Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Today's Political Headlines

Andy Beshear attempting to take up insurance case after Bevin Administration drops case

02/15/2016 03:59 PM
Attorney General Andy Beshear is trying to take over an insurance case that’s before the state Supreme Court after the state’s Department of Insurance dropped the case last week. Beshear said he is “amazed and appalled” that the Department of Insurance under Gov. Matt Bevin “abandoned thousands of Kentuckians” when they refused to try an ongoing case relating to the Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act. The Democratic Attorney General said he will be stepping in on behalf of Kentuckians to get... Read more 

GOP holds financial advantages in special House elections less than a month before voters hit the polls

02/14/2016 10:43 PM
Republicans in three of four special House elections hold a collective 3-to-1 cash advantage on their Democratic opponents, with pro-GOP groups enjoying a $872,377 edge on their counterparts across the aisle with the March 8 contests upcoming, campaign finance filings show. The cash disparity comes less than a month until voters in Scott, Owen, Fayette, Greenup, Boyd, Casey, Boyle, Trigg and Christian counties hit the polls and Democrats clinging to a 50-46 majority in the chamber. Hopkinsville businessman Walker Thomas, the Republican... Read more 

Lawmaker wants marshals in schools to protect students

02/14/2016 08:53 AM
FRANKFORT – A Kentucky lawmaker wants to protect Kentucky’s public school students the same way passengers are currently being protected on airline flights — with armed marshals. Republican state Rep. Jim DuPlessis, R-Elizabethtown, has filed House Bill 270, which would place undercover marshals, known only to school administrators and local law enforcement, in school buildings to act as first responders in the event of an emergency in the building. DuPlessis says the reason for the bill is to better protect Kentucky’s school... Read more 

K-12, postsecondary education will get extra attention in House biennial spending plan, budget chairman says

02/13/2016 08:49 PM
FRANKFORT — After hearing testimony from University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto on the the possible affects of Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed ‘draconian’ budget cuts this week, the chairman of the House of Representatives’ budget committee says the chamber will look to restore funding reductions for K-12 and postsecondary education in its version of the biennial spending plan. Bevin is calling for 4.5 percent cuts in many areas of state government in the current fiscal year, transitioning to a 9... Read more 

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79; McConnell says next president should appoint successor

02/13/2016 07:10 PM
With the sudden death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday, Republicans are expressing their sympathy and indicating they’ll hold out for a new president to confirm a replacement. Scalia, a leading conservative voice on the high court, died in Texas while on a hunting trip, according to multiple news reports. The death of the justice is already setting up a massive showdown between President Barack Obama, who expressed his sympathies on Saturday, and the U.S. Senate led by... Read more 

Legislation on revenge porn, insurance coverage of amino-acid-based formula pass House

02/12/2016 04:14 PM
FRANKFORT – The state House of Representatives passed a pair of bills on Friday that would target the distribution of explicit sexual material and ensure coverage of an amino-acid-based formula for those suffering from eosinophilic disorders. Both measures passed on 92-0 votes. House Bill 110, sponsored by Rep. Joni Jenkins, would make the distribution of so-called revenge porn without the written consent of the other participant a Class A misdemeanor unless the individual profits from the material, in which case he or... Read more 

Thayer calls for overhaul Kentucky Horse Park Commission; seeks state audit

02/12/2016 02:13 PM
FRANKFORT – Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, says the Kentucky Horse Park is being mismanaged and has filed a bill which would reconstitute the Kentucky Horse Park Commission. Thayer fears that some currently on the board are there as a result of political patronage to former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear. Senate Bill 200 calls for nine members of the board selected by the governor, which is half of the current number of the commission. Three would be selected... Read more 
Justice Scalia Will Lie In Repose At The Supreme Court On Friday
from NPR
The late Justice Antonin Scalia will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Friday. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., according to sources close to the Scalia family. In a tradition that dates back to 1873, Scalia’s Supreme Court chair and bench were draped with black wool crepe today. The court has also placed a black drapery over the courtroom doors. The last high court justice to lie in repose at the Supreme Court was Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 2005. [...]
Tue, Feb 16, 2016 4:19:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
U of L Says Investigative Committee Had No Authority In Postseason Ban Decision
from Stephen George
Less than a day after a member of the University of Louisville’s investigative committee looking into allegations of prostitution within the men’s basketball program spoke out against the school’s decision to self-impose a postseason ban, the university is attempting to clarify the committee’s role. It is the first time any U of L official has spoken publicly about details of the committee, despite inquiries from WFPL and other media for more information. The statement from U of L also comes after men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino last week told a national ESPN radio show that Athletic Director Tom Jurich made the decision [...]
Tue, Feb 16, 2016 2:55:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Commentary: Precedent For McConnell In Supreme Court Fight
from Keith Runyon
The gloom and doom greeting the political response to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death are real, but they certainly aren’t unprecedented. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is taking partisan steps that seem no worse than those taken nearly a half-century ago by a future president who was then House minority leader. This all happened in the summer of 1968, when Chief Justice Earl Warren, a Republican appointee and architect of many liberal decisions including Brown v. Board of Education, announced his retirement. He did so with the understanding that President Lyndon Johnson, a liberal Democrat, would nominate his successor. Johnson [...]
Tue, Feb 16, 2016 1:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
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Friday, February 12, 2016

