Briefs

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman moves to restart executions

BY: - March 11, 2024

FRANKFORT — Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman is moving to restart executions in Kentucky. Coleman announced Friday that he has filed a motion in Franklin Circuit Court seeking to end what a news release from his office called a “nearly 15-year ruling that has blocked the imposition of the death penalty in Kentucky.” Coleman said […]

Senate approves making it easier for foster parents to qualify for child care assistance

BY: - March 8, 2024

FRANKFORT — A Democrat’s bill aimed at making it easier for Kentuckians to become foster parents unanimously passed the Senate Thursday — after some friendly hazing aimed at the sponsor upon passing her first bill.? Senate Bill 240 would allow foster parents in Kentucky to qualify for? child care benefits while working outside the home […]

‘Adult-oriented’ businesses would be subject to new restrictions under bill approved by Senate

BY: - March 6, 2024

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 […]

Ban on child sex dolls clears Senate, goes to governor

BY: - March 6, 2024

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 […]

Senate approves retroactive child support for months of pregnancy

BY: - March 5, 2024

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 […]

Kentucky state employees would gain parental leave under bill approved by Senate

BY: - March 5, 2024

FRANKFORT — State employees could take up to four weeks of paid parental leave under a bill that the Kentucky Senate approved 28-10 on Tuesday.? Senate Bill 142 would entitle state government workers who’ve held their jobs for at least a year to take up to four weeks of paid leave after birth or adoption. […]

Foster parents working from home could qualify for child care subsidies under bill clearing Senate committee

BY: - March 5, 2024

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

BY: - March 4, 2024

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 […]

In bipartisan vote, House passes bill changing how Kentucky fills vacant U.S. Senate seats

BY: - March 4, 2024

With bipartisan support, a GOP-backed bill that would end the governor’s power to fill vacant U.S. Senate seats passed the House Monday.? Instead, voters in a special election would select a successor, if the bill becomes law.? Kentucky House Republican Floor Leader Steven Rudy, of Paducah, has previously said House Bill 622 is aimed at […]

Small Kentucky farms are again exempt from hunting, fishing license requirements

BY: - February 29, 2024

FRANKFORT — One of the first bills to become law in this year’s legislative session clarifies that Kentuckians who own farms of five acres or smaller can fish or hunt on their own property without purchasing a hunting or fishing license.? Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, signed into law Thursday by […]

Thayer seeks to end Kentucky’s limits on political giving, require more frequent reporting instead

BY: - February 29, 2024

FRANKFORT — Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer is seeking to eliminate state limits on donations to political campaigns and committees while increasing the frequency of campaign finance reports to every two weeks.? Thayer, of Georgetown, told the Kentucky Lantern after filing Senate Bill 100 that he is “making a few statements on my way […]

Ban on child sex dolls, using AI to make child porn clears hurdle

BY: - February 29, 2024

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 […]