Senate passes felon voting rights legislation
03/21/2016 10:37 PM
FRANKFORT – A bill which would create a constitutional amendment which would give a future General Assembly the power to come up with guidelines for restoring felon voting rights has unanimously passed the state Senate. Senate Bill 299, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, proposes a voter referendum, which, if passed, would give the General Assembly the authority to establish parameters to restore the voting rights to some non-violent convicted felons who have served their sentences. “We need to have that... Read more 
Chief Justice Minton warns Senate panel of catastrophic results for judicial branch if proposed funding plan moves forward
03/21/2016 04:19 PM
FRANKFORT – Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton says that unless the Judicial Branch is exempted from budget reductions passed by the House, court operations would be crippled and the system will “no longer continue to operate as we know it.” Minton told members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Revenue on Monday that the projected shortfall, even before the governors’ net reductions, was $52 million over the next biennium. And with the governor’s proposed net reductions, the... Read more
Bevin names Jeffersontown Police Chief as Ky. State Police Commissioner
03/21/2016 11:45 AM
Gov. Matt Bevin has named Jeffersontown Police Chief Rick Sanders as the new Commissioner for Kentucky State Police. The appointment replaces former KSP Commissioner Rodney Brewer who served under former Gov. Steve Beshear. Sanders began his law enforcement career in 1971 with the Jefferson County Police Department in Louisville, Kentucky where he served in the patrol, homicide, narcotics, and the aviation sections, according to a bio posted on Jeffersontown Police website. In 1983, Sanders joined the Drug Enforcement Administration as a... Read more
Constitutional amendment to require judicial redistricting 'totally unnecessary,' Chief Justice Minton says
03/20/2016 10:13 AM
FRANKFORT — For year’s some in the legislature have sought to force the judicial branch to redistrict, but this time around Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. says opening up the state’s Constitution is the wrong way to mandate the change. Every 10 years the House and Senate redraw legislative districts to mirror population shifts and ensure every person has a vote. This year an amendment to Kentucky’s Constitution is seeking to ensure that judicial districts also more... Read more
Democratic Louisville philanthropist Christy Brown to co-host March 30 fundraiser for Sellus Wilder in U.S. Senate primary
03/19/2016 09:09 PM
Louisville philanthropist and Democratic fundraiser Christy Brown will co-host an event for U.S. Senate candidate Sellus Wilder at her home March 30. Wilder, a farmer and former Frankfort city commissioner, is vying for the Democratic nod in a seven-man field that includes Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, who picked up an endorsement from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Friday. Brown will hold the fundraiser at her home alongside Mary Berry, daughter of Kentucky conservation author Wendell Berry. The event, open to... Read more
Coverage of elemental formulas for severe digestive disorders passes House 94-0, heads for enrollment
03/19/2016 04:26 PM
FRANKFORT — Legislation that would mandate coverage of amino-acid-based formulas for eosinophilic and other digestive disorders is a step closer to Gov. Matt Bevin’s desk after passing the House of Representatives on a 94-0 vote Friday. Senate Bill 193, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, is named “Noah’s Law” after 9-year-old Noah Greenhill, of Pike County, who suffers from eosinophilic esophagitis. His condition requires him to eat an amino-acid formula through a feeding tube four times a day because of severe... Read more
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray endorsed by DSCC in Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
03/19/2016 08:14 AM
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is throwing their support and likely their dollars behind businessman and Lexington Mayor Jim Gray in the May 17 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., the Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Gray’s experience in the private sector and as mayor led to the public backing on Friday. “Jim has proven he knows how to work with Democrats and Republicans alike to find common sense solutions to problems facing middle... Read more
Senate President pulls right-to-work and medical review panels legislation from consideration
03/18/2016 02:13 PM
FRANKFORT – Senate President Robert Stivers has pulled two of the Senate’s top 10 bills after recognizing the lack of will in the House to move the legislation forward. In a floor speech Friday, Stivers said he was fill legislation for his right-to-work legislation and Sen. Ralph Alvarado’s legislation setting up medical review panels. Stivers, R-Manchester, said he sent both bills back to committee adding that they will not be brought before the full Senate floor for a vote, because... Read more
Sen. Paul calls on Clinton to apologize for coal comments
03/18/2016 10:07 AM
UPDATED: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, is seeking an apology from Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton for comments she made at a recent town hall saying she would put coal companies out of business. During a CNN town hall on Sunday, Clinton said she wanted to use clean renewable energy as the key to economic prosperity in coal country. The statement that’s got Clinton in hot water is her prediction for decimation of the coal industry. “We’re gonna put a lot... Read more
Bills on kynect, Medicaid expansion sent to House floor after party-line votes in House Health and Welfare Committee
03/17/2016 11:50 PM