Today's Political Headlines


UK president bemoans "draconian" cuts, performance-based funding before House budget subcommittee, but Bevin says he won't budge

02/11/2016 11:21 PM
FRANKFORT — Gov. Matt Bevin’s budget proposal will be felt by students, faculty and staff at the University of Kentucky if the governor’s proposed cuts are enacted by the General Assembly, UK President Eli Capilouto told lawmakers on the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education Thursday. Capilouto challenged lawmakers to think of the university as “an economic engine that deserves more investment, not less.” He noted the institution’s work in cancer research and substance abuse treatment, and he said a... Read more 

New group formed by former Gov. Beshear looks to defend health initiatives that Gov. Bevin wants to shutter, amend

02/11/2016 09:04 PM
Former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, two months out of office, said Thursday that his conscience would not allow him to “ride off into the sunset” as he unveiled a nonprofit group that will advocate to retain federal health reforms he enacted. Save Kentucky Healthcare, a 501(c )(4) organization, will be launching an online advertising campaign, said Beshear, who cited myriad statistics in defense of kynect, the state-based health exchange, and Medicaid expansion, such as the drop in uninsured rates across the... Read more 

Senate's priority education reform bill passes education committee

02/11/2016 05:34 PM
FRANKFORT — The state Senate’s top priority bill, which would change the way the state would review their educational standards and how schools and students would be evaluated, cleared the Senate Education Committee on Thursday. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Mike Wilson, passed by a 9-3 vote with the three Democrats on the committee — Senate Minority Caucus Chairman Gerald Neal, D-Louisville; Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington; and Sen. Johnny Ray Turner, D-Prestonsburg — voting “no.” The bill looks to do away... Read more 
Commentary: Lawmakers Must Make Kentucky State University A Priority
from Ravon Churchill
State Normal School for Colored People is what it was called in 1886, when three teachers and 55 students became the second state-supported institution of higher learning in Kentucky. One hundred thirty years and five name changes later, Kentucky State University, the school I attended and love, is in danger of closing due to proposed budget cuts by newly elected Governor Matt Bevin. The proposed 13.5 percent cut over two years would cripple the Historically Black University in Frankfort that has been in financial distress for several years. University President Raymond Burse said he thinks K-State is the “victim of [...]
Fri, Feb 12, 2016 2:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Louisville Weekend Arts Picks: Kristin Chenoweth, Film Fest
from Tara Anderson
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, when expectations are sky-high and so are restaurant prices. Skip the “romantic” dinner and take your beloved out to hear some music, see a film, or even do something together (gasp!) as a family. The Louisville Orchestra hosts Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth on Saturday night for a Valentine’s concert, and if you’re a Broadway fan, you’ve probably got your ticket already. Chenoweth is known for her work in “Wicked” and on “Glee,” although my daughter knows her as the co-host of last year’s Tony Awards with Alan Cumming. (What can I say? It’s all part of her [...]
Fri, Feb 12, 2016 1:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Beshear Returns To Battle Bevin Over Medicaid, Kynect
from Ja'Nel Johnson
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s efforts to reshape the state’s approach to the Affordable Care Act have led to a political battle of governors unprecedented in recent state history. On Thursday, former Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, launched a political nonprofit organization to advocate for key policies implemented by his administration, which ended in December. Those policies included an expansion of Medicaid and the creation of a state health insurance exchange, called Kynect. Both policies are being threatened by Bevin’s administration, which is seeking to add new stipulations to Medicaid enrollment and to dismantle Kynect, instead sending Kentuckians to the federal health care exchange. Beshear’s [...]
Fri, Feb 12, 2016 12:05:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
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Thursday, February 11, 2016

