Tagged: Kentucky General Assembly

Gov. Steve Beshear has acted on every bill approved in the 2013 Kentucky General Assembly session. Some bill are are stranger than others.

Every year, Kentucky legislators OK a handful of bills that make lobbyists and lawmakers rolling their eyes, and this year is no different.

Here are some examples:

Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed a bill sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo that would require prompt payment in the Medicaid managed care system. 

The governor was expected to veto the bill, claiming it would cost the state too much money.

But in turn, Beshear says he will implement the spirit of the bill, including allowing the Department of Insurance to investigate late payment claims. Beshear also promised the administrative side of the managed care system would work better.

Governor Steve Beshear is allowing a bill regulating hemp in Kentucky to become law without his signature.

Supporters of Senate Bill 50 were concerned that the governor might veto the bill after continuing expressing concerns law enforcement had with the bill that it would allow increased marijuana growing. 

But those concerns apparently weren't enough to veto the bill, as the governor says he will let it become law.

This year’s legislative session is officially over, and one environmental lobbyist says it was a relative success.

This year, there were about 50 bills that were loosely categorized as having something to do with the environment or energy (including ones that were tagged “natural gas,” “coal,” “pollution” and “nuclear”). Twelve of them passed the General Assembly, and have either been signed by Governor Beshear or are waiting on his signature. On the face, that’s a 24 percent success rate.