Government
Legislation banning state help for federal firearms ban receives final passage
FRANKFORT — Legislation that would prohibit law enforcement and public funds in Kentucky from going? toward enforcing any “federal ban” on firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories is headed to the governor’s desk after receiving final approval in the GOP-controlled state Senate.? House Bill 153, primarily sponsored by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, has faced criticism […]
House joins Senate in putting TikTok ban for Kentucky employees into law
FRANKFORT — With time running out for the 2023 General Assembly to pass bills, House members approved a measure to codify an executive and legislative branch ban on using TikTok. The House voted 96-3 on Senate Bill 20 Wednesday. Those who voted no were Democratic Reps. Cherlynn Stevenson, Lisa Willner and Sarah Stalker.? The bill’s […]
‘Gray machines’ ban receives final passage in Kentucky Senate
FRANKFORT — Legislation that would ban so-called “gray machines” in Kentucky received final passage Tuesday in the GOP-controlled Kentucky Senate and heads to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk.? House Bill 594, sponsored by Rep. Killian?Timoney, R-Nicholasville, saw much less resistance among Republicans than when it was approved by the House last week, passing the upper […]
Medical marijuana bill advances for first time in Kentucky Senate as this session wanes
A bill legalizing medical marijuana access for some Kentuckians with chronic illness received a Senate committee’s approval Tuesday as this year’s legislative session enters its final days.? Senate Bill 47, sponsored by Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, is the latest bill to be filed by the Republican to try to legalize medicinal use of marijuana that […]
House committee OKs 2024 vote on school choice constitutional amendment
FRANKFORT — A House committee voted 8-5 Tuesday to forward a bill that would let Kentucky voters decide in 2024 on a constitutional amendment to allow the legislature to provide funding for non-public schools.? Rep. Josh Calloway, R-Irvington, the sponsor of House Bill 174, told the House Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs […]
House passes tax break for bourbon industry as local governments warn of fiscal ‘devastation’
The Kentucky House of Representatives approved a move Monday to gradually end a property tax on bourbon barrels — a vote that divided both political parties — the ramifications of which some local governments say will lead their communities to fiscal “devastation.” House Bill 5, sponsored by Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, would slowly lift the […]
Kentucky House approves sports gambling bill
FRANKFORT — Betting on sports would become legal in Kentucky, under a measure approved Monday by the state House. Although the prospects for House Bill 551 are uncertain in the Senate, it comfortably won bipartisan passage in the House by a 63-34 vote. The bill needed 60 votes, given that Kentucky statutes require bills raising […]
Senate advances bill criminalizing ‘sexually explicit’ drag shows around minors
FRANKFORT — After a floor debate spiked with references to foot fetishes and sadomasochistic bondage attire, the Kentucky Senate on Friday approved a bill aimed at limiting venues for some drag shows. Senate Bill 115 would criminalize “sexually explicit” drag performances by “male or female impersonators” on publicly-owned land or in front of children. It […]
A ‘shell’ bill to regulate Delta-8 THC rushes through Kentucky House
FRANKFORT — After a court decision last year legalized an intoxicating compound derived from hemp, a bill to regulate Delta-8 THC sped through the House of Representatives on Thursday.? Delta-8 THC can get a user “high” similar to the Delta-9 THC compound found in marijuana. Some hemp farmers have been trying to find a market […]
‘Gray machines’ ban, sports betting legalization advance in Kentucky House
FRANKFORT ?— Two gambling-related bills — one to legalize betting on sports contests and another to ban so-called ‘gray machines’ — advanced in the Kentucky legislature Wednesday.? House Bill 551, sponsored by Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland, would legalize sports gambling in Kentucky and advanced out of the House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations Committee.? “I’m […]
U.S. agriculture secretary unveils initiatives aimed at small and midsized farms
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday announced new steps the Department of Agriculture is taking to recenter U.S. agriculture and benefit small and midsized operations, including a proposed new “Product of USA” labeling rule and an $89 million expansion of the USDA intermediary lending program. At the National Farmers Union conference in San Francisco, […]
Kentucky senator whose Twitter account ‘liked’ obscene tweets says he was hacked
Editor’s Note: This report relies in part on screenshots, emails and other documentation gathered in May 2021 by Kentucky Lantern reporter Liam Niemeyer when he was a reporter for WKMS Public Radio in Murray. FRANKFORT — The sponsor of a bill mandating a complaint process for removing “obscene” materials from Kentucky’s public schools had, as […]