Today's Political Headlines

Senate Bill 5 amended to offer separate marriage license forms, clearing committee

02/10/2016 09:04 PM
FRANKFORT — Couples would pick between two marriage licenses once they tie the knot under a bill passed by the Senate State and Local Government Committee on Wednesday. The proposed change in Senate Bill 5 would allow newlyweds to choose licenses that identify them as first and second parties or bride and groom, and neither would bear the name of the county clerk. Sen. Steve West, a Paris Republican and the bill’s sponsor, says he hopes he’s found a compromise resolution on... Read more 

Senate, House committees pass companion bills dubbed "Noah's Law" on covering formula for eosinophilic disorder patients

02/10/2016 07:38 PM
FRANKFORT — A pair of bills that would ensure health coverage of amino-acid-based formulas consumed by those suffering from eosinophilic disorders unanimously cleared House and Senate committees on Wednesday. Senate Bill 146 and House Bill 353 emerged this year in response to a 9-year-old Pike County boy named Noah Greenhill, who suffers eosinophilic esophagitis and is the namesake of the bill called “Noah’s Law.” Noah suffers eosinophilic esophagitis, which affects his esophagus, and had for years suffered reflux, nausea, rashes and intense... Read more 

'Revenge porn' protection bill unanimously passes House committee

02/10/2016 04:02 PM
FRANKFORT – A bill which would prohibit the distribution of sexually explicit images without the consent of the person depicted unanimously passed a House committee on Wednesday. House Bill 110, sponsored by Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Shively, is aimed at protecting individuals from having private and possibly sexually explicit images, from being posted online without their permission. The legislation, known as the “revenge porn” bill would make distribution of sexually charged images without consent a Class A misdemeanor unless it is done... Read more 

Bevin's proposed budget cuts threaten watchdog agencies, elections

02/09/2016 10:52 PM
FRANKFORT — Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed two-year spending plan could have drastic consequences for two agencies charged with keeping an eye on politicians and the dollars they spend. Officials with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission and the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance told lawmakers on the House Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance and Public Protection that there is no way the agencies can survive the cuts as handed down and still fulfill their statutory obligations to watch over... Read more 

Public-private partnership bill clears House budget committee, prepped for floor vote

02/09/2016 05:02 PM
FRANKFORT — Legislation that would authorize the use of public-private partnerships cleared the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on an 18-4 vote on Tuesday. The bill has been a pet issue for Rep. Leslie Combs in recent years, and after announcing her retirement from the House last month, this year will be her last shot at shepherding the legislation into law. And after twice failing to become law in 2014 and 2015 thanks in part to opposition against tolling on reconstruction of... Read more 

Senate A&R committee finds agreement in Bevin's budget request

02/09/2016 02:52 PM
FRANKFORT – Senators got their first rundown of the in-depth executive branch budget on Tuesday, and had a decidedly more favorable opinion of the document than it’s been received in the state House. There were some questions and requests for specifics from members of the Republican controlled chamber. Sen. Stan Humphries, R-Cadiz, questioned state Budget Director John Chilton about how agencies will handle the proposed 4.5 percent cuts for this fiscal year. “Have you seen innovative ways that agencies are... Read more 

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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Today's Political Headlines

Westerfield files constitutional amendment to protect victims' rights

02/08/2016 09:56 PM
Senate Judiciary Chair Whitney Westerfield is making a push to amend Kentucky’s Constitution to afford victims of crimes the same rights afforded to the accused. Westerfield’s legislation is named “Marsy’s Law” and is part of a national effort to codify victims’ rights in the state constitution. If passed and ratified by the people of Kentucky, Marsy’s Law would grants a “Victim’s Bill of Rights” guaranteeing victims’ constitutional rights to receive notification of proceedings and developments in the criminal case and... Read more 

House Speaker and House Minority Floor Leader team up to pass campaign contribution bill

