Tagged: Capitol Bureau

A bill creating an alternative diploma for special needs students is one vote away from becoming law.

Senate Bill 43 would apply different core standards to qualified students who would then earn the alternative diploma. Currently, special needs students in Kentucky receive only a certificate when they graduate.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Dennis Parrett, says he’s only trying to fix what he views as a problem.

A Senate bill that would give county governments more control over constables could have enough support to become law.

Originally, both chambers pursued constitutional amendments to eliminate the office of constable altogether, spurred by several recent instances of constables abusing their power.

But an agreement not to crowd the fall ballot with constitutional amendments led to the Senate proposal.

House Speaker Pro Tempore Larry Clark says now that the bill’s scope has changed, it has a good chance of making it through the House.

A bill that would make pseudoephedrine available only by prescription in Kentucky has cleared its first legislative hurdle.

PSE is commonly found in cold medicines and is also used to make meth. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard another hour of testimony on the issue from law enforcement officers and former meth addicts today before passing the bill out of committee.

Before the vote, sponsor Robert Stivers promised to continue pushing the measure regardless of its eventual fate.

After weeks of waiting, Governor Steve Beshear and state Senator Damon Thayer have unveiled their constitutional amendment for expanded gambling.

The amendment allows for up to seven casinos in Kentucky, but five must be at horse racing tracks. The two free-standing casinos cannot be within sixty miles of a track, regardless of whether that track has a casino.

This week legislation has been flying around the house and senate in Frankfort, and somewhat surprisingly the house and senate came to an agreement on congressional districts. Kentucky Public Radio’s Kenny Colston speaks with Rick Howlett about the happenings in Kentucky’s State Capitol this week.

Here are a few stories Kenny covered this week: