Kentucky's 2016 election season is set
01/27/2016 12:52 AM
Filing day has officially drawn to a close with 220 candidates seeking election to the state House, 35 to the state Senate, 10 seeking election to the U.S. Senate , and 20 candidates seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives. The surprise of the day came from the withdrawal of candidacy from Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, and the long waited for moment with the addition of a top tier Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Lexington Mayor... Read more 
Gov. Bevin lays out his first budget proposal, protecting some areas while asking for 9 percent cuts in others
01/26/2016 07:06 PM
FRANKFORT — Paying down Kentucky’s pension liabilities provided “the heartbeat of this entire budget,” Gov. Matt Bevin said in his budget address Tuesday. While the state’s underfunded pension systems for state workers and teachers see considerable funding increases under Bevin’s proposed budget, other agencies face 4.5 percent cuts in the current fiscal year and a 9 percent reduction in fiscal years 2017 and 2018. But Bevin followed through on his promise to present an austere two-year spending plan, pumping an additional $220... Read more
Filing Update: Ron Leach joins six-way Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
01/26/2016 03:16 PM
Just minutes before Lexington Mayor Jim Gray created a whirlwind of media interest in the Secretary of State’s Office former Green Beret Medic Ron Leach filed his paperwork to enter the U.S. Senate race. Leach is a familiar candidate, he last ran in 2014 against U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, a race he lost by 36 percentage points. The former military man is back and hoping to face Kentucky’s junior U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in the General Election.... Read more
Bill instituting appeals for denied MCO claims pass Senate committee
01/26/2016 01:23 PM
FRANKFORT – Medical providers whose claims have been denied by managed care organizations will have an opportunity to appeal those decisions under legislation which was unanimously passed by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Revenue on Tuesday. Senate Bill 20, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, R-Winchester, would create an independent appeals process within the Cabinet for Human Services, where medical providers of Medicaid services, whose bill for services is denied by an MCO, can go to for $100 fee to appeal... Read more
Filing day update: Rep. Combs withdraws re-election bid
01/26/2016 12:47 PM
As she enters her 10th year in the state House Rep. Leslie Comb, D-Pikeville, has decide to not seek another two year term. In a long posting on her Facebook page Combs said that the choice to not seek re-election was a tough one. “The decade I have spent working for the people of the 94th State House District has been one of the most professionally rewarding periods of my life, and I will always look back with pride... Read more
Democrat Jim Gray officially enters race against U.S. Sen. Rand Paul
01/26/2016 11:42 AM
FRANKFORT — Democratic Lexington Mayor Jim Gray has filed to challenge U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in the fall, becoming Kentucky’s first openly gay candidate for statewide office on Tuesday. Gray, whose family earned its wealth in the construction industry, has served as Lexington’s mayor since 2010, but he harkened back to his family’s roots in the south-central town of Glasgow. “Regrettably and unfortunately that reality’s not what it used to be for a lot of Kentuckians,” Gray, surrounded by his family outside... Read more
The Louisville chapter of the NAACP plans to expand efforts to enroll African-Americans in health care coverage before the Jan. 31 deadline. During a news conference Tuesday, local NAACP President Raoul Cunningham said the Affordable Care Act has been beneficial to African-Americans in the state. “It is a very important aspect for people of color and minorities, the poor, and poor whites who have not had the benefit of health insurance,” he said. “It’s quite important that they have access.” State government doesn’t have reliable figures on enrollment of minorities through the exchange, but nearly 19 percent of African-Americans in Kentucky were uninsured before the first [...]
Wed, Jan 27, 2016 1:55:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Budget Cuts Would Further Hurt Kentucky’s Struggling Environment Programs, Advocates Say
from Erica Peterson
from Erica Peterson
Kentucky environmental advocates are worried that budget reductions called for by Gov. Matt Bevin will make it impossible for the Energy and Environment Cabinet to perform its basic functions. In his first budget proposal since taking office last month, Bevin on Tuesday called for across-the-board 9 percent budget reductions to most state agencies. From 2012-2016, the cabinet has already seen its budget reduced by nearly 16 percent, and has implemented those cuts in various departments. The cabinet’s responsibilities include implementing and enforcing federal laws such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, plus mine safety, surface mine permitting and reclamation, forestry, oil and [...]
Wed, Jan 27, 2016 12:55:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
A former high-ranking state official whose agency awarded at least $1.3 million worth of contracts to a New Jersey-based consulting firm during her time in office joined that firm Monday as a vice president. Beth Brinly left her $128,000-a-year position as deputy secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet in December after the Bevin administration chose not to retain her. On Jan. 11, Maher & Maher of Neptune, N.J., announced that she would be joining the firm as vice president of workforce innovation. The two go back to at least 2010. At the time, Brinly ran the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board [...]
Wed, Jan 27, 2016 12:04:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. See the link below for more info.
ReplyDelete#seek
www.ufgop.org