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Democrats walk out to protest ‘alternatives to pregnancy termination’ bill
FRANKFORT — In 2017, Central Kentuckian Heather Hyden faced an “upsetting, awful” and “horrific experience.” The baby she carried — a “very wanted pregnancy” — had a lethal fetal anomaly.? She was induced in February of that year, medical care she would be unable to receive in Kentucky today because of the state’s near-total ban […]
‘Adult-oriented’ businesses would be subject to new restrictions under bill approved by Senate
FRANKFORT — A bill placing new restrictions on “adult-oriented” businesses, which opponents have blasted as “anti-drag,” passed the Kentucky Senate Wednesday 32-6.? It can now go to the House for consideration.? Senate Bill 147 prohibits “adult-oriented” businesses from being located within 933 feet of a child care facility, children’s amusement establishment, school, park, recreation? facility […]
Remembering those we lost, 4 years to the day after Kentucky’s first confirmed COVID-19 case
FRANKFORT — Four years after the day that Kentucky confirmed its first official case of COVID-19, Kandie Adkinson rang a singular bell in the Rotunda, its chime echoing through the Capitol.? ‘Flying blind:’ A Kentucky COVID-19 pandemic retrospective? She did this to honor those lost to COVID-19, just as she did during much of the […]
Ban on child sex dolls clears Senate, goes to governor
FRANKFORT — A bill felonzing the intentional ownership of a child sex doll has now passed both the Kentucky House and Senate and is on its way to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk.? Sen. Chris McDaniel presented the bill, sponsored in the House by Edgewood Republican Rep. Stephanie Dietz, on the Senate floor. It passed unanimously […]
Prospects for freestanding birth centers clouded despite committee advancing bill
FRANKFORT — A bill paving the way for freestanding birth centers in Kentucky was approved by a committee Wednesday despite concerns — but the sponsor says he won’t take it to the House floor without amendments addressing some of those worries.? House Bill 199 would, among other things, remove the certificate of need requirement for […]
Senate approves retroactive child support for months of pregnancy
FRANKFORT — A?bill that would allow Kentuckians to collect child support payments for fetuses as long as there is an order in place within a year of birth passed the Senate 36-2 Tuesday.? Senate Bill 110, sponsored by Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, can now go to the House side for consideration.? “I believe that […]
‘This is clearly the session for child care.’ Or is it?
FRANKFORT — As the Kentucky legislative session approaches “late in the game,” Sen. Danny Carroll said Tuesday the status of his Horizons Act is a “little concerning.”? The bill, which proposes Kentucky spend $300 million over the next two years to stabilize the child care industry, passed out of the Senate Families and Children Committee […]
Foster parents working from home could qualify for child care subsidies under bill clearing Senate committee
FRANKFORT — Megan Hamilton wants to be a foster mom.? But Hamilton, who lives in Bullitt County, works remotely for a Las Vegas company.? That means she cannot qualify for a child care subsidy in Kentucky, all because she works from home.? “Marketing writers do not make enough money to commute by private jet,” she […]
Kentucky House passes bill making it a felony to torture dogs and cats
The Kentucky House kicked off the week by passing a bill that would make it a Class D felony to torture a dog or cat. House Bill 258 passed the chamber 80-9. A similar bill passed a few hurdles in the 2023 session but did not make it into law.? In late February, celebrity rescue […]
Beshear blames ‘extremism’ for threats to reproductive options in Kentucky, Alabama
FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday called out Kentucky lawmakers for wasting time on “culture war type issues” and denounced “extremism” that he said is limiting reproductive options. The Democratic governor said he is “100% for” protecting access to in vitro fertilization and called an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children […]
‘This year’s anti-drag bill’ on its way to full Senate
FRANKFORT — A Senate committee on Thursday approved new restrictions on “adult-oriented businesses” that opponents describe as “this year’s anti-drag bill.”? Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, filed Senate Bill 147 in late January, saying it was “not intended to impede on any First Amendment rights of free speech, nor to impose limitations on reasonable access to […]
Ban on child sex dolls, using AI to make child porn clears hurdle
FRANKFORT — A House bill that would make it a felony to knowingly own a child sex doll in Kentucky passed the Senate Judiciary committee unanimously Thursday morning. House Bill 207 passed the House in early February and is making its way through the Senate. It can now go to the floor for consideration. Should […]