Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Day Thirty Three of KY's 2014 Session In Review

The Senate passed three Senate bills on Monday, SB 2, SB 4 and SB 6. SB 2 deals with transportation of household goods, while SB 4 deals with residential care workers and SB 6 with mental health records. The House concurred and passed HB181, a bill dealing with eggs and it is now on its way to the Governor.
There was rumors that today’s schedule would be altered due to former President Clinton’s visit and campaign stop on behalf of Alison Lundergran Grimes today in Louisville, but the schedule appears to be running on normal times and is packed with activity today.


LEGISLATIVE TRACKERS BY INTEREST

Click on the links below

    LINKS TO SOME OF TODAY's HEADLINES:

     

    UPCOMING MEETINGS:

    Tuesday, February 25, 2014
    8:00am, Annex Room 129
    HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
    Agenda: Consideration of HB 121, HB 383, HB 424 and HCR 11
    9:00am, Annex Room 171
    HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS, CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS, AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
    Agenda: Consideration of HB 158
    9:00am, Annex Room 154
    HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
    Agenda: Consideration of HB 33, HB 90, HB 255, HB 260 and HB 295
    9:00am, Annex Room 149
    SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND REVENUE
    Agenda: Overview of Judicial Budget, Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr.
    10:00am, Annex Room 169
    SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON LICENSING, OCCUPATIONS, AND ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS
    Agenda: Consideration of: SB 19, SB 83 and SB 128
    Noon, Annex Room 129
    SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND INSURANCE
    Agenda: Consideration of SB 118
    2:00pm, House Chambers
    House Convenes (Orders of the Day)
    2:00pm, Senate Chambers
    Senate Convenes (Orders of the Day)

    SOME OF THE LATEST POLITICAL STORIES:

    Republican senators are attacking GOP challengers earlier and more aggressively than in past elections, including using opposition research to try to knock out upstart rivals before they become serious threats.Click to Continue » [...]
    Tue, Feb 25, 2014 8:24:00 AM, Continue reading at the source

    The Senate Conservatives Fund will go up on the air Tuesday with a 60-second radio ad attacking U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell for his vote for the TARP bailout and other positions it claims “betrayed Kentucky’s conservative values.” The ad appears to be in response to McConnell’s recent attacks on Republican Matt Bevin, for signing an Securities and Exchange Commission filing in 2008 that praised the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Senate Conservatives Fund, which was formed by former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, has endorsed Bevin. McConnell’s campaign has tried to paint Bevin as a hypocrite because Bevin has been critical of McConnell [...]
    Tue, Feb 25, 2014 4:01:00 AM, Continue reading at the source


    U.S. Senate candidate Matt Bevin is telling a “pants on fire” lie in a recent television commercial, according to PolitiFact, which gauges the truthfulness of political claims. In the ad, which aired only on cable television, accuses McConnell of voting like Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid on gun issues. “Mitch McConnell voted with Harry Reid to infringe on our gun rights.  Matt Bevin always supports the second amendment,” the Bevin ad says. That’s not exactly true, according to PolitiFact. In fact, PolitiFact says it bears very little resemblance to the truth. To back up its claim, the Bevin campaign cites McConnell’s vote for the [...]
    Mon, Feb 24, 2014 9:47:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    Bill Clinton, popular in territory unfriendly to President Barack Obama, is reprising his role as a super-surrogate for Democrats battling to keep their Senate majority and win other races. In…Click to Continue » [...]
    Mon, Feb 24, 2014 9:28:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    An attorney says that former state Rep. John A. Arnold Jr., D-Sturgis, might be suffering from dementia and uncontrollable behavior problems, prompting a delay in a Legislative Ethics Commission proceeding…Click to Continue » [...]
    Mon, Feb 24, 2014 8:04:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    U.S. Sen. Rand Paul ranks #3 and Mitch McConnell is #15 in the Club for Growth’s 2013 rankings of the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie is ranked 19th overall and Rep. John Yarmuth is ranked 358th overall — marking the extremes of Kentucky’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives. According to the Club for Growth’s scorecard, McConnell voted with the conservative organization 87 percent of the time, which is slightly above his lifetime score of 85 percent, while Paul voted with the group 97 percent of the time, slightly below his lifetime score of 99 percent. Paul voted against the Club for [...]
    Mon, Feb 24, 2014 7:59:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

    By Sam Youngman and Bill Estep syoungman@herald-leader.com The Kentucky Opportunity Coalition is set to begin running radio ads in Kentucky's coal-producing counties boasting of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's pushback against what it calls President Barack Obama's "war on coal." The group, a 501(c)4 non-profit organization that is allied with McConnell, has spent $75,000 to air the 60-second spot in 28 counties. It touts McConnell's "Saving Coal Jobs Act." "There is nothing funny about what they’ve done to Central Appalachia and the Eastern Kentucky coal fields," McConnell says in the ad. "They want us to sit down and shut up, and I’m telling you [...]
    Mon, Feb 24, 2014 1:22:00 AM, Continue reading at the source

