In 2025 — for the first time — a lobbyist was paid more than $1 million to influence the actions of the Kentucky General Assembly. Actually, reports filed with the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission this month show that two lobbyists were paid more than $1 million in 2025 for their work with the state legislature: […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inPolitics
KY bill to let pharmacists get Medicaid reimbursement clears Senate
A Republican proposal to let Kentucky pharmacists get Medicaid reimbursement for routine services like flu tests and medication therapy management breezed through the Senate unanimously on Wednesday. Sponsor Sen. Craig Richardson, R-Hopkinsville, pitched Senate Bill 38 as a way to lower overall health care costs, improve health outcomes and reduce unnecessary visits to emergency rooms throughout the state. “When […]
Posted inPolitics
Public defenders leaving for better pay reaches ‘crisis’ in KY, lawmakers are told
Low pay and limited advancement opportunities are creating a “crisis” of turnover among Kentucky’s public defenders who are leaving for higher pay elsewhere, lawmakers were told Tuesday. Kentucky’s Public Advocate Damon Preston and Deputy Public Advocate Melanie Lowe told a legislative committee the significant turnover risks “constitutional failures” with Kentuckians not receiving adequate representation in […]
Posted inPolitics
‘Planting a seed’ to make roads safer: KY Senate approves ‘phone-down’ law
A mother whose toddler died in a rear-end collision applauded a bill that cleared the Kentucky Senate Tuesday for “planting a seed” for “better behavior on our roads.” The measure would expand the state’s no texting while driving laws as a means to reduce distracted driving. Alyssa Burns, whose daughter Camberleigh died days before her […]
Posted inNews
Allowing local officials to renew KY driver’s licenses breezes through Senate
The Kentucky Senate gave near unanimous approval to allowing officials such as sheriffs and county clerks to renew driver’s licenses in counties without regional offices, sending Senate Bill 7 to the House for consideration. Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, the bill’s sponsor, on Friday told his fellow senators that “the burden has fallen too heavily on the people.” “Our constituents […]
Posted inPolitics
Kentucky GOP pair call for term limits — one federal, one for the statehouse
Two Kentucky Republicans in the GOP-controlled General Assembly are proposing term limits on lawmakers — one at the federal level and one for themselves. Rep. Kim Banta, R-Fort Mitchell, has filed a bill that would put the question to Kentucky voters in the form of a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on state legislators. Meanwhile in the […]
Posted inNews
Return to ‘local control’ of driver’s license renewals is a priority for KY Senate GOP
Local officials such as sheriffs and county clerks could renew driver’s licenses in counties without regional offices under legislation that was filed Tuesday and is a priority in the Kentucky Senate. The bill comes in response to reports of delays in getting appointments at regional offices, extended wait times and long drives to offices for rural Kentuckians. Kentucky has 34 regional offices that […]
Posted inFrankfort
Beshear’s budget aims to relieve affordability pressures
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is asking the GOP-controlled state legislature for $500 million in one-time spending to ease families’ “rising cost pressures.” Beshear’s proposed budget also includes start-up funding for his educational priority of “Pre-K for All” and fully covering hundreds of millions of dollars in increased Medicaid costs. That’s according to a 12-page summary shared […]
Posted inNews
Another income tax cut uncertain amid ‘difficult’ state budget process
In three of the last four years, Kentucky Republicans have kicked off the legislative session by cutting the state’s individual income tax rate, aiming to eventually eliminate the tax altogether. This year, amid economic headwinds, another tax cut remains uncertain. “There will be a revenue measure filed and passed at some point during this session. […]
Posted inPolitics
This Kentucky General Assembly is going to be very different for the public
Things looked different for lawmakers and the public when the Kentucky General Assembly began its 2026 session on Tuesday. Because the Capitol is closed and vacated for a $300 million multi-year renovation, the House and Senate will meet in a temporary building that was constructed next to the Capitol Annex. Other state offices, including the governor’s […]
