about lessons she’s learned from the past […]
Senate resolution filed to confirm Robbie Fletcher as Kentucky education commissioner?
FRANKFORT?—?When Kentucky senators return to Frankfort next month for the two final days of the legislative session, they will have to decide whether to confirm the Kentucky Board of Education’s selection for education commissioner.? The board announced its choice of Lawrence County Schools Superintendent Robbie Fletcher in a meeting last week. If approved by the […]
Kentucky lawmakers break for veto period leaving anti-diversity bill dead in the water
FRANKFORT — This year’s banner culture war crusade fizzled out in the Kentucky Senate in the final days of the General Assembly. The Senate took no action on a House overhaul of Senate Bill 6, a Republican-backed bill aimed at curbing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in Kentucky’s public universities and colleges. Lawmakers could revive […]
Kentucky Senate joins House to OK new process to fill US Senate vacancies?
FRANKFORT —?Kentucky senators approved a House bill that would end the governor’s power to fill U.S. Senate vacancies. This year’s change comes on the heels of a 2021 law that was sponsored by Republican Senate President Robert Stivers, of Manchester. While speaking on House Bill 622, Stivers called the new legislation “a better way to […]
Senate approves bill aimed at helping schools avoid hiring teachers with a history of abuse
FRANKFORT — A House bill aimed at helping Kentucky schools avoid hiring sexual abusers gained passage in the Senate Wednesday.? Sponsored by House Education Committee Chairman Rep. James Tipton, House Bill 275 would require those seeking employment in schools to disclose if they were the subject of an allegation, investigation or disciplinary action within the […]
Close call for open records law as panel un-adopts mass exemptions for Kentucky elected officials
FRANKFORT — In a rare change of mind, a Senate committee rejected a measure that open government advocates warned would dismantle Kentucky’s open records law.? An attorney for the Kentucky Press Association says the bill still has loopholes that would let government officials hide public records by keeping them on their private electronic devices.? The […]
Sweeping surprise overhaul of horse racing, gambling regulation sails out of Senate
FRANKFORT —?Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer’s late-breaking plan to form a new government corporation to oversee horse racing and charitable gaming is on the move in the Kentucky General Assembly.? With only a handful of days left to pass bills, Senate Bill 299, which began as a “shell” bill, was heard in a joint […]