Kentucky lawmakers are considering more legislation to keep tobacco products, like vapes, away from minors in 2025. Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, testified on the topic before the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations on Tuesday. He’s drafting a bill to implement more regulations on tobacco retailers. “Under this proposed legislation, we would […]
Author Archives: Legislative Research Commission
Posted inFrankfort
Cities, counties share 2025 priorities with lawmakers
Tax revenue, road maintenance and county jail funding were among the main topics the Kentucky League of Cities and the Kentucky Association of Counties discussed with lawmakers, including Ryland Heights’ Chris McDaniel, on Tuesday. Both groups presented their 2025 legislative priorities to the Interim Joint Committee on Local Government. KLC Executive Director and CEO J.D. […]
Posted inFrankfort
Committee receives overview of AI positives, negatives
Advocates for the commonwealth’s use of artificial intelligence offered legislators an overview of new technology – some of it already in use – during a meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Tourism, Small Business, and Information Technology. Ben Kaner and Alicia Schollaert of Gartner, an international consulting firm, testified to the legislators Monday about […]
Posted inFrankfort
Highway work zone safety on Transportation committee’s radar
In 2022, more than a thousand crashes occurred in highway work zones in Kentucky, with five resulting in a fatality. Officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet shared those statistics with the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation on Tuesday. Several lawmakers on the committee said they hope to fix Kentucky’s highway work zone safety problems in […]
Posted inFrankfort
Legislative committee discusses future of child care funding
It is no secret Kentucky’s childcare industry struggled during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding came to the rescue, but a major portion of those funds will run out in September. The Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children met Tuesday to discuss the state’s future of childcare […]
Posted inFrankfort
How invasive carp are affecting Kentucky’s wildlife
Fish such as bass and bluegill are welcome in Kentucky’s waters, but invasive carp have devastated the state’s economy, state lawmakers heard last week. The Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture received updates from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources on efforts to manage invasive carp in the commonwealth’s waterways. “They can out-compete native […]
Posted inFrankfort
Kentucky lawmakers discuss automating criminal record expungement process
Written by the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission State law allows Kentuckians with low-level, non-violent convictions to have their criminal record expunged after meeting a few requirements, but it isn’t a simple process. Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser (R-Taylor Mill) and other stakeholders spoke before the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary on Thursday on how to make […]
Posted inFrankfort
Lawmakers seek solutions to veteran suicide
Written by the Legislative Research Commission Efforts to address suicide prevention among Kentucky’s veterans led the agenda at the June meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection last week. Members heard from organizations advocating for resources to prevent veteran suicide across the Commonwealth. “We owe these men and women […]
Posted inFrankfort
Legislators receive overview on juvenile justice disparities
Written by the Legislative Research Commission During Tuesday’s joint meeting of the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity and the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council, legislators and others received an overview on disparities within Kentucky’s juvenile justice system. Cortney Downs and Shannon Moody of Louisville-based Kentucky Youth Advocates presented statistics from the Kentucky Administrative Office […]
Posted inFrankfort
Subcommittee members receive an update on state police retention, recruitment
Members of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary heard a positive update from the head of Kentucky State Police on Wednesday regarding the impact of raises on the agency’s recruitment and retention efforts. KSP Commissioner Phillip “P.J.” Burnett Jr. said morale is good among the troopers, and the push to improve matters continues. […]