Politics
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 […]
Bill limiting Kentucky governor’s pardon power near elections wins bipartisan approval in Senate
FRANKFORT —?With bipartisan support, the Kentucky Senate took another step toward limiting pardon and sentence commutation powers of the governor.? Republican-backed Senate Bill 126 proposes a constitutional amendment to suspend the governor’s power to issue pardons or sentence commutations from 30 days before a gubernatorial election until the fifth Tuesday after the election, the day […]
Bipartisan bill trying to shield Kentucky elections from ‘deep fakes’ clears committee
FRANKFORT — A Senate committee forwarded a bipartisan bill Wednesday aimed at limiting use of “deep fakes” or deceptive artificial intelligence to influence elections in Kentucky.? Two Lexington lawmakers, Republican Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe and Democratic Sen. Reggie Thomas, told the Senate State and Local Government Committee Senate Bill 131 is a first step in […]
McConnell’s fundraising has slowed though he’s got plenty of money in his reelection account
Gov. Andy Beshear’s new political action committee reported last week that it raised $30,681 in its first month of existence. The PAC is called In This Together and was created two months after Democrat Beshear won reelection over Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron. It was established as a way for Beshear and his supporters to […]
No statues to be removed or added to Rotunda without legislative OK under advancing bill
FRANKFORT —?Almost four years after the Beshear administration removed a Confederate statue from the Capitol Rotunda, the House State Government Committee forwarded a bill that would give the General Assembly final say over what may be permanently displayed there. House Bill 513, sponsored by Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, would give the General Assembly approval power […]
Poll finds majority of Kentucky voters think DEI should be left up to businesses, institutions
A majority of Kentucky voters believe businesses and institutions should make their own decisions regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs without politicians’ input, a new poll found.? According to results released Tuesday by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a poll of 625 registered Kentucky voters found 71% believe businesses and institutions should be […]
Gambling interests put big money on Kentucky governor’s race via party governors associations
FRANKFORT? – Gambling interests ponied up big to outside groups that spent more than $30 million on last year’s race for Kentucky governor. Kentucky’s horse race tracks that have expanded into new forms of legalized gambling gave big to the Democratic Governors Association in 2023 which spent $19.2 million backing Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection. […]
Are Americans really committed to democracy in the 2024 election?
With former President Donald Trump having all but wrapped up the GOP presidential nomination, one issue looks set to be at the center of the general election campaign: the threat to democracy. In a major campaign speech in Pennsylvania in January, President Joe Biden detailed Trump’s lies about the 2020 election, his efforts to use […]
Kentucky Senate joins House in urging Beshear to back Texas governor at the border
FRANKFORT — Joining its House colleagues, the Kentucky Senate approved Tuesday its own resolution urging Gov. Andy Beshear to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s immigration crackdown at the Mexican border.? Several Republicans spoke in favor of Resolution 123 before it was adopted by a voice vote. Democrats and GOP Sen. Whitney Westerfield, of Fruit Hill, […]
Pair of billionaires bankrolled super PACs that spent $10 million trying to defeat Beshear
FRANKFORT – Two billionaire mega-donors bankrolled a quartet of super PACs that spent nearly $10 million over five months last year in an effort to elect a Republican governor in Kentucky. Reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission show that Jeff Yass, a billionaire options trader and “school choice” crusader from the Philadelphia […]
Decrying ‘pick-a-side politics,’ Beshear responds to GOP calls for him to support Texas governor’s border stand
FRANKFORT — Responding to Republican calls for him to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s immigration crackdown, Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday praised the 850 Kentucky National Guard members who have served at the southern border, saying they?“answered the call of our country, not the clamor of the latest political outrage.”? Declaring Kentuckians “exhausted with this […]
Kentucky Republicans lining up with Texas governor in border fight with Biden
FRANKFORT — The controversy over control of the U.S. border has invaded the Kentucky Capitol as Attorney General Russell Coleman and other Republicans voice solidarity with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his showdown with the Biden administration.? Coleman joined 25 other Republican attorneys general on Monday in sending a letter to President Joe Biden similar […]