A Republican and a Democrat are behind bills in the Kentucky House that would give the state’s two major political parties a chance to open their primaries to the fastest-growing group of Kentucky voters — independents. While any such change won’t come in time for this year’s May 19 primary when voters will nominate candidates […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inPolitics
Ky. House OKs plan to spend $801 million but doesn’t specify what for
Seven pieces of legislation — including a vague one-page plan for spending $801 million and the state’s road projects plan — were approved Tuesday by the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee and passed by the House within a few hours. With a Republican supermajority, GOP lawmakers easily had the votes to move the bills out […]
Posted inNews
KY bill to attract foreign doctors advances amid ‘fever pitch’ anti-immigrant rhetoric
Pushing through what the Republican sponsor called a “xenophobic virus,” a bill to allow foreign-born doctors to more easily practice in Kentucky passed the Senate on Thursday. Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, said on the Senate floor that he initially “wasn’t really anxious about running this bill because of all the current rhetoric about immigration” that […]
Posted inPolitics
Beshear criticizes constitutional amendments backed by top GOP lawmakers
Kentucky’s top Republican lawmakers — Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne — have filed bills for two constitutional amendments that Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear isn’t a fan of. Senate Bill 262 from Stivers, of Manchester, proposes amending the Kentucky Constitution to allow summaries of proposed amendments to appear on voters’ ballots instead of the […]
Posted inElections
Sweeping elections bill draws bipartisan opposition but clears Kentucky House
An omnibus elections bill that, among other changes, would allow Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul to run for reelection and president at the same time, cleared the House in an unusually narrow vote Thursday. Forty lawmakers from both parties voted against House Bill 534, splitting the usually unified GOP caucus. But 53 GOP lawmakers approved the […]
Posted inPolitics
Senate president asks lawmakers to fund research collaborations by KY universities
Republican Senate President Robert Stivers wants the General Assembly to put $150 million into research consortiums to encourage Kentucky’s public universities to work together to benefit the state. Senate Bill 6 is a follow up to 2024 legislation Stivers successfully carried that sets up a research consortium endowment for Kentucky universities to encourage collaboration on projects. SB 6 […]
Posted inNews
Pitch to pay KY child care providers, certain parents for school readiness on the move
Eligible parents and child care providers who successfully prepare children for kindergarten would get a $2,000 reward under legislation that passed the Kentucky Senate on Wednesday. Senate Bill 191 proposes a three-year pilot program, which would be administered by the University of Kentucky College of Education, to give child care financial assistance to child care centers, […]
Posted inPolitics
Proposed makeover of utility regulator met with warnings consumers would lose their voice
A GOP-sponsored bill would remake Kentucky’s utility regulator by expanding its board from three to five members and giving the Republican state auditor two of the appointments. The governor would continue to appoint the other three members of the Public Service Commission (PSC). Senate Bill 8 also could make it harder for independent groups to […]
Posted inPolitics
Kentucky House passes bill to ban machine gun conversion devices
The GOP-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives passed a bill Monday afternoon to ban devices that can convert semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons, though a significant number of Republicans opposed the measure. House Bill 299, sponsored by House Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Lousville, would allow local law enforcement to enforce at the state level an existing federal […]
Posted inNews
Hopes pinned on Senate to kill proposed ‘barrier’ to free college for older Kentuckians
A provision that opponents say would discourage older Kentuckians from taking free college classes was approved by the Republican-controlled House Wednesday — even as 17 Republicans joined 19 Democrats in voting no. House Bill 497 would require Kentuckians who are 65 and older to file the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) to continue […]
