Author
Bill loosening Kentucky child labor laws clears House committee
FRANKFORT — Some Kentucky teenagers could work longer and later hours —? something critics say threatens youngsters’ safety and success in life — under a bill approved by a House committee Thursday with Republican support. House Bill 255, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, would repeal Kentucky’s existing child labor laws and align them with […]
House budget slams the brakes on future electric vehicle purchases by some state agencies
FRANKFORT — Auto manufacturers are investing billions in Kentucky to build electric vehicles, but some state agencies wouldn’t be able to buy them under a mandate from the Republican House. The two-year state spending plan passed by the GOP-dominated House this month would require various state agencies looking to buy new vehicles to purchase only […]
State budget support for airport at Bluegrass Station reignites local opposition
FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and House Republicans differed on plenty in their two-year state budget proposals but landed on one area of agreement: Supporting efforts to build a general aviation airport with a 7,800-foot runway and airpark at Bluegrass Station, a state-owned industrial park at Avon in Fayette County.? A local government attempt […]
Kentucky water utilities could opt out of putting fluoride in drinking water under advancing bill
FRANKFORT — Kentucky water utilities would no longer be required to add or adjust fluoride in tap water supplies — a state requirement since the mid-20th century aimed at improving? Kentuckians’ dental health — under a bill approved by a legislative committee Thursday.? House Bill 141 is the latest effort by Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, […]
Toyota boosts investment in Georgetown EV plant to $1.3 billion
Toyota announced an additional expansion to its manufacturing plant in Georgetown, bringing planned new investment in the Kentucky facility to $1.3 billion, as the Japanese automaker steps up production of electric SUVs for U.S. customers. The automaker announced last year it was putting $591 million into the Scott County plant’s conversion and retaining 9,000 employees […]
Kentucky legislature could call itself into session under amendment proposed by House speaker
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky legislature could call itself into session for an additional 12 days a year and extend regular sessions beyond constitutionally required end dates under a constitutional amendment filed Tuesday by House Speaker David Osborne.? Osborne, R-Prospect, told reporters Tuesday afternoon the amendment proposed by House Bill 4, if approved by voters, would […]
House passes two-year Kentucky budget, $1.7 billion in one-time spending
FRANKFORT — After hours of questioning and much criticism from Democrats, the GOP-dominated Kentucky House of Representatives on Thursday approved a $129.6 billion two-year state spending plan. The House also approved more than $1.7 billion in one-time spending from the state’s record-high “rainy day” fund which will pay down pension liabilities and fund infrastructure, in […]
School transportation would be fully funded for first time in decades under House budget plan
FRANKFORT — Kentucky House Republicans would fully fund school transportation in a state budget proposal that advanced from committee Wednesday.?? The House Appropriations and Revenue Committee in a special-called meeting approved bills funding all three branches of government, making one-time appropriations from the state’s “rainy day” fund and releasing tens of millions of dollars in […]
Pilot program to add speed cameras to roadway work zones heads to Kentucky House
FRANKFORT — Adding speed cameras to highway construction zones received a House committee’s approval with bipartisan support Tuesday.? Under House Bill 192, sponsored by Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville,? the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would create a three-year pilot program starting in 2025 to add speed cameras to work zones in an effort to discourage speeding and […]
House-approved bill asks voters to make clear: Noncitizens can’t vote in Kentucky
FRANKFORT — A Republican-backed bill passed Tuesday by the Kentucky House of Representatives would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment barring people who aren’t U.S. citizens from voting in state and local elections, something that Kentucky’s chief elections official says doesn’t happen.? House Bill 341 sponsor, Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland, described the bill as […]
Kentucky has tens of millions of dollars of backlogged requests to repair local roads
Kentucky is?unable to fulfill nearly $40 million of requests from cities and counties to help repair local roads because of a lack of funding, a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official told state lawmakers Monday.? Bobbi Jo Lewis, commissioner of the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid in the Transportation Cabinet, urged the House Budget Review Subcommittee […]
Chemical plant pollution has ‘elevated’ cancer risk in a West Kentucky city, study says
“Toxic air pollution,” largely from a single chemical manufacturer, is elevating the risk of cancer for the approximately 2,500 residents of Calvert City in West Kentucky, state and federal environmental officials are warning.? A study, conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with three air monitors put in place by the Kentucky Division of Air […]