Ky Politics Distilled

Lawmakers advanced a flurry of conservative bills in the Kentucky legislature this week, including two major anti-abortion initiatives, a bill that would scale back the state’s solar industry and a measure that would no longer require people who concealed carry weapons to get a permit. Jean West from member station WFPL talks to capitol reporter Ryland Barton for this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

It was a busy week in Frankfort this week with Gov. Matt Bevin’s State of the Commonwealth address, new developments on an election contest for a statehouse seat and protesters from the Poor People's Campaign finally getting a meeting with the governor. In the latest edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled, Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton speaks with WFPL host Jean West.

This week was the filing deadline for candidates running for governor, attorney general and other statewide offices this year. And a lawsuit involving former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis continues to roll through the courts system. Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton spoke with WFPL's Jean West for this week's episode. Related Stories: Appeals Court To Decide Who Should Pay Legal Fees In Kim Davis Case Gov. Bevin, Kentucky Clerk At Odds Over Attorneys’ Fees Here’s Who’s Running For Ky. Governor And Other Offices Kentucky Attorney General Warns Abortion Bill Is Unlawful

This week in Kentucky politics, Gov. Matt Bevin confirmed that he'll run for re-election, but with a new running mate. Jenean Hampton is out, Ralph Alvarado is in. Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton has this week's Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, some state leaders and political parties are responding to more details about sexual assault accusations leveled against Rep. Jeff Hoover. The accusations were revealed in a report published by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting and Kentucky Public Radio. Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton has this week's Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, the Kentucky General Assembly gavelled back in...and now, lawmakers are on a break until the beginning of February. But a lot happened in that week. There's still a House seat that's still in contention, lawmakers discussed legalizing medical marijuana and took steps to restrict abortion further in Kentucky. Oh--and pension reform is still on everyone's mind. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, Rand Paul was one of the few politicians to defend President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration restored vision and dental benefits to almost 400,000 people on Medicaid after taking them away earlier this month. And Kentucky’s bourbon industry ramped up its warnings about how a trade war would impact the state’s signature industry. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, Attorney General Andy Beshear announced he’s running for governor, the state auditor released a report finding a “pervasive lack of accountability” in Kentucky’s courts administration, and a bunch of new laws go into effect this weekend.Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in state politics, federal education officials came to Kentucky to talk about ways to make schools safer and Gov. Matt Bevin said it all comes down to kids’ cell phone use. One of the Republican lawmakers who helped make changes to the state pension system says they’ll pass the bill again if it’s struck down by the courts. And the state’s new education commissioner talked about the potential costs of taking over Louisville’s school system. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, a judge struck down Kentucky’s new pension law, saying legislators broke the law by rushing the bill to passage. Kentucky’s health secretary says the state will have to cut benefits if a federal court blocks Gov. Matt Bevin’s changes to the Medicaid system. And Democrats no longer make up a majority of registered voters in the state. Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, Kentucky State Troopers shut protesters out of the state Capitol, allowing only two people to enter the building at a time. Attorney General Andy Beshear is suing Walgreens, saying the company helped fuel the opioid epidemic in the state. And a high-powered lobbyist was in federal court as prosecutors try to prove he bribed a former state official to help a client get state contracts. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, the lawsuit over the new pension law was argued in court. Kentucky’s new commissioner of education laid out his priorities, which include helping charter schools open up and taking over Louisville’s public school system. And Mitch McConnell continued to express concern about President Trump’s tariffs leading to a full-blown trade war. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, Gov. Matt Bevin said he’s partnering with a former Democratic congressman to help people navigate the state’s new Medicaid rules. We found out that lobbyists set a new spending record at the state legislature as lawmakers made changes to the tax code. Plus, a