Hardin County's right-to-work ordinance invalidated in federal court ruling
02/03/2016 10:48 PM
A federal judge struck down Hardin County’s right-to-work ordinance in an order Wednesday, ruling that states, not counties, can exempt themselves from portions of the National Labor Relations Act. U.S. District Judge David Hale dismissed each of the county’s arguments for its ordinance, which passed Hardin County Fiscal Court Jan. 13 and barred unions from collecting fees from non-members. “The NLRA preempts the right-to-work, hiring-hall, and dues-checkoff provisions of Hardin County Ordinance 300,” Hale wrote in his order. “Section 14(b) is the... Read more 
Bill enacting harsher penalties for synthetic drug crimes clears judiciary panel
02/03/2016 07:12 PM
FRANKFORT — Trafficking in synthetic drugs like flakka would be guilty of a class D felony under legislation that unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. House Bill 4, sponsored by House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, would increase penalties against the possession and sale of designer drugs. Possession of synthetic drugs would increase from a class B misdemeanor to a class A misdemeanor on the first offense and a class D felony for subsequent violations under HB 4. Those... Read more
Lawmakers on House budget review panel want info on CHFS cuts, talk loss of kynect
02/03/2016 05:30 PM
FRANKFORT — Members of a House budget subcommittee continued to press officials in Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration for details on proposed cuts totaling 4.5 percent in the current fiscal year and 9 percent in the upcoming biennium during a meeting Wednesday. Vickie Yates Brown Glisson, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, presented her cabinet’s two-year spending plan to the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Services. The CHFS budget includes proposals to raise wages for social workers, assist community... Read more
Services announced for former senator and civil rights leader Georgia Powers
02/03/2016 02:53 PM
Funeral and memorial arrangements for Georgia Powers, a civil rights leader and the first African American and female member of the Kentucky state Senate have been set. Powers will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort on Thursday, February 4 from 1:30 – 4:00 pm, with a memorial service scheduled at 2:00 pm. The service on Thursday will be followed by a funeral service and interment in Louisville on Friday, February 5, according to a press release from... Read more
Gov. Bevin names former LG&E VP deputy secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
02/03/2016 02:29 PM
Governor Matt Bevin has tapped Greg Thomas as the Deputy Secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Thomas, who lives in Louisville, previously worked for LG&E and KU Energy for more than 25 years, according to a press release. “I am thrilled to have Greg Thomas joining the Transportation Cabinet as Deputy Secretary,” Bevin said in a release sent Tuesday evening. “His extensive private sector experience in providing statewide services and managing large budgets will be extremely beneficial for the Transportation Cabinet.” Secretary... Read more
Marriage license bill once again delayed in Senate committee
02/03/2016 01:54 PM
FRANKFORT – For the second time, Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Sen. Steve West, R-Paris, was not heard by the Senate State and Local Government committee on Wednesday. The legislation came about after several county clerks’ objection to signing marriage licenses for same-sex couples in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Shortly after taking office, Gov. Matt Bevin issued an executive order removing the requirement of clerks’ signatures, and the legislation would essentially codify that order. Committee... Read more
A new national survey shows Kentucky and Arkansas lead the nation in the largest drops of the number of people without health insurance. The Gallup-Healthways survey shows more than 20 percent of Kentuckians did not have health insurance in 2013. Last year, just 7.5 percent of the state’s population did not have insurance. Arkansas had a similar drop. The survey shows states that expanded Medicaid and operated a state exchange outperformed other states in the percentage of people who have insurance. [...]
Thu, Feb 04, 2016 3:19:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
A push from Louisville’s Metro Council last year to get more funding for road repair helped fuel the city’s largest repaving effort in recent years. As budget discussions wound down in June 2015, council members decided to delay some bond payments to funnel an additional $5 million for road resurfacing efforts, bringing the total allocation for road repair to more than $13 million. At the time, Councilman Kelly Downard, a Republican from District 16 and vice chairman of the budget committee, said the move would “yield one of the most significant investments in paving and road improvements that this community has seen.” Downard’s statement was [...]
Thu, Feb 04, 2016 2:10:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Labor leaders at Brown-Forman have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing the spirits maker of unfair labor practices. Teamsters Local 89 President Fred Zuckerman told The Courier-Journal workers rejected two proposals before the contract ended Feb. 1, and negotiations this week ended in a stalemate. The union and Brown-Forman agreed to a 30-day extension. But at negotiations Wednesday, Zuckerman said Brown-Forman decided to move forward with its first contract proposal, despite the union’s concerns. Phil Lynch, a spokesman for Brown-Forman, said negotiations will continue. The local union represents about 200 employees who work between two Brown-Forman facilities in Jefferson County. Zuckerman said wages, benefits and [...]
Thu, Feb 04, 2016 1:44:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
