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 […]
Category: Frankfort
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 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 inPolitics
Bills to curb violence against KY teachers, pay them for unused sick leave advance
Two education bills from Scott County Republican Sen. Matt Nunn passed out of a Senate committee Thursday. One aims to address student violence against Kentucky teachers, while the other creates an optional cash-out sick leave policy for school districts. Neither received opposition in the Senate Education Committee and are now headed to the Senate floor […]
Posted inPolitics
KY Supreme Court unanimously strikes down Republican lawmakers’ 2022 charter school law
Kentucky Supreme Court justices all agreed that the Republican-controlled legislature’s 2022 law allowing charter schools is unconstitutional. In a Thursday opinion written by Justice Michelle Keller, the seven justices ruled that the law did not meet the requirement in the Kentucky Constitution for lawmakers to “provide for an efficient system of common schools” across the state. “With due respect […]
Posted inPolitics
Limits on artificial intelligence in mental health therapy win OK from legislative panel
This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call or text the suicide prevention lifeline at 988. Proposed legislation that cleared a legislative committee Wednesday would limit how Kentucky mental health practitioners use artificial intelligence. Rep. Kim Banta, R-Fort Mitchell, said she wants Kentucky to have a law in place […]
Posted inPolitics
KY Senate committee backs bill to restore voting rights to some with felony convictions
A bipartisan bill that would pave the way for Kentucky to restore voting rights to some people who have served sentences for felony convictions passed out of a Senate committee Wednesday morning. Kentucky voters would have the final say at the ballot box in November if the General Assembly approves Senate Bill 80, sponsored by Sens. […]
Posted inPolitics
First bill to hit governor’s desk seeks to dilute power bill pain from gas price spike
The first bill to reach Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk in this legislative session is aimed at giving Kentuckians more time to pay utility bills expected to rise because of a spike in natural gas prices during the recent extreme cold. Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, told lawmakers this week he filed Senate Bill 172 after hearing from […]