Kentucky

‘Safer Kentucky’ and abortion exceptions: Legislature sees notable bills filed in Week 2

Published

11 months ago

January 13, 2024

‘Safer Kentucky’ and abortion exceptions: Legislature sees notable bills filed in Week 2

FRANKFORT – Kentucky legislators came to a fork in the road in Week 2 of the 2024 session. And in the words of the great Yogi Berra, they took it.

Several notable bills were filed, while committees took early action on other pieces of legislation that were put forward in the General Assembly’s first week. There’s plenty of time before the session ends in April, but we have an early look at some key priorities legislators brought with them to Frankfort for the 60-day session.

Here’s a quick breakdown of highlights, news and notes from the session’s first full five-day week, with the House and Senate set to gavel back in Tuesday afternoon.

A busy week for new legislation

Several high-profile bills hit the floor for the first time.

Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, announced Tuesday morning he would file a bill adding exceptions to Kentucky’s near total abortion ban for circumstances including rape, incest, the mother’s health (current law only allows abortions in cases where the mother’s life is at risk) and if the fetus is not expected to survive birth.

Yates, who filed Senate Bill 99 later that day, was joined by advocate Hadley Duvall and Gov. Andy Beshear, who urged legislators to take action. Duvall is a sexual abuse survivor who appeared in a Beshear campaign ad last fall calling for exceptions to the law.

That afternoon, the “Safer Kentucky Act” was filed by Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, and a group of other Jefferson County Republicans. House Bill 5 would take several steps at improving public safety, including increased penalties for people convicted of three violent felonies, establishing a carjacking statute, new restrictions on charitable bail organizations and a crackdown on street camping.

Co-sponsor Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, said the legislation is about “getting people who are going to continue to commit crimes” off the streets. And Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, who said Wednesday he appreciates the General Assembly’s efforts to improve public safety but did not offer much insight as to whether he supports all items in HB 5, was in Frankfort a day later to discuss it and other issues with legislators.

It’s certain to attract plenty of attention. Several groups who oppose it plan to speak out at a press conference Tuesday morning in Frankfort.

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 10, which would let voters decide whether to push Kentucky elections for statewide offices back a year to fall in line with presidential races, advanced through committee to the Senate floor. The measure is sponsored by Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, who argued it would increase voter participation and save Kentucky money.

Stephen Voss, a professor of political science at the University of Kentucky, said it’s “no surprise” Republicans want to alter the state’s election schedule because GOP candidates tend to do well in national elections.

Around the Capitol

The Senate approved its first bill of the 2024 General Assembly on Tuesday — Senate Bill 5, which would eliminate the state’s hunting and fishing license requirements for people who own the land on which they are hunting. Current law requires a permit for hunting and fishing on private properties consisting of five or fewer acres.
A wave of legislators announced before the session that they don’t plan to seek reelection, including Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, along with two lawmakers who will instead seek seats on Louisville’s Metro Council in Democratic Rep. Josie Raymond and Republican Rep. Kevin Bratcher. But Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, isn’t going anywhere — he told reporters Tuesday he plans to remain in Frankfort for at least five more years.
A Senate resolution put forward in the first week of the General Assembly by Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, would have called on the chamber to recognize many of those arrested after the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol “have been wrongfully detained for exercising their constitutional rights” and have not been afforded due process. But it’s unlikely to advance — Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Crofton, has told reporters he has no plans to bring it up in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs.
House members took most of Friday’s time in session to honor Rep. Brandon Reed, R-Hodgenville, who’s leaving the legislature to work under new Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell. Reed had been in office since 2017. House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, will set a date for a special election to fill his seat.

Looking ahead

The budget bill is still hanging over the session like an anvil, but expect action on it soon.

Osborne told Kentucky Educational Television on Monday that the bill was likely within the next week or two (you can be excused for having missed that broadcast — Stivers joked Tuesday morning that it was tough competing with the College Football Playoff title game for viewers that night).

The budget is the biggest priority of the legislature this year. Gov. Andy Beshear released his budget proposal last month, though the General Assembly will pass the bill that eventually lands on his desk.

That bill isn’t on the docket yet, though. On Tuesday, the Senate is set to discuss Senate Bill 17 (which includes tweaks to Kentucky’s death certificate process) and Senate Bill 24 (which would limit the number of Medicaid organizations contracted by the state to three or fewer). The House, meanwhile, will discuss House Bill 88, which would prevent groups that are not banks from presenting themselves as such in ads to homeowners.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in honor of the civil rights icon, and the General Assembly will not be in session. Legislators will gavel back in for a four-day week in Frankfort at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Reach Rebecca Grapevine at rgrapevine@courier-journal.com. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

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Kentucky

Former Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines indicted for murder of Kentucky judge

Published

8 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Former Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines indicted for murder of Kentucky judge

Two months after video showed him shooting a Kentucky judge at point-blank range in his chambers, former Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines has been indicted for murder.

The indictment, announced jointly by state and local prosecutors, charges Stines with shooting and killing Letcher County District Court Judge Kevin Mullins. Stines is scheduled to appear for his arraignment on Monday, Nov. 25.

