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Committee-approved bill would remove requirement Kentucky employers give lunch breaks, rest periods
Employers in Kentucky would no longer be required to give employees a “reasonable” amount of time for lunch or rest breaks under a committee-approved bill passed Wednesday by Republicans. HB 500, sponsored by Phillip Pratt (R-Georgetown) would repeal state statutes that require lunch breaks between three to five...
McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November
Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November. McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well...
Here’s what hurts the most
On Feb. 9, Sen. Matthew Deneen (R-Hardin) sent out a press release that began, “It’s an unfortunate time here in the commonwealth as we must address a pressing issue, and that is gun violence …”. Yes! I wanted to scream. Finally!. But Deneen was not talking about...
The Wrap for Tuesday, 2/27
Editor’s note: This post is an experiment. It is a prototype of an article-plus-newsletter that I am considering adding to the site: a mostly-daily wrap-up of political and governance news across Kentucky. It will also include, at the end, a list of everything else published on Forward Kentucky that day.
Bill adds exception for rape, incest to state abortion ban
A Republican state lawmaker has filed legislation to add abortion exceptions for rape and incest and clarify what constitutes legal abortion for unviable pregnancy under Kentucky’s abortion ban. The bill is House Bill 711, and the sponsor is Rep. Ken Fleming (R-Louisville), chair of the House personnel, public retirement,...
House Bill 5 would cost Kentucky more than $1 billion over ten years
Via press release from the KY Center for Economic Policy. As the Kentucky Senate considers House Bill (HB) 5, legislation containing the most sweeping expansion of the state’s criminal statutes in decades, the bill still lacks a comprehensive corrections impact statement despite passing the House in early February. As a result, citizens and lawmakers cannot know the full projected cost of this expensive and harmful legislation.
Chicago is the latest city rethinking disputed technology that listens for gunshots
Chicago has joined a growing list of cities that have cut ties with a controversial company that tries to reduce urban gun violence with 24/7 technology that listens for the crack of gunshots and immediately notifies police. This month, Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the city would not renew...
KY Senate Bill 2 — ‘guardians’ to protect our kids from school shooters — is a dangerous bill. Here’s why.
In 2023, I attended School Safety Task Force meetings chaired by Senator Max Wise. According to my calendar, the final SSTF meeting was held the afternoon of Nov. 1, 2023, and what I remember most are these two things. Sen. Wise made a point to thank everyone on the committee...
The Wrap for Monday, 2/26
Editor’s note: This post is an experiment. It is a prototype of an article-plus-newsletter that I am considering adding to the site: a mostly-daily wrap-up of political and governance news across Kentucky. It will also include, at the end, a list of everything else published on Forward Kentucky that day.
Vaping bill passes House after being stripped of licensing requirements and stiffer penalties
The House passed a watered-down bill to address youth vaping Thursday, Feb. 22, after a committee removed provisions to require vape shops be licensed and raise penalties for their violations. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Hart (R-Falmouth) told Kentucky Health News that he took out the licensing and penalty provisions...
Distrust of fluoride ‘mind-boggling’; mineral is ‘time-tested’ and a ‘good thing,’ dentists say
As a dental hygienist working with low-income schoolchildren in Louisville, Jennifer Hasch said the untreated tooth disease she saw was shocking. Some teens had decay so severe they had to have all their teeth pulled and be fitted with dentures. Middle school kids reported being unable to sleep because of pain from infected and abscessed teeth. First and second-graders required in-patient oral surgery under anesthesia because of the severity of tooth and gum disease.
What anti-DEI politicos get wrong. Part 2 – the conspiracy & fall-out
Most conservatives I know are not bigots. But many have bought into the anti-DEI rhetoric propagated by conservative media outlets without realizing its origins in white supremacist ideology. Let’s examine that. The broader conspiracy. Investigative journalists at Vox, The New York Times, and others recently revealed that anti-DEI legislators...
Denise Harper Angel on one bad bill and one good bill
Sen. Denise Harper Angel (D-Louisville) sends out regular updates to her constituents and others on her email list. This week, she had good explanations about two bills that passed the Senate, and I thought they were worth sharing with our readers. In furthering our legislative developments in the Senate, I...
The Wrap for Friday, 2/23
Editor’s note: This post is an experiment. It is a prototype of an article-plus-newsletter that I am considering adding to the site: a mostly-daily wrap-up of political and governance news across Kentucky. As such, it won’t contain articles of other types, such as commentary and media. (You’ll need to go to the site, or read the weekly.
House GOP approve bill loosening Kentucky child labor law
Republicans in the GOP-dominated Kentucky House of Representatives approved Thursday legislation allowing some teenagers to work longer and later hours over strong opposition from their Democratic colleagues. House Bill 255, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt (R-Georgetown) repeals Kentucky’s existing child labor laws and aligns them with federal laws, which are...
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