No budget deal reached as lawmakers prepare to resume negotiations Thursday
03/30/2016 08:49 PM
FRANKFORT — Lawmakers left the Capitol without a budget agreement again on Wednesday with talks scheduled to resume 9 a.m. Thursday. The 19-member budget negotiating committee met in private inside a Capitol Annex conference room for more than three hours Wednesday morning before resuming negotiations elsewhere in the Annex for more than five hours more. None of the meeting was opened to the public. Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Chris McDaniel, R-Taylor Mill, told reporters that legislators on the budget conference committee... Read more 
Rep. Kerr says one thing that hasn't changed over three decades in office is the battles between the House and Senate
03/30/2016 07:01 PM
COVINGTON – As the 2016 legislative session winds down, it marks the end of a career for 64th District State Rep. Tom Kerr, R-Taylor Mill, who has chosen not to seek re-election after serving 16 terms in the House. The 65-year-old Kerr, a Covington Attorney, who was first elected to the House in 1984, and has served for 32 years in the chamber, felt that it was time to finally step aside. Kerr has endorsed Kim Moser, the director of the... Read more
President Obama commutes prison sentences for three Kentuckians
03/30/2016 02:32 PM
President Barack Obama is cutting short prison time for three Kentuckians who are serving time for drug offenses, the White House announced on Wednesday. In total Obama commuted the sentences of 61 people on Wednesday, bringing the total number of people receiving reduced prison time during his administration to 248 people, more than the six previous presidents combined. In a letter sent to the 61 people receiving clemency on Wednesday, Obama said the measure represents the belief in second chances.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump changed his position on abortion twice in the span of three hours. In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Trump advocated for a society in which women would have to seek abortions through illegal avenues. “Well, you know, you will go back to a position like they had where people will perhaps go to illegal places [to get an abortion],” he said, adding, “But you have to ban it.” When pressed by Matthews about consequences for the women seeking abortion under those circumstances, Trump advocated punishment. MATTHEWS: Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no, as a principle? TRUMP: [...]
Thu, Mar 31, 2016 3:01:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Under heavy lobbying by the pharmaceuticals industry, the Kentucky General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow pharmacists to switch patients to cheaper variations of expensive biologic drugs. Biologics, so-called because they are derived from human tissue, account for about 27 percent of new federal drug approvals and are used to treat a wide range of conditions, including arthritis, cancer and psoriasis. Kentucky, like dozens of other states, is amending its law for the day that less expensive substitutes hit the market. Pharmaceutical companies and groups took extraordinary steps to ensure the bill’s passage. They hired a record number of lobbyists [...]
Thu, Mar 31, 2016 12:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
A new workgroup will begin meeting next week to assess Kentucky’s handling of lead in its drinking water systems and develop recommendations for best practices. To be clear, they’re not responding to an existing problem. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet formed the workgroup in response to the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan. After that city switched its drinking water source, thousands of children began showing signs of lead poisoning. The new water source was corrosive and wasn’t being treated with anti-corrosion chemicals. Because of the unbalanced chemistry, when the water ran through the pipes, heavy metals leached into it. Lead is extremely dangerous for [...]
Thu, Mar 31, 2016 10:00:00 AM, Continue reading at the source