RELATED STORY | Video shows Kentucky judge try to hide as he’s gunned down in chambers

At a probable cause hearing in October, prosecutors showed a silent video that appeared to show Stines walking into the judge’s chambers with a weapon and firing multiple times at the victim, who frantically tried to escape under his desk.

Stines, who was sheriff at the time of the shooting, resigned on Oct. 1, hours before appearing in court to plead not guilty to murder charges.

RELATED STORY | Kentucky sheriff charged with fatally shooting a judge pleads not guilty in first court appearance

Investigators have not offered any potential motive for the murder. Those who knew Stines and Mullins said the two had worked together for years and were friends.

To date, prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek the death penalty.

This story was originally published by Lauren Silver at Court TV.

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Kentucky

BY THE NUMBERS: Texas 31, UK 14

Published

16 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky played Texas competitively during stretches of Saturday’s game in Austin but an ugly stretch in the second quarter gave the Horns a lead they would never relinquish.

Here are some of the key numbers that tell the story of what happened in the game.

209 … More yards for Texas than Kentucky. That’s not surprising but speaks to the challenge. The Horns had 441 yards of offense with a lot of balance (250 on the ground, 191 through the air) while the Cats mustered only 211 yards of offense, almost all of which was passing.

160 … The total passing yards for Cutter Boley. The freshman was 10/18 for 160 yards and an interception. Boley entered the game because Brock Vandagriff was struggling and he did a lot to impress. He saw the field well, made some confident reads and delivered catchable balls down the field.

158 … Rushing yards for Texas’ Quintrevion Wisner. The Longhorns rushed for 250 yards on the game.

25:30 … Time of possession for Kentucky in the game. Any upset bid would have been aided by Kentucky controlling the ball more than Texas. That did not happen.

20 … Carries for Kentucky running backs Jamarion Wilcox (50 yards) and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (30 yards). Wilcox had a long of 18 while DSK’s long was just six yards. The backs had decent success considering the opponent but Boley was charged with -57 rushing yards.

17 … Second quarter points for the Longhorns. That’s when the game appeared to be decided. First, the Horns went 65 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. Then after a Vandagriff pick they scored again quickly before adding a field goal as the half ran out.

11 … Fumbles in the game. It was almost comical how often the ball was bouncing at times. Kentucky fumbled five times but didn’t lose one of them, while Texas fumbled six times and lost two.

10 … Tackles for sophomore Texas linebacker Anthony Hill, who we said coming into the game was playing at an All-American level. He had two sacks and three tackles for loss as the most active, productive Texas defender in the game. He was a problem Kentucky couldn’t account for.

6 … Sacks by the Texas defense. That led to UK only being credited with 21 rushing yards on the game, but more important was the impact on UK’s offensive results. The protection issues have been persistent all season.

2/12 ... Kentucky on third down. That’s not going to get it done in a game like this. That’s a big reason why Texas ran 23 more plays than Kentucky, and had the ball for 10 minutes longer. The big problem was that Kentucky averaged 11.1 yards to go on third down today.

0 … The turnover margin in the game. That gave Kentucky a chance to play somewhat competitively. Both teams had seven points off turnovers with UK’s being Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s return.

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Kentucky

Quinn Ewers Returns vs. Kentucky Wildcats After Exiting Medical Tent

Published

1 day ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Quinn Ewers Returns vs. Kentucky Wildcats After Exiting Medical Tent

AUSTIN — Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers went into the medical tent in the second quarter of Saturday’s home finale against the Kentucky Wildcats after the conclusion of a touchdown drive. Ewers appeared to have his ankle rolled up on earlier in the possession but never went off to the sidelines despite having a small limp.

Fortunately for the Longhorns, he was right back on the field for Texas’ next drive after an acrobatic interception from Jelani McDonald. A few plays later, he connected with Gunnar Helm for his second touchdown catch of the day on a 17-yard score.

Ewers has, of course, been no stranger to injuries during his time at Texas. He’s in his third year with Texas but has missed a total of seven games as a Longhorn due to injury, with at least two absences in each season. This included two missed games this season due to an oblique injury he suffered against UTSA.

Naturally, the conversation of him earning the “injury-prone” label is a real one to have, but head coach Steve Sarkisian sees things differently.

“I don’t necessarily think so,” Sarkisian said. “Sometimes injuries happen because they happen, you know? … I mean, when a guy gets pile-drived on his shoulder, there’s a pretty good chance — it doesn’t matter who you are — your shoulder is probably going to be sore to some capacity. Or when you get pile-drived and your clavicle gets, gets popped. I mean, I don’t know many guys that would have withstood that hit from Dallas Turner a couple years ago. That was an odd hit. And I’ve seen that injury, that same injury Quinn had that year, Jalen Hurts had as well. Oddly enough, he has the oblique strain there a few weeks ago, and I’m watching the game the other night. Derek Carr is out of the game, oblique strain.”

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