02/08/2016 09:30 PM
FRANKFORT – A bill that would double individual campaign contribution limits in Kentucky has passed the Kentucky House by a vote of 71 to 22. House Bill 147, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, would double the limit on individual campaign contributions from $1,000 to $2,000 as of this July and double the annual limit on individual contributions to a party’s state executive committee and affiliates from $2,500 to $5,000. The legislation would also double from $10,000 to $20,000 the overall... Read more 

House committee discussion leads to accusations and defense of Bevin Administration

02/08/2016 08:45 PM
FRANKFORT – Democratic and Republican lawmakers got into a heated debate over leadership in the administration of Republican Gov. Matt Bevin in a committee meeting on Monday. Democratic members of the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources questioned cabinet officials about why there are no specifics on how their department would be affected by the 4.5 percent cuts in the current fiscal year and the 9 percent cuts in the upcoming biennium. Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, criticized Bevin’s administration... Read more 

Rep. Jim Wayne, outside groups advocate for tax reforms as legislature faces austere budget

02/08/2016 03:27 PM
Gov. Matt Bevin’s budget has met early opposition in the state House as lawmakers ponder just how postsecondary institutions and other cabinets in government will handle another round of budget cuts In an effort to endure $650 million in budget cutbacks, and better fund the state pension systems, Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, is once again advocating for tax reforms, which he says could generate $570 million annually. In a floor speech on Friday, Wayne announced that 14 House members had... Read more 

The first 10: Most interesting (primary) races to watch

02/07/2016 01:08 PM
For yet another election cycle the collective minds at Democratic and Republican Party headquarters will be spent trying to outwit and outlast their opponents for control of the state House. Outside of the March 8 special elections, parties will be watching the May 17 primary to see how the races unfold so they can determine which recruited candidates will emerge from the primaries, the flow of capital in the general election and which incumbents can outlast internal challengers. The roster... Read more 

After positioning pro-life bills for floor votes, don't expect the same on right-to-work legislation from House GOP

02/06/2016 08:55 PM
Republicans in the state’s House of Representatives have maneuvered one priority bill on pre-abortion informed consent toward a compromise resolution, and they look to be moving another aimed at limiting funding to Planned Parenthood closer to a floor vote this week. But one issue that’s been at the center of many GOP political campaigns and one of the Republican-led Senate’s top pieces of legislation likely won’t get the same treatment, according to House Minority Floor Leader Jeff Hoover. Hoover said Friday... Read more 

Push for pro-life bills continues in 2016 legislative session

02/05/2016 01:26 PM
FRANKFORT — With one pro-life bill already passed and signed by Gov. Matt Bevin and another having received its first reading in the House, the climate has changed in the Kentucky General Assembly when it comes to pro-life legislation. For years, the Senate had worked on pro-life legislation, but it usually stalled in the House. This year, Senate Bill 4, which allows real-time telemedicine consultations between doctors and women seeking an abortion, already has been passed by both chambers and signed by... Read more 
Kentucky Juvenile Justice Head Ousted Following Gynnya McMillen’s Death
from R.G. Dunlop
A major shakeup has occurred in the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, less than a month after 16-year-old Gynnya McMillen died in a state-run detention center. Commissioner Bob D. Hayter, who had run the agency since November 2014, is gone, according to sources and an employee in Hayter’s former office. Hayter had been with the department since 2006, first as a regional director, later as deputy commissioner of support services. Stacy Floden, the department’s director of communications program services also has left, WFPL’s Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has learned. Sources and an employee in her former office confirmed her exit. Bob Hayter Hayter’s [...]
Tue, Feb 09, 2016 3:36:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Feds Say Kentucky Must Return Unused Grant Money For Kynect
from Associated Press
Federal officials say Kentucky could have to return more than $57 million in unused grant money because of Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s decision to dismantle kynect. The federal government gave Kentucky a $289 million federal grant to plan and establish kynect, a health exchange where Kentuckians can purchase private insurance plans with the help of a federal subsidy. State officials have spent all of it except for $57.5 million. Related Story [...]
Tue, Feb 09, 2016 3:03:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Louisville Group To Distribute Anti-Overdose Drug, Provide Training
from Ja'Nel Johnson
The Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition will distribute and train people on how to use a medication that reverses the effects of overdoses from heroin and other opioid drugs. The coalition will offer Naloxone, also known as Narcan, Feb. 10 at the Department of Public Health and Wellness, located at 400 E Gray St. Training will take place between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Russ Read, cofounder of Kentucky Harm Reduction, said the Naloxone kits will be given free of charge to anyone affected by opioid addiction. “We think it’s possible for anybody who has heroin or opioid addiction in their lives to have one of [...]
Tue, Feb 09, 2016 1:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
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Friday, February 5, 2016

