Apr 12 Local News Stumbo Says House Won’t Override Budget Vetoes, Giving Beshear the Final Word Governor Steve Beshear’s 45 vetoes to the executive branch budget will remain intact. House Speaker Greg Stumbo says the House Democratic caucus chose not to override any vetoes, despite the objections of individual lawmakers. “But collectively as a body the caucus chose to support the governor’s decisions to veto. He gave a very good presentation […] By Kenny Colston Apr 12 Local News Stumbo Says House Won’t Override Budget Vetoes, Giving Beshear the Final Word Kenny Colston
Apr 11 Local News Outside of Budget Line Items, Beshear Doesn’t Expect to Veto Other Bills Kentucky lawmakers have one more legislative day in their calendar this year, but they likely won’t spend it overriding vetoed bills. Governor Steve Beshear spent most of Wednesday signing bills into law. And outside of the almost mandatory line item vetoes every governor has in budget bills, Beshear says he doesn’t expect to use his […] By Kenny Colston Apr 11 Local News Outside of Budget Line Items, Beshear Doesn’t Expect to Veto Other Bills Kenny Colston
Apr 11 Local News Beshear Predicts Prescription Pill Bill Will Pass in Strong Form Supporters of a bill that would put more restrictions on prescription pills say they believe the measure will pass soon, despite increased lobbying efforts by doctors to weaken the bill. The bill would move the KASPER prescription tracking system to the Attorney General’s office and strengthen restrictions on pain clinics. Kentucky lawmakers were unable to […] By Kenny Colston Apr 11 Local News Beshear Predicts Prescription Pill Bill Will Pass in Strong Form Kenny Colston
Apr 11 Local News Bill Allowing Reflective Tape on Slow Moving Vehicles Becomes Law Drivers of slow moving vehicles now have the option of using reflective tape instead of the standard orange triangle while on Kentucky roads. Governor Steve Beshear signed Senate Bill 75 into law today. The bill is in response to the jailing of Amish men in Western Kentucky, who refused to use the orange triangles for […] By Kenny Colston Apr 11 Local News Bill Allowing Reflective Tape on Slow Moving Vehicles Becomes Law Kenny Colston
Apr 11 Local News Beshear Signs Deal on Unemployment Loan Interest Payments Into Law Governor Steve Beshear has signed a plan to save employers from federal unemployment insurance tax hikes into law. At his first ceremonial bill signing of the year, Beshear praised lawmakers and the business and labor communities for reaching a compromise. House Bill 495 would allow Kentucky to borrow money from a state organization to repay […] By Kenny Colston Apr 11 Local News Beshear Signs Deal on Unemployment Loan Interest Payments Into Law Kenny Colston
Apr 11 Local News Beshear Denounces Planned Neo-Nazi Demonstration Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear responded to a planned rally by a Michigan-based neo-Nazi group, which claims it will march on the state Capitol in Frankfort on April 21. The National Socialist Movement announced the demonstration will focus on “illegal immigration, rampant crime, the recession and white civil rights.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, […] By WFPL News Apr 11 Local News Beshear Denounces Planned Neo-Nazi Demonstration WFPL News
Apr 10 Local News Beshear Urges More State-to-State Cooperation to Fight Prescription Pill Abuse Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is encouraging his peers to join him in fighting prescription pill abuse. Beshear sent that message today at a prescription pill conference in Florida sponsored by Operation UNITE. For the last few years, Beshear has reached out to Kentucky’s neighbors to share information on prescription pill tracking, in an attempt to […] By Kenny Colston Apr 10 Local News Beshear Urges More State-to-State Cooperation to Fight Prescription Pill Abuse Kenny Colston
Apr 10 Local News Beshear, Daniels to Receive Honorary Degrees from Bellarmine Bellarmine University will bestow honorary degrees to Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels at their spring commencement ceremony. The school is recognizing the two governors for their regional partnership and bipartisan cooperation, specifically citing their work on the $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges. The juggernaut public works projects seeks to construct a […] By WFPL News Apr 10 Local News Beshear, Daniels to Receive Honorary Degrees from Bellarmine WFPL News
Apr 9 Local News Beshear Approves Alternative Diploma Bill, Legislative Budget Governor Steve Beshear has signed more bills that passed the General Assembly this session. Lawmakers will return to Frankfort Thursday to try and override any potential vetoes, but so far, the governor hasn’t vetoed anything. He has, however, approved more than a dozen bills since lawmakers left Frankfort late last month. The bills that have […] By Kenny Colston Apr 9 Local News Beshear Approves Alternative Diploma Bill, Legislative Budget Kenny Colston
Apr 8 Local News Toyota Cheers New Auto Incentives Law Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has signed a bill into law that gives tax incentives to automakers in Kentucky. The new law allows manufacturers and suppliers to tap the incentives if they have 1,000 employees, have been in business in Kentucky for at least five years and are willing to invest $100 million in the state. The […] By Kenny Colston Apr 8 Local News Toyota Cheers New Auto Incentives Law Kenny Colston
Apr 2 Local News In Frankfort, Attention Turns to Vetoes With budgets passed and lawmakers in recess, the focus in Frankfort is now on Governor Steve Beshear and his veto pen. A host of bills are on Beshear’s desk. The most important are budget bills for all three branches of government. But many other relevant bills are waiting for the Governor. Most notably, bills that […] By Kenny Colston Apr 2 Local News In Frankfort, Attention Turns to Vetoes Kenny Colston
Mar 30 Local News Lawmakers Officially Approve Budget Bills Kentucky lawmakers have officially passed two-year budgets for all three branches of state government. After hatching a deal early Thursday morning, lawmakers finally received the compromise in bill form this afternoon. The Senate passed the executive branch budget 36 to 1 and passed a judicial budget compromise unanimously. The House also overwhelmingly approved the budgets. […] By Kenny Colston Mar 30 Local News Lawmakers Officially Approve Budget Bills Kenny Colston
Mar 29 Local News Lawmakers Reach Compromise on Tax Amnesty Program Kentucky lawmakers seem to have reached an agreement on a bill to restart a tax amnesty program. The program allows Kentuckians with delinquent taxes to apply for reduced payments. Governor Steve Beshear proposed the program to help raise revenue. The House scaled back Beshear’s original proposal, and the Senate made further revisions. But legislative leaders have decided […] By Kenny Colston Mar 29 Local News Lawmakers Reach Compromise on Tax Amnesty Program Kenny Colston
Mar 29 Local News Expansion of Preschool Funding Cut in Budget Compromise An effort by Governor Steve Beshear to expand preschool services in the commonwealth did not make it into the final state budget. Beshear put a $15 million appropriation for preschool in his budget proposal. The House cut that figure in half and funded other education programs with what was left. The Senate struck all the […] By Kenny Colston Mar 29 Local News Expansion of Preschool Funding Cut in Budget Compromise Kenny Colston
Mar 27 Local News Beshear and Abramson Discuss ‘Dream Game’ on ESPN Appearing on ESPN’s Sportscenter, Governor Steve Beshear and Lt. Governor Jerry Abramson discussed the upcoming game between the Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. The excitement over the archrivals playing for a spot in the championship game spilled over into the political arena earlier this week when Louisville […] By WFPL News Mar 27 Local News Beshear and Abramson Discuss ‘Dream Game’ on ESPN WFPL News