Budget bill resurfaces in Frankfort
After gathering dust for nearly two months, the two-year state budget bill passed by House Republicans in January finally leapt back to into motion, with the Senate unveiling and passing an amended version Wednesday.
This week, the Kentucky legislature also saw movement on bills to restrict public assistance for the poor and unemployed, prohibit mask mandates and outlaw questions about employees' vaccine status.
This week's newsletter also leaves you with two pearls of wisdom — don't invest in countries bent on starting World War III and never, ever cross the Nashville Book Lady.
Budget and taxes
House Bill 1 received a makeover and quick passage in the Senate, with Republicans in that chamber spending considerably less to make room for tax reform and changing up some priorities on appropriations.
We took a closer look at some of the changes to the bill — like axing funding for full-day kindergarten — and how Republican leadership must find common ground on spending and taxes in the weeks ahead as they hash things out in conference committee.
If you want to get all the political news from The Courier Journal and a whole lot more, you'll want to check out this great deal for new subscribers!
TRS yanks before Sberbank tanks
After a social media storm alleging the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System is the second-largest holder of Sberbank — a Russian bank rendered nearly worthless after the invasion of Ukraine and sanctions — officials came forward to say there was no such catastrophe for the plan... barely.
While TRS had invested $15 million in Sberbank in 2017, it sold its shares on Feb. 23 — just a day before Russia invaded and the bank's value tanked.
Here's our look at the Russian exposure of TRS and the retirement plans in the Kentucky Public Pension Authority.
Benefits under fire
House Republicans unveiled a priority bill to enact tighter controls on public assistance like food stamps and Medicaid, authorizing the attorney general to sue the governor's cabinet if it fails to implement the new rules.
The legislature also gavel final passage to a bill significantly restricting how long Kentuckians can remain eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, over the objection of rural Republicans who said it would hurt their constituents.
Frankfort roundup
Here's what else went down in the Kentucky General Assembly this past week:
Rep. Danny Bentley joined the growing list of GOP legislators having to apologize to the Jewish community for their public remarks, this time for his false claims about the Holocaust and the sex habits of Jewish women.
A bill advanced to prohibit governments and colleges from asking employees and students to disclose their vaccine status, but only after it was amended to remove private employers.
The House moved to ban schools, colleges and day care centers from mandating masks, though Jefferson County Public Schools then moved to beat them to the punch.
A bill that critics says would roll back juvenile justice reform advanced with little opposition.
An official with Ronald Reagan's foundation doubts a bill requiring students to read his 1964 campaign speech would have been supported by the former president, though a critical historian mused that it could prove valuable as a fact-checking exercise.
Just about every college coach in the state attended Gov. Andy Beshear's signing of the name, image and likeness bill into law, including John Calipari and his lucky watch.
Goodness gracious, you do NOT want to cross Dolly Parton.
In case you missed it...
In the continuing saga of state prosecutor Sharon Muse Johnson, the attorney general's office is now investigating the grand jury process of at least 20 of her indictments, some of which may be dismissed.
Louisville has some serious "no tolls" envy when it comes to optimism over a possible toll-free bridge connecting Kentucky and Cincinnati.
The Supreme Court ruled that Attorney General Daniel Cameron can represent the state to defend an abortion law.
Shortly after being one of the few members of Congress to vote against an anti-lynching bill, Rep. Thomas Massie was one of three to vote against a resolution supporting Ukraine.
Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Budget bill resurfaces in Frankfort
