Government
Republican files bill to protect in vitro fertilization in Kentucky?
FRANKFORT — Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield, a staunch opponent of abortion, filed a bill Wednesday aimed at protecting access to in vitro fertilization in Kentucky. Senate Bill 373, which is not yet online, says any facility or “procedure related to in vitro fertilization shall not be liable” for damages “to a patient or patient’s surviving […]
Physicians bring message to Frankfort: Abortion bans forcing us to violate our oath to do no harm
FRANKFORT — Saying that abortion bans handicap their ability to provide comprehensive care, nearly 300 Kentucky health care providers and medical students have signed a letter asking lawmakers to restore abortion access in the state.? While unveiling the letter Wednesday, Louisville’s Dr. Marjorie Fitzgerald said abortion bans in Kentucky cause “devastating consequences” for patients.? “We […]
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 […]
Republicans move forward with partisan state school board elections
FRANKFORT — A Senate committee forwarded a bill on a party line vote Wednesday that would establish partisan elections for the Kentucky Board of Education — a proposal previously called a “terrible idea” by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.? Senate Bill 8 would allow Kentucky voters in each of the seven Supreme Court districts to elect […]
Kentucky reacts to McConnell stepping down as U.S. Senate GOP leader
FRANKFORT — As news in Washington broke that Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest serving floor leader of the U.S. Senate, planned to step down from that role this November, eyes in Kentucky turned to the senator’s legacy.? McConnell, also Kentucky’s longest-serving U.S. senator, is routinely credited by Republicans for building the current state party, which […]
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. […]
Louisville Democrat files bill to protect assisted reproduction, IVF in Kentucky
FRANKFORT — A Louisville Democrat filed a bill Tuesday aimed at “safeguarding” access to in vitro fertilization in Kentucky. Senate Bill 301, sponsored by Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, would protect from criminal liability medical providers who “engaged in assisted reproduction who meet the professional standard of care,” according to a copy provided to the […]
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 […]
Kentuckians could collect child support for months of pregnancy under advancing bill
FRANKFORT — A bill paving the way for Kentuckians to collect child support for fetuses as long as there is an order in place within a year of a child’s birth passed unanimously out of a Senate committee Tuesday.? Senate Bill 110 would not apply if a child support order was filed when a child […]
Early detection may help Kentucky tamp down its lung cancer crisis
Anthony Stumbo’s heart sank after the doctor shared his mother’s chest X-ray. “I remember that drive home, bringing her back home, and we basically cried,” said the internal medicine physician, who had started practicing in eastern Kentucky near his childhood home shortly before his mother began feeling ill. “Nobody wants to get told they’ve got […]
GOP lawmaker files bill to add rape, incest exceptions to Kentucky abortion ban?
Citing his affection for his daughters, a Louisville Republican has filed a bill that would expand exceptions to Kentucky’s abortion ban, including for rape and incest. Rep. Ken Fleming’s House Bill 711 would leave it up to the physician to determine if rape or incest had occurred, allowing an abortion “if, in the physician’s best […]
Boone County using opioid settlement funds to create social worker role under the sheriff’s department
Boone County is set to hire three new workers aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by the opioid crisis. On Tuesday, the Boone County Fiscal Court approved a resolution allowing the use of opioid abatement funds to hire up to three police navigators/social workers — a newly created position. “This is one of the […]