    Which zip code in WHAS11's viewing area has the most disability recipients? How much does the average recipient receive per month in Kentucky? And, how does Senator Rand Paul suggest the system should be changed? [...]
    Tue, Feb 25, 2014 12:39:29 PM, Continue reading at the source

    A major milestone was celebrated Monday for Louisville’s Simmons College and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was there to make the announcement. [...]
    Tue, Feb 25, 2014 12:39:29 PM, Continue reading at the source
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    Monday, February 24, 2014

    Day Thirty Two of KY's 2014 Session In Review

    We are past the mid-point of the session and only three bills have passed both Chambers: HB 98; SB 7; SB 113.
    There are two additional bills awaiting concurrence: HB 70scs; 181sfa(1) sfta(2).
    Another 71 bills have passed the House and 39 bills have cleared the Senate for a total of 110 bills awaiting the approval of the other Chamber. And the rumor in the halls is that Leadership of both Chambers have told their committee chairman's to slow things down.
    Senate Bills Passed Senate: SB 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 16, 20, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 41, 44, 45, 47, 52, 53, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 64, 66, 67, 74, 76, 78, 85, 87, 89, 98, 99, 103, 114, 119
    House Bills Passed House: HB 1, 2, 5, 17, 40, 47, 51, 64, 66, 69, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 84, 87, 93, 94, 102, 105, 110, 115, 125, 126, 129, 133, 138, 146, 152, 154, 157, 165, 169, 170, 175, 176, 179, 189, 191, 192, 199, 202, 205, 206, 208, 211, 212, 217, 218, 223, 225, 228, 229, 246, 252, 254, 261, 263, 272, 279, 281, 286, 291, 296, 301, 316, 323, 332, 341, 343

    Most of the big issues of the session remained unresolved, including: HB 1, the minimum wage bill; SB 1, the administrative regulation bill; HB 5 the public agency security bill; HB 191, a bill that raises the minimum wage of tipped employees; and SB 119, a bill that establishes medical review panels.
    The budget is always the biggest issues of an even year session and the House is expected to start marking up their version this week. So the focus will become even more about the budget and less about those issues outside of the budget. It should be a busy week, but don't expect a lot of controversial issues to move.

    LEGISLATIVE TRACKERS BY INTEREST

    Click on the links below

      LINKS TO SOME OF TODAY's HEADLINES:

       

      UPCOMING MEETINGS:

      Monday, February 24, 2014
      Noon, Annex Room 154
      PUBLIC PENSION OVERSIGHT BOARD
      1:00pm, Annex Room 131
      HOUSE BUDGET REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
      2:30pm, Annex Room 154
      HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND REVENUE
      Agenda: Consideration of HB 270, HB 354, HB 396 and HR 77
      4:00pm, House Chambers
      House Convenes
      4:00pm, Senate Chambers
      Senate Convenes (Orders of the Day)

      SOME OF THE LATEST POLITICAL STORIES:

      Tom Loftus The Legislative Ethics Commission website shows that $2 million was spent lobbying the Kentucky General Assembly in January by the more than 600 corporations and associations registered to lobby. Nearly all of this spending was in salary or fees paid by the groups to their lobbyists. According to figures posted on the commission’s website, here are the corporations and associations which spent the most on lobbying in Frankfort last month: Motion Picture Assn. of America, Washington   $35,000 Ky. Chamber of Commerce, Frankfort               $34,723 Altria (Philip Morris), Richmond, Va.                $30,698 Ky.Hospital Assn., Louisville                                $27,582 Ky. Retail Federation, Frankfort                        $22,850 Teachers Insurance & Annuity, New York        [...]
      Sun, Feb 23, 2014 1:55:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

      Former Louisville Metro Council member Hal Heiner, on Friday, talked around rumors that he had selected K.C. Crosbie, the 2011 nominee for state treasurer, as a running mate for the 2015 gubernatorial race. Heiner has said he is interested in running for governor and plans to make his decision by the end of the first quarter of 2014. Talk among Republicans is centering on Crosbie, a three-term member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County County Council and the wife Scott Crosbie who served on the council before her, as his pick for lieutenant governor. “The first decision is the primary decision is whether to [...]
      Sat, Feb 22, 2014 4:32:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

      A Republican Super PAC with close ties to Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, who is expected to announce a run for governor later this year, says it hopes to raise $150,000…Click to Continue » [...]
      Fri, Feb 21, 2014 10:38:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

      The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for potential misconduct in Louisville Metro government, questioning several lawmakers and quizzing others about council activities.Four Metro council members—all contacted independently—and a council aide confirmed with WFPL and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting that they had spoken with agents as part of a federal inquiry into Metro government. [...]
      Fri, Feb 21, 2014 9:28:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

