Politics

Kentucky Republicans hoping to win the state House in elections this fall are getting a helping hand from the party’s leader.

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell has used his leadership PAC to dole out at least $54,000 dollars to Republican lawmakers in the last three months.

McConnell typically uses the Bluegrass Committee PAC to help U.S. Senate candidates in his bid to become majority leader. But his focus is now on making sure Kentucky’s two legislative chambers are controlled by Republicans. Currently, the Senate is GOP controlled, but not the House. 

In the Indiana Ninth congressional district race, Democrat Shelli Yoder has filed a tepid fundraising report.

Yoder is a political newcomer and she brought in just over $93,000 in the second quarter of this year. She faces Republican incumbent Todd Young, who garnered $311,000 in the same period. According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, Yoder has $73,000 total on hand, compared to the nearly $900,000 in Young’s coffers.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is not joining other Kentucky  officials in calling for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

The Louisville Metro Ethics Commission still cannot compel witnesses to testify, which could impact a possible hearing involving Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin.

Over the past year the commission has addressed a number of procedural and policy weaknesses it discovered during the course of two hearings against former Councilwoman Judy Green. The panel has since hired a full-time legal counsel and requested the council tinker with parts of the city code of ethics.

But in its 2011 annual report the commission said the lack of subpoena powers remains a serious challenge to its ability to enforce the law and is ultimately a question of state law that the General Assembly must address.

"At this point in time without that power people come voluntarily and provide testimony on their own," says Ethics Commission Chairman Jonathan Ricketts. "And without being able to compel their attendance we’re limited in what we can bring and evaluate."