Today's Political Headlines

Sen. Westerfield plans push for additional juvenile justice reform, synthetic drug legislation

02/04/2016 06:35 PM
FRANKFORT — After passing a sweeping series of reforms to the state’s juvenile justice system in 2014, Senate Judiciary Chair Whitney Westerfield tells Pure Politics he will be back with additional legislation this session. In an interview on Thursday, Westerfield said he will focus in on the problem of disproportionate minority contact within the juvenile justice system. The Hopkinsville Republican is planning on confronting this issue by establishing an audit of sorts on the system. Over three years, Westerfield wants... Read more 

Proposed postsecondary education cuts, performance-based funding discussed in House budget review committee

02/04/2016 06:23 PM
FRANKFORT — Gov. Matt Bevin’s budget proposal faced another round of legislative scrutiny on Thursday as lawmakers on the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education questioned cuts in higher education and the administration’s plan to devote a third of postsecondary dollars to performance-based funding. Lawmakers on the panel zeroed in on a few proposals in Bevin’s postsecondary education budget, namely his proposed 4.5 percent cuts in the current fiscal year and his plan to make a third of state university... Read more 

With show of force, House committee votes down Senate bill repealing prevailing wage

02/04/2016 02:48 PM
FRANKFORT – A state House committee killed one of the state Senate’s priority pieces of legislation with a show of force from union members. Senate Bill 9, sponsored by Sen. Wil Schroder, R-Wilder, which would exempt public school and university construction from Kentucky’s prevailing wage law, which generally sets higher wage rates for public works projects, was not passed by the House Standing Committee on Labor and Industry on Thursday. SB 9 failed with a 14-6 vote which went along party... Read more 

Former U.S. Sen. Marlow Cook dies at 89

02/04/2016 12:37 PM
UPDATED — Marlow Cook, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1968 to 1974, has passed away at the age of 89 according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. The Louisville moderate Republican served as a mentor to both U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth. Cook served two terms in the Kentucky state House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961 before being elected Jefferson County Judge-Executive in 1961 and re-elected in 1965. After leaving the U.S.... Read more 
U.S. Added 151,000 Jobs In January, Unemployment Dropped To 4.9 Percent
from NPR
The U.S. economy added just 151,000 jobs in January while unemployment dropped slightly, to 4.9 percent, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had expected to see about 190,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate, which has held steady at 5 percent the past few months, dropped slightly to 4.9 percent. It’s the first time unemployment has fallen below 5 percent since the recession. The more-robust job growth during the end of 2015 was also revised downward overall: November’s job gains were changed from 252,000 to 280,000, the BLS says, and in December, the economy added 262,000 new jobs, [...]
Fri, Feb 05, 2016 3:07:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Your Louisville Arts Picks: High School All-Stars, ‘Romeo and Juliet’
from Tara Anderson
Usually there are a multitude of good choices for weekend entertainment in Louisville. But this weekend is a little bit quieter. There are a few Mardi Gras celebrations you can hit up (Louis’s The Ton features Billy Goat Strut Revue, whose singer — full disclosure — is WFPL News Producer Laura Ellis). You can catch up on Acting Against Cancer’s production of “American Idiot,” or you can check out Actors’ Theatre’s family-friendly “Peter and the Starcatcher.” All solid choices. I’ve got a couple of offbeat options, if you want to try something different. To hear some of the most enthusiastic and irony-free musicians you could [...]
Fri, Feb 05, 2016 3:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Remembering Marlow Cook, A Bygone Kind Of Kentucky Republican
from Keith Runyon
Marlow W. Cook first flashed across the horizon of Louisville and Jefferson County a little more than a half-century ago, full of ideas, enthusiasm and youthful energy. He brought something that our city, then the nation’s 30th largest, needed badly: A vision for the future that would position metro Louisville for the 21st Century. Cook, at the age of 36, was leader of a reform political ticket, along with William O. Cowger and E.P. “Tom” Sawyer, who (like John F. Kennedy on the national level) wanted to get Louisville “moving again.” That Cowger, Cook, Sawyer and others were Republicans and Kennedy [...]
Fri, Feb 05, 2016 2:00:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
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