Government
Kentucky lame-duck lawmakers flew to Hawaii on taxpayers’ tab
Seven lame-duck lawmakers were among 26 members of the Kentucky General Assembly who attended a conference last December in Hawaii. The trip cost taxpayers more than $86,000. The conference of the Council of State Governments in Honolulu, which attracted more than 1,000 state legislators from across the country, offered workshops on various governmental issues. It was […]
Beshear vetoes solar decommissioning bill, saying it weakens local control
Renewable energy developers have surged into Kentucky in recent years, seeking to establish large-scale solar installations covering thousands of acres with panels to harvest energy from the sun. It’s what happens to these large-scale projects at the end of their lives decades from now that Republican lawmakers have tried to address with a bill that […]
Beshear vetoes bill subjecting Kentucky’s top education official to Senate confirmation
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a statement from the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 107, Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green. Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed a bill subjecting Kentucky’s top education official to Senate confirmation. Senate Bill 107 would require Senate confirmation of the Kentucky Board of Education’s pick for education commissioner. In […]
Beshear vetoes anti-trans, ‘parents rights’ bill
Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday vetoed a bill that would, among other things, ban gender-affirming care for Kentucky’s transgender minors. The legislation, Senate Bill 150, was passed by the Kentucky legislature in mid-March. Beshear’s veto was not surprising – in 2020 he became the first sitting Kentucky governor to attend an LGBTQ+ fairness rally. […]
Kentucky legislature scraps new Medicaid benefits for dental, vision, hearing care
In October, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear announced the expansion of dental, vision and hearing benefits for 900,000 Kentucky adults on Medicaid. On March 16, the Republican-controlled General Assembly took a final vote to take those benefits away, calling the regulation that created them deficient. Beshear said Thursday that he will find a way to keep […]
TikTok banned from Kentucky government devices and networks
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed legislation Wednesday codifying recent bans on social media website TikTok from state government-owned devices and networks into law. Senate Bill 20 received bipartisan support in the Senate and House this legislative session. While presenting the bill in past debates, primary sponsor Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson, has cited when presenting the […]
Beshear outlaws tianeptine known as ‘gas station heroin’
Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday issued an emergency regulation classifying tianeptine, known as “gas station heroin,” as a Schedule 1 controlled drug. In some countries the drug is prescribed in low doses to treat depression and anxiety. The drug is not approved in the United States and in higher doses produces opioid-like effects and can lead […]
Kentucky governor signs biomarker testing for cancer patients into law
Starting Jan. 1, Kentucky health plans will have to cover biomarker testing, which advocates have said can improve the state’s cancer statistics. The General Assembly passed — and Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday signed into law — House Bill 180, which received bipartisan support during this legislative session. Beshear called the legislation “another step forward […]
Irregularities uncovered in Kentucky State University audit will be referred to prosecutors
An audit that uncovered millions of dollars in undocumented credit card and federal grant expenditures at Kentucky State University from 2018 to 2021 will be referred to prosecutors and other federal agencies, State Auditor Mike Harmon said Wednesday. Interim KSU President Ronald A. Johnson appeared with Harmon at a news conference and said KSU welcomes […]
Beshear signs bill to address shortage of health care workers in Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday signed a bill aimed at addressing Kentucky’s health care workforce shortage. House Bill 200, which received bipartisan support from legislators, will create a health care workforce fund with private-public partnership administered by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). “This broad-reaching initiative helps nurses, nurses aides, mental health counselors, dental hygienist, […]
Transgender teen: Anti-LGBTQ bills mean Kentucky doesn’t want me here
This story discusses suicide and anti-LGBTQ attacks. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. The Trevor Project, which aims to end suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, also has trained counselors available around the clock. Reach them at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/, or […]
Legislature approves ‘random’ venue changes for Kentuckians challenging state laws, decisions
FRANKFORT — Kentuckians challenging the constitutionality of state laws and executive branch decisions could move their lawsuits across the state at random, under a Republican-backed bill approved by the legislature last week. Lawyers representing the state also would be entitled to random changes of venue. The sponsor, Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, called Senate Bill 126 […]