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 […]
Category: Frankfort
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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. […]
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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 […]
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Kentucky child care reform bill on the move in legislature
Comprehensive legislation aimed at reforming Kentucky’s child care industry passed the House Tuesday 84-11 with one abstention. House Bill 6 would codify free child care for child care providers, base child care assistance subsidies on the community-level cost of child care rather than the market rate, launch data collection on the industry, require training for providers caring for […]
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KY House passes education bills. School officials support one. A union opposes the other.
The Kentucky House passed a pair of Republican education bills Tuesday that would impose a new accountability and assessment system for public school students and allow state colleges and universities to fire faculty for financial reasons. One has the backing of the Kentucky Department of Education, while the other is opposed by university union workers. […]
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Fort Wright opposes state control of short-term rental regulations
Fort Wright joined several other NKY cities last week opposing a bill that would move regulation of short-term rentals to the state level. Cities across Northern Kentucky have been enacting local regulations over the last few years, and Fort Wright isn’t the first city to express opposition Senate Bill 112. In Fort Wright, city council […]
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Advancing bill would criminalize ‘harassing’ law enforcement, ICE agents and medics
A GOP-sponsored bill approved by a legislative committee Thursday morning would criminalize harassing or impeding a “first responder,” including local law enforcement, medics and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. A Democrat who voted against the bill said he worries it could punish people who are exercising their constitutional right to film officers. Sen. Matt Nunn, […]