      A bill that would guarantee teachers have time for lesson-planning has passed the Kentucky House.Click to Continue »[...]
      Fri, Feb 21, 2014 8:37:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

      By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT -- Jacob Tamme, a Danville native and former University of Kentucky football player who now is a tight end for the Denver Broncos, will be the guest speaker at this year's Governor's Prayer Breakfast, Gov. Steve Beshear said Friday. The event, hosted by Beshear and first lady Jane Beshear, will be held at the Frankfort Convention Center on March 13. The breakfast dates back to 1965 and includes representatives of all three branches of government. It is a non-denominational event, according to a news release from Beshear's office, to give thanks for blessings and to ask for strength to [...]
      Fri, Feb 21, 2014 8:18:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

      Republican Senate candidate Matt Bevin argued the recent federal court ruling in Kentucky regarding gay marriages performed in other states is redefining the institution.But the Tea Party backed challenger to incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell is bristling at suggestions he said legalizing same-sex unions may potentially allow a parent to wed their child. [...]
      Fri, Feb 21, 2014 1:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source



      A proposal to restore the voting rights of some felons has cleared the Kentucky Senate after being rewritten to include a waiting period. [...]
      Sun, Feb 23, 2014 11:04:45 PM, Continue reading at the source

      Tom Loftus I was stunned by a news release KET sent out late Friday that said Ferrell Wellman will announce tonight his retirement from hosting Comment on Kentucky. The release described Ferrell as a “veteran broadcaster, educator and Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame member.” For me he is also a good friend.  I can’t think of anyone who educated me more about the politics and history of Kentucky back when I was a Frankfort rookie working for The Kentucky Post in 1980. The KET news release quotes Ferrell: “Over the last few months, I had been considering when would be a good time to leave the [...]
      Sat, Feb 22, 2014 12:38:00 AM, Continue reading at the source

      Ferrell Wellman announced Friday that he is retiring immediately as host of Kentucky Educational Television's Comment on Kentucky, a weekly public affairs show that focuses on political and government news…Click to Continue » [...]
      Fri, Feb 21, 2014 11:59:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

      By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT – Ferrell Wellman announced Friday that he is retiring immediately as host of Kentucky Educational Television’s “Comment on Kentucky,” a weekly public affairs show that focuses on political and government news in the state. Wellman, a veteran broadcaster, educator and Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame member, was named host of the program in 2008. It is the longest running public affairs series on KET. “Over the last few months, I had been considering when would be a good time to leave the moderator's chair,” Wellman said in a release. “I’m a firm believer in leaving a position a little [...]
      Fri, Feb 21, 2014 10:40:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
      Posted by at No comments:

      Friday, February 21, 2014

      Day Thirty-One of KY's 2014 Session In Review

      The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that Ellis Park in Henderson and the Kentucky Downs in Franklin could continue operating their historical horse racing games for now. In a unanimous opinion, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has the legal authority to regulate wagers on previously run horse races presented on electronic gambling machines, but a question about the machines themselves remains unanswered.
      There is still an outstanding question of whether the way the races are presented is actually pari-mutual racing. In the opinion, Venters wrote that the question of "whether the licensed operation of wagering on historic horse racing, pursuant to the commission's authority, violates the gambling provisions of the Kentucky Penal Code is an issue that depends upon facts not in the record, and therefore, must be deferred pending further proceedings in the circuit court."
      Lear said the circuit court would rule only on whether individual games that the racing commission has approved are legal.
      "The court fully recognized the authority of the racing commission to promulgate the regulations," Lear said. "The only issue is the very narrow one of whether specific games comply with the regs. ... What's gone back to Franklin Circuit is a very narrow opinion. ... I'm confident that measured against the now-approved definition of pari-mutuel wagering, they will be found pari-mutuel."
      The Court also found that there was no statutory authority to tax historic races stating in the opinion. "We adjudge that the department lacks the statutory authority to tax the money wagered on historical horse racing devices." Venters went on to say, “We simply cannot bend and stretch the English language far enough to refer to a machine that displays video recordings of thoroughbred horse races that occurred in the distant past as live racing,”  More than $573 million has been wagered on instant racing machines, generating about $8.6 million in taxes through January 31 of this year.
      TO READ THE ENTIRE SUPREME COURT DECISION CLICK HERE.

      HB 98, sponsored by Rep. Damron, received final passage on Thursday in the House by a vote of 96-2. The bill would require that a licensed health worker, non-licensed health technician, or trained school employee be on duty at schools to administer or help with self-administration of insulin, other approved diabetes drugs, and seizure rescue drugs approved by the federal government.
      The legislation would also allow children to perform their own blood glucose checks and self-administer insulin at school upon written request of their parents or guardians and authorization by a child’s health provider.  HB 98 includes an emergency clause that would make the bill effective upon being signed into law.
      SB 60, sponsored by Sen. Schickel, R-Union, would allow those with concealed carry permits to bring their guns into bars as long as they do not consume alcohol. The Senate passed the bill, 30-4.