UPDATED FRANKFORT — A partisan battle over the pieces of the Affordable Care Act implemented by Gov. Steve Beshear is brewing in Kentucky’s General Assembly, with a pair of bills heading to a floor debate in the House. The House Health and Welfare Committee passed bills along party-line votes that would codify the state’s health-benefit exchange, kynect, and expansion of Medicaid eligibility to the fullest extent under federal law, or 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Beshear enacted both optional... Read more
Chief Justice John Minton asks Senate for help with judical branch funding, thanks 48 members of the House who voted against budget
03/17/2016 11:15 PM
FRANKFORT — Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. has watched resources dwindle for the court systems in recent budget sessions, but this time around he’s predicting very grim outcomes if the trend continues. HB 306, the judicial branch’s biennial budget bill, would create a $76.9 million shortfall over the next two fiscal years on top of 49 percent overall budget reductions the court system has endured since 2008, Minton warned House members a day before they voted... Read more
Work Ready Kentucky scholarship bill heads to Senate on 86-11 House vote
03/17/2016 09:25 PM
FRANKFORT — The House of Representatives has passed legislation on Thursday that would cover community and technical college tuition for most Kentuckians entering such programs straight from high school. House Bill 626, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, passed on an 86-11 vote. Majority Democrats included $33 million for Work Ready Kentucky scholarships in its version of the budget, which passed on a 53-0 vote Wednesday with Republicans declining to vote on House Bill 303. HB 626 would create the Work Ready Kentucky... Read more
Obama nominates Kentucky Supreme Court Justice to serve on 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
03/17/2016 08:28 PM
President Obama has nominated state Supreme Court Justice Lisabeth Tabor Hughes to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Hughes, of Louisville, has served on the Kentucky Supreme Court since 2007, after being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the late Justice William E. McAnulty, Jr. She won election in Nov. 2008 as the justice form the 4th Supreme Court Dist. in Jefferson County. She was re-elected in Nov. 2014. “Justice... Read more
P3 legislation clears Senate panel
03/17/2016 07:18 PM
FRANKFORT – A House bill which opens the door for public-private partnerships to be used to finance various public construction projects was passed by the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism and Labor on Thursday. House Bill 309, sponsored by Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, would offer an alternative method of procurement, construction, and financing of capital projects and services by state government including transportation, as well as state parks. Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, who worked with Combs to fine tune the bill,... Read more
Amended felony expungement bill clears Senate committee
03/17/2016 03:07 PM
FRANKFORT – The Senate Committee on Judiciary passed a felony expungement bill which would allow individuals convicted of some class D non-violent felony offenses to have their criminal record expunged after a waiting period. House Bill 40, sponsored by Rep. Darryl Owens, D-Louisville, had most of its original language removed and replaced with language from Senate Bill 298, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers. HB 40 called for persons who have committed many of the 350 Class D felonies to... Read more
Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear announced on Tuesday that he is filing suit against Volkswagen — and its associated brands, Audi and Porsche — over the company’s false claims about emissions on its diesel cars. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties under the Consumer Protection Act and could provide an option for restitution for Kentucky owners of the vehicles. The German car manufacturer has acknowledged installing so-called “defeat devices” on its TDI diesel engine models. The software detected when an emissions test was in progress and reduced a car’s output of pollutants. The carmaker marketed the models as “clean diesel,” but federal officials have said they were [...]
Tue, Mar 22, 2016 2:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
John Sculley is best known as the guy who forced Steve Jobs out of Apple. For someone who’s dedicated his career to disruption, that’s a pretty good one. As CEO of Pepsi-Cola and later the technology company that would go on to upend the personal computing world, Sculley eventually earned a reputation as a savvy, forward-thinking chief executive. He was an early proponent of the Internet’s global capability and, after leaving Apple in 1993, invested in or advised a host of technology companies. Now, Sculley has his hand in the emerging health-tech market, and he’s looking again to disrupt. He’s involved with RxAdvance, MDLive and SleepMed — [...]
Tue, Mar 22, 2016 1:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Diane Rehm is a familiar voice to WFPL listeners, as the host of her daily show covering current events, arts and culture, and more. Her new book, “On My Own,” is about the loss of her husband, John, and her activism for end-of-life choice. She’ll be in Louisville on Wednesday at the Kentucky Author Forum, where novelist Ann Patchett will interview her. I spoke with Rehm about the book and how her life has changed since John’s death. Listen to the interview in the audio player above. On confronting John’s death: “I began writing [the book] on the night that John was dying. It was the 10th day after he [...]
Tue, Mar 22, 2016 12:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
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