A bill filed Monday would legalize private barrel selections at distilleries. The bill aims to boost bourbon tourism and bring in repeat visitors. “Bourbon is more than a cultural icon. It is a proven economic powerhouse for our Commonwealth,” said House Majority Whip Chad McCoy, who filed the bill. “Even in the midst of a […]
Author Archives: Mark Payne
Mark Payne is the government and politics reporter for LINK nky. Email him at mpayne@linknky.com.
Twitter.
Posted inFrankfort
Beshear announces vehicle sales and sales tax cuts to combat inflation
Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Wednesday that halted vehicle tax increases for the next two years. He also announced a plan to introduce legislation that would cut the sales tax in Kentucky from six to five percent. Both measures were announced as part of a plan to help Kentuckians with record-high inflation. “We […]
Posted inFrankfort
Transgender sports bill passes house education committee
The House Education Committee approved a bill Tuesday that will prevent girls who are transgender from participating on girls’ sports teams. The big difference between House Bill 23 and the Senate bill passed last week is that HB23 will focus on high school athletes. Rep. Ryan Dotson (R- Winchester) introduced the change in the bill, […]
Posted inFrankfort
House Committee passes ‘optional’ mask bill
The House Education Committee passed a bill on Tuesday that will ban mask mandates at the local level. But Oldham County parent Kristin Worthen is worried that children who have medical issues will be at risk. “I am here today to represent the perspective of a vulnerable family living through this pandemic and an opposition […]
Posted inFrankfort
Whitney Austin, shot at Fifth Third Center, working on Kentucky legislation to ‘help gun owners’
Just north across the Ohio River in Cincinnati, on the morning of Sept. 6, 2018, Whitney Austin walked into the Fifth Third Bank Building on Fountain Square. She was listening to music as she entered the building, so she didn’t hear the pleas from standers-by alerting her to an active shooter. Going through the revolving […]
Posted inFrankfort
Frankfort week in review: Even John Calipari showed up at the Statehouse
Let’s start in the senate education committee The Senate Education Committee had quite the busy week, with a special meeting called on Wednesday to vote on Senate Bill 6. The Name, Image, Likeness bill will allow college athletes in the state of Kentucky to make money off of their likeness. It may have gone unnoticed […]
Posted inNews
House bill aims to slash unemployment benefits
A bill that would drastically cut unemployment passed the House floor yesterday. It now heads to the Senate and is one step closer to becoming law. House Bill 4 would reduce the length of unemployment insurance benefits. Currently, unemployment benefits can last up to 26 weeks, but under HB4, benefits would be based on the […]
Posted inNews
‘Anti-trans’ bill ‘disgusting,’ says 12-year-old who can’t play field hockey
Twelve-year-old transgender girl Fischer Wells wanted to play field hockey desperately, but Westport Middle School didn’t sport a girl’s field hockey team. So, she set out to make it happen. She recruited players, and her school was able to create a team. But the day before the first game, her parents got a call that […]
Posted inFrankfort, Sports
UK’s Calipari, Barnhart Testify in Frankfort about Name, Image, and Likeness Bill
Written by Mark Payne, LINK nky politics and government reporter Senate Bill 6 — the name, image, and likeness (NIL) bill — passed a special meeting of the Senate Education committee Feb. 9. But it wasn’t without fanfare: University of Kentucky Basketball coach John Calipari and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart testified to the committee. Kentucky college […]