      LEGISLATIVE TRACKERS BY INTEREST

      Click on the links below

        LINKS TO SOME OF TODAY's HEADLINES:

         UPCOMING MEETINGS:

        Friday, February 21, 2014
        9:00am, House Chambers
        House Convenes
        9:00am, Senate Chambers
        Senate Convenes

        SOME OF THE LATEST POLITICAL STORIES:


        Republican Senate candidate Matt Bevin argued the recent federal court ruling in Kentucky regarding gay marriages performed in other states is redefining the institution.But the Tea Party backed challenger to incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell is bristling at suggestions he said legalizing same-sex unions may potentially allow a parent to wed their child. [...]
        Fri, Feb 21, 2014 1:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

        By Sam Youngman syoungman@herald-leader.com U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said in a tweet Thursday that rocker Ted Nugent, known in recent years for some outrageous political comments, should apologize for calling President Barack Obama a "subhuman mongrel." Nugent has come under fire this week for his remarks, and on Thursday, Paul said in a tweet that the remark was "offensive." "Ted Nugent's derogatory description of President Obama is offensive and has no place in politics. He should apologize," Paul tweeted. Nugent made the remark last month to guns.com, but it has gained more attention as the singer of "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Stranglehold" has hit the [...]
        Fri, Feb 21, 2014 2:12:00 AM, Continue reading at the source

        The Senate approved a bill Thursday that would allow people with concealed-carry permits to bring guns into Kentucky bars as long as they do not drink.Click to Continue » [...]
        Thu, Feb 20, 2014 10:17:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

        By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT – The Senate approved a controversial bill Thursday that would allow persons with concealed carry permits to bring guns into Kentucky bars as long as they do not drink. Sen. Reginald Thomas, D-Lexington, was one of four senators who voted against Senate Bill 60. He said alcohol and guns do not mix and predicted that the measure would cause a spike in shootings at bars. The sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, said the bill is needed for self-defense. Current state law prohibits carrying guns into bars. Schickel’s bill also streamlines the process of obtaining concealed carry permits. It [...]
        Thu, Feb 20, 2014 9:44:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

        The presidents of the state's two largest universities appeared before lawmakers to plead against proposed 2.5 percent budget cuts that they said could irrevocably harm higher education's progress.Click to Continue » [...]
        Thu, Feb 20, 2014 8:32:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

        Calling the overall health of Kentuckians "dismal," Gov. Steve Beshear unveiled a program Thursday involving public and private strategies to improve the health of the state's people.Click to Continue » [...]
        Thu, Feb 20, 2014 7:56:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

        By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT -- Calling the overall health of Kentuckians "dismal," Gov. Steve Beshear unveiled a program Thursday involving public and private strategies to improve the health of the state's people. The program, called "kyhealthnow," sets seven major health goals to be met by Jan. 1, 2019, and urges state agencies, local governments, businesses, schools, non-profits and individuals to take steps to improve health. Beshear noted that Kentucky is among the national leaders in cancer diagnoses, smoking rates, diabetes, heart disease and other maladies. "Many individuals and groups in Kentucky are working on ways to make Kentuckians healthier, whether through improving access to [...]
        Thu, Feb 20, 2014 7:32:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

        Alison Lundergan Grimes campaign is wishing U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell a happy birthday. I don’t think they mean it. In fact, it seems, the only reason they’re doing it seems to be to point out that the five-term senator is 72-years-old and to throw a couple more barbs his way. In a press release, the Grimes campaign says, “As Mitch McConnell rings in his 72nd birthday, there is no question he has had a tough couple of weeks.  That is why our campaign is sending him this special card to help cheer him up.  Happy birthday, Mitch McConnell!” It includes an e-card for McConnell: McConnell, [...]
        Thu, Feb 20, 2014 4:35:00 PM, Continue reading at the source

        Court: Attorney general can investigate statewide - Feb 20, 2014 10:25 pm - The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that the attorney general's office has the power to participate in investigations across the state. Read More

        House panel advances bill that mandates coal-friendly power plant emission standards - Feb 20, 2014 10:25 pm - Kentucky would create coal-friendly power plant emission standards in an attempt to head off tougher federal rules under a bill passed unanimously Thursday by a House committee. Read More

        Instant Racing opponents can continue fighting slot-like game, Kentucky Supreme Court says - Feb 20, 2014 10:22 pm - While the state followed the correct procedure to implement the Instant Racing game, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that opponents can continue to challenge the slot-like game's legality. Read More

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