Government
Is in vitro fertilization under threat in Kentucky too? Law matching Alabama’s deepens concerns
For Lisa Sobel and her husband, being able to have a child through in vitro fertilization, or IVF, was “a dream come true.” “For us, this really is a joy,” Sobel, of Louisville, said. “We want for there to be other families to be able to have this joy.” But the recent state Supreme Court […]
‘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 […]
‘Effectively dead,’ housing discrimination laws in Louisville, Lexington fall to veto override
FRANKFORT — The GOP-dominated Kentucky legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill targeting local source-of-income discrimination bans just a day after the governor had issued the veto.? House Bill 18, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, immediately became law Wednesday because of an emergency clause in the bill.? In a gathering with […]
House committee OKs bill to make interrupting legislative proceedings a crime in Kentucky
FRANKFORT —?Kentuckians could be charged with a new crime — “interference with a legislative proceeding” — under a bill backed Wednesday by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. The committee’s Democrats passed their votes on House Bill 626.? The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, said the legislation was written with three scenarios in […]
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 […]
McConnell endorses Trump as former president wraps up GOP nomination with Super Tuesday wins
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, often at odds with former President Donald Trump, endorsed him Wednesday for president. Trump sewed up the Republican nomination the day before with multiple victories in Super Tuesday primaries. Trump’s remaining GOP challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, announced Wednesday morning that she was leaving the race. Shortly after, […]
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 […]
Kentucky state employees would gain parental leave under bill approved by Senate
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. […]
‘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 […]
Senate advances GOP bill paving the way for school ‘guardians’
FRANKFORT —?Despite opposition from Republicans and Democrats, a GOP-backed measure that paves the way for school districts to hire “guardians” to fill vacant law enforcement officer roles on school campuses passed out of the Kentucky Senate Tuesday.? Senate Bill 2, sponsored by? Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville,builds upon his 2019 School Safety and Resiliency Act that […]