Public-private partnership legislation passes House; veto threat over tolling amendment avoided
02/25/2015 08:21 PM
FRANKFORT — Legislation that would allow the state to pursue agreements with private industry in capital projects cleared the House 84-13 Wednesday, and lawmakers resoundingly defeated a floor amendment that doomed a similar bill last year. House Bill 443 — the public-private partnership, or P3, bill sponsored by Rep. Leslie Combs — now heads to the Senate, which joined the House in sending last year’s public-private partnership bill to Gov. Steve Beshear’s desk. But Beshear vetoed that legislation, pointing to an... Read more 
Beshear says he wants needle exchange in heroin bill; will ask House and Senate leaders to discuss KTRS bonding
02/25/2015 06:54 PM
As lawmakers head toward a likely conference committee to negotiate an agreement on anti-heroin legislation, Gov. Steve Beshear says a provision to allow local needle-exchange programs should be part of a final bill. Speaking to reporters outside his Capitol office just hours after the Senate Judiciary Committee heard discussion on the House version of the heroin legislation, Beshear said he was in favor of the House version of the bill but applauded both the House and Senate for their work... Read more
Bill to inform parents of options for children diagnosed with Spina Bifida passes Senate committee
02/25/2015 04:16 PM
FRANKFORT – A bill which requires that parents be given up-to-date and accurate information when their unborn child is diagnosed with Spina Bifida was unanimously passed by the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare on Wednesday. Senate Bill 159, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, would require medical providers to supply written, information so parents can make an informed decision on treatment. Colleen Payne, of the Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky, says when parents currently get such a diagnosis, there is... Read more
Talks on heroin abuse legislation take limelight in Senate Judiciary Committee, but no vote taken
02/25/2015 12:45 PM
FRANKFORT — Lawmakers began their public review of anti-heroin legislation ahead of a likely conference committee as the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony, but took no vote, on House Bill 213 Wednesday. Sen. Whitney Westerfield, chairman of the judiciary panel, said he met with bill sponsors from the House and Senate as well as stakeholders in courtrooms, jails and police stations throughout the state in order to reach some consensus on a final package. The Hopkinsville Republican said he’s preparing... Read more
Comer releases first campaign ad of 2015 highlighting achievements as ag commissioner
02/25/2015 09:29 AM
In his first ad of the Republican primary race for governor, James Comer is highlighting his credentials as a conservative with a record of reducing government spending and improving the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. In the advertisement, which began airing Wednesday, Comer refers to himself as a “blue-collar guy” with a history of improving efficiency in government. “The average Kentuckian is having to do more with less,” Comer says in the ad. “We’re going to have to have the same mentality,... Read more
Over the past several years, heroin abuse in Kentucky and elsewhere has soared, devastating families and straining police, jails, hospitals and treatment centers. In this WFPL News special that aired Wednesday, we talked about the heroin surge and the response to what many call a public health epidemic. Guests included: Healing Place client Jay Moffet Kenneth Wright, substance abuse program coordinator for Louisville Metro Corrections WFPL Capitol bureau chief Ryland Barton Karyn Hascal, president of the Healing Place WFPL’s Rick Howlett hosted. Listen below: Related stories: Louisville’s Heroin Treatment Centers Feel Strain of Surging Addiction Rates Kentucky Lawmakers Argue Over the Specifics of Heroin Legislation Two Louisvillians Share Stories of [...]
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 1:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
For the first time in about a century, no union coal miners are working in Kentucky. The state’s few remaining union miners were laid off New Year’s Eve when Patriot Coal’s Highland Mine in Western Kentucky shut down, the United Mine Workers of America confirmed. “Appalachia was always a really tough nut for the union to crack, and I think maybe Kentucky was the toughest nut of all,” said labor historian James Green, author of a new book about West Virginia’s mine wars. Related StoryHollowed Mountains, Now Hollowed Towns: Coal in Eastern KentuckyIn retrospect, the fight to unionize Harlan County’s Brookside mine in [...]
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 11:57:00 AM, Continue reading at the source
The Kentucky House on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow the state to engage in public-private partnerships. Notably, the bill passed 84-13 without an amendment that would have forbid using a “P3″ to finance a toll bridge connecting Kentucky with Ohio. A similarly amended bill was vetoed by Gov. Steve Beshear last year. A “P3” is a financing model that allows the state to contract with private companies on major projects. Typically a private company would front much of the money for the construction phase of a project and then would be able to recoup expenses through users fees or tolls. Rep. Leslie [...]
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 2:38:00 AM, Continue reading at the source
Kentucky House approves public-private partnership bill
from jbrammer@herald-leader.com (Jack Brammer)
from jbrammer@herald-leader.com (Jack Brammer)
FRANKFORT —The House overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday night to allow state government to partner with private sources on building projects after turning down a request to ban tolls for…Click to Continue » [...]
Thu, Feb 26, 2015 1:48:00 AM, Continue reading at the source
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