by Scott Wartman, [email protected] – The ban on tolls on the Brent Spence Bridge is now signed into law. Gov. Matt Bevin on Friday signed the bill to allow for private money to pay for public projects, known as P3, with one notable exception. The law prohibits any tolls on any highway connecting Ohio and Kentucky…
by The Associated Press – FRANKFORT, KY. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is encouraging state lawmakers to pass a budget before the legislature adjourns for the year. Bevin spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said the Republican governor still hopes lawmakers can pass a budget without an expensive special session. House and Senate lawmakers ended budget negotiations late Sunday…
by Kevin Wheatley, @KWheatley_cn2 – FRANKFORT — About an hour after telling reporters that he expected talks to continue for several hours late Sunday, Senate President Robert Stivers and other members of the budget conference committee abruptly left the negotiating table. Stivers, R-Manchester, did not answer questions as he exited the Capitol Annex meeting around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. House…
by JOSH JAMES – Following specific bills as they wind their way through the Kentucky General Assembly and sifting through the legalese often takes more research than the average voter is up for, but a project launched at the University of Kentucky aims to cut through the clutter. An intern at the Capitol, second year sophomore political…
by R.G. Dunlop – Legislation designed to hold Kentucky’s jailers more accountable has achieved mixed results so far in this year’s General Assembly. A bill that would require jailers who don’t have a jail to run to file quarterly progress reports with their county fiscal courts passed the Senate but is awaiting consideration in the House. Legislators…
by Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ – Ky. Senate Pres. Robert Stivers said “I will not budge,” in regard to April 12 date scheduled for budget adjournment. Stivers cited high job loss in his native eastern Kentucky and House of Reps previous spending, as contention points. Alton Strupp/The Courier-Journal FRANKFORT, Ky. – House and Senate leaders resumed face-to-face talks…
by Andrew Wolfson, @adwolfson – The Louisville chapter of the American Association of University Professors says the University of Louisville’s Faculty Senate should meet in a public session Wednesday when it discusses a proposed no-confidence vote on President James Ramsey by the Board of Trustees. The association, whose mission includes upholding principles of academic freedom and shared governance,…
by Kevin Wheatley, @KWheatley_cn2 – LOUISVILLE — With two Democratic challengers nipping at his heels, state Senate Minority Caucus Chairman Gerald Neal appealed to more than 75 assembled in the basement of King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church on Tuesday that his experience in the General Assembly should earn him another term. Neal fended off spirited remarks from former legislative…
by JOSH JAMES – Both the House and Senate versions of the two-year state budget include billions more in federal and state dollars than the previous spending plan passed in 2014 – and the boost appears to be driving yet another increase in lobbying. Lobbying spending has broken records on an almost yearly basis the past few…
Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ – FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Matt Bevin’s inaugural committee paid $52,251 in leftover expenses during the first three months of 2016 including a $6,812 payment for bells to a Bevin company, Bevin Bros. Manufacturing, of East Hampton, Conn. But Kelly Knight, who co-chairs the committee, said the committee bought the bells at cost and…
