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Legislative Update: Session Results—Appropriations and Revenue, Part 1
BY REPRESENTATIVE BOBBY MCCOOL The Appropriations and Revenue Committee is one of the most influential committees in the legislature because it oversees how state funds are raised and spent. Every budget, tax policy, and major financial decision must pass through this committee, making it central to setting the state’s priorities and ensuring fiscal responsibility. Its
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Bill to provide free feminine hygiene products in schools fails again, despite need
BY ELLA DENTON KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS For more than 30 years, Kentucky lawmakers have filed bills to provide free access to feminine hygiene products for elementary and secondary students. And every year, including this one, those efforts have failed. Samantha Sams, head principal of Second Street School in Frankfort, told Kentucky Health News that she
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Kentucky’s 2024 Legislative Session recap
The 2024 Legislative Session adjourned April 15 sine die until Jan. 7, 2025, unless otherwise called into extraordinary session by the governor. During this 60-day session, there were 1,220 bills introduced with the House having filed 838 bills and the Senate filing 383. This is the highest number of bills filed since 2000. Of the
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HB1 calls for $2.68 million for Martin County water projects
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT FRANKFORT — Kentucky legislators sent a spending bill to Governor Andy Beshear on Thursday that includes $2.68 million for the Martin County Water District (MCWD) for the fiscal year 2024-2025. HB1 allocates $681,000 to the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) for a water tank project and $2 million for water meters in Martin
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Kentucky Press Association: HB 509 would turn public records upside down
For nearly 50 years, Kentucky has been a national leader in allowing its citizens to access government records. That legacy is due in large part to the broad—and prescient—definition of “public records” that has appeared in Kentucky’s Open Records Act since its inception. In one fell swoop, HB 509 would eviscerate that legacy and leave
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Kentucky lawmakers consider bill that would expand felony offenses
BY NADIA RAMLAGAN KENTUCKY NEWS CONNECTION Under proposed legislation being considered by Republican lawmakers, Kentucky renters would face harsher criminal penalties for property damage. Penalties would increase for sleeping in a tent in public areas, and for violent offenses, among other measures. Ben Carter, senior litigation and advocacy counsel with the Kentucky Equal Justice Center,
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Whipsawed by the system, dozens of independent pharmacies closed in Kentucky last year, and more are expected to follow suit
KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS In the past year, at least 67 independent pharmacies have closed in Kentucky, and more are expected to close because of a recent change in the system that favors big pharmacy chains. So reports Alex Acquisto of the Lexington Herald-Leader in a significant story for rural Kentucky. “Pharmacists are often the first
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Report: Kentucky lawmakers increasingly fast-track bills, reducing transparency
BY NADIA RAMLAGAN PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE Kentucky lawmakers convene this week for the 2024 legislative session, and a new report finds state representatives are increasingly fast-tracking legislation while eroding citizen participation. The League of Women Voters of Kentucky analysis finds lawmakers are replacing original versions of bills with last-minute substitute versions, leaving little or no
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Beshear gets bill to regulate Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS In response to a court decision that deemed products containing Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol to be legal, a bill to regulate products with the substance has passed both houses of the General Assembly without dissent and has gone to Gov. Andy Beshear for final action. “The Kentucky hemp program is a
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Medical cannabis bill passes Senate, awaits House vote March 30
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS A bill that would make medical marijuana legal for some in Kentucky has passed the state Senate for the first time and awaits a vote in the House, which has passed two similar bills in previous legislative sessions. “It is time for Kentucky to join the other 37 states
