An omnibus elections bill that, among other changes, would allow Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul to run for reelection and president at the same time, cleared the House in an unusually narrow vote Thursday. Forty lawmakers from both parties voted against House Bill 534, splitting the usually unified GOP caucus. But 53 GOP lawmakers approved the […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inPolitics
Senate president asks lawmakers to fund research collaborations by KY universities
Republican Senate President Robert Stivers wants the General Assembly to put $150 million into research consortiums to encourage Kentucky’s public universities to work together to benefit the state. Senate Bill 6 is a follow up to 2024 legislation Stivers successfully carried that sets up a research consortium endowment for Kentucky universities to encourage collaboration on projects. SB 6 […]
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Pitch to pay KY child care providers, certain parents for school readiness on the move
Eligible parents and child care providers who successfully prepare children for kindergarten would get a $2,000 reward under legislation that passed the Kentucky Senate on Wednesday. Senate Bill 191 proposes a three-year pilot program, which would be administered by the University of Kentucky College of Education, to give child care financial assistance to child care centers, […]
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Proposed makeover of utility regulator met with warnings consumers would lose their voice
A GOP-sponsored bill would remake Kentucky’s utility regulator by expanding its board from three to five members and giving the Republican state auditor two of the appointments. The governor would continue to appoint the other three members of the Public Service Commission (PSC). Senate Bill 8 also could make it harder for independent groups to […]
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Kentucky House passes bill to ban machine gun conversion devices
The GOP-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives passed a bill Monday afternoon to ban devices that can convert semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons, though a significant number of Republicans opposed the measure. House Bill 299, sponsored by House Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Lousville, would allow local law enforcement to enforce at the state level an existing federal […]
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Hopes pinned on Senate to kill proposed ‘barrier’ to free college for older Kentuckians
A provision that opponents say would discourage older Kentuckians from taking free college classes was approved by the Republican-controlled House Wednesday — even as 17 Republicans joined 19 Democrats in voting no. House Bill 497 would require Kentuckians who are 65 and older to file the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) to continue […]
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‘Needs, not wants’: GOP-controlled KY House passes ‘restrained’ state spending plan
The Kentucky House on Thursday approved a two-year state spending plan described by budget chair Jason Petrie as “restrained” and fulfilling “needs, not wants.” House Bill 500, approved on a mostly party line vote, allocates more than $30 billion in General Fund revenues and adds $617 million to the $3.7 billion already filling the Budget […]
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Justice Department sues Kentucky, four other states for voter data
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing five additional states, including Kentucky, for not providing voter registration data, including sensitive information such as driver’s license and Social Security numbers. Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, said in a Thursday statement that he would “not voluntarily commit a data breach” of Kentuckians’ private information […]
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GOP sponsor says scholarships funded by US tax credit would also benefit public schools
A bill opting Kentucky into a tax credit program promoted by the Trump administration to fund scholarships for K-12 students is winging its way through Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature. The Senate Education Committee gave its approval to House Bill 1 Thursday morning, the day after the measure arrived in the Senate. Eleven Republicans voted in favor of the […]
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Kentucky children keep dying in ‘preventable’ drug overdoses
This story discusses child abuse. Report child abuse to Kentucky’s Statewide Child Abuse Hotline at 1-877-597-233. Kentucky’s poison control line is 800-222-1222. Kentucky children are increasingly ingesting and overdosing on unsafe substances like cannabinoids and fentanyl, with the rate increasing by more than 100% in the last five years, a new report shows. The annual report from Kentucky’s Child Fatality and […]