Economy
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 […]
Under threat from industry ‘middlemen,’ independent pharmacies gain allies in D.C., Frankfort
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joined a White House roundtable discussion Monday on prescription drug costs that also featured U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, pharmacy entrepreneur Mark Cuban and several community pharmacists from around the country. The main topic was insurance industry middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, and panelists were […]
Lawmakers across the U.S. seek to curb utility spending on politics, ads and more extras
After a string of scandals and amid rising bills, lawmakers in statehouses across the country have been pushing legislation to curb utilities spending ratepayer money on lobbying, expert testimony in rate cases, goodwill advertising, charitable giving, trade association membership and other costs. At least a dozen states have considered bills to limit how gas, water […]
‘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 […]
Bill easing job hunt for ex-offenders clears Kentucky legislative committee
Kentuckians who have been convicted of crimes would get a better shot at a second chance under a bipartisan bill that cleared a House committee Wednesday, its supporters say. House Bill 124, sponsored by Rep. Emily Callaway, R-Louisville, would allow individuals to find out in advance if their criminal records would disqualify them from receiving […]
Committee-approved bill would remove requirement Kentucky employers give lunch breaks, rest periods
Employers in Kentucky would no longer be required to give employees a “reasonable” amount of time for lunch or rest breaks under a committee-approved bill passed Wednesday by Republicans.? HB 500, sponsored by Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, would repeal state statutes that require lunch breaks between three to five hours into a work shift and rest […]
Runway project at Bluegrass Station loses key support after local outcry
FRANKFORT — Key supporters of a proposed airport expansion at Bluegrass Station, a state-owned industrial park at Avon in Fayette County, have changed their tunes after strong local pushback. Sen. Steve West, who represents Bourbon County, on Tuesday became the latest to abandon his earlier support for including the project in the next state budget. […]
Bill targeting source-of-income discrimination bans in Kentucky’s largest cities heads to governor’s desk
FRANKFORT — Legislation that critics say would undermine ordinances in Lexington and Louisville that ban discrimination by landlords against a prospective tenant’s source of income is headed to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk.? House Bill 18, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, won final passage Tuesday in the Kentucky House of Representatives after the Kentucky […]
Kentucky lawmakers hope school ‘van’ drivers will be easier to find
FRANKFORT —?Republican-backed bills aimed at relieving issues around transporting Kentucky kids to schools were heard in legislative committees Tuesday.? Rep. Emily Callaway, R-Louisville, presented House Bill 447 to the House Education Committee Tuesday morning. If passed, her bill would allow school districts to use passenger vehicles, such as vans, to transport kids to and from […]
UAW says majority of Alabama Mercedes workers signal support for union
The United Auto Workers said Tuesday that more than half of the workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance had signed union cards, another milestone in an organization drive with significant symbolic importance. “We haven’t taken this step lightly,” Jeremy Kimbrell, a longtime worker and union supporter at the plant, said in a statement released […]
House GOP approve bill loosening Kentucky child labor law
FRANKFORT — Republicans in the GOP-dominated Kentucky House of Representatives approved Thursday legislation allowing some teenagers to work longer and later hours over strong opposition from their Democratic colleagues. House Bill 255, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, repeals Kentucky’s existing child labor laws and aligns them with federal laws, which are less restrictive for […]
House committee advances child care bill that could free up zoning issues
A bill that encourages local governments to examine available zoning for child care centers in Kentucky passed out of a House committee Thursday 12-2 with one pass.? House Bill 561 sponsor Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield, said her bill encourages local officials to “??make sure there’s not any regulation preventing childcare centers from opening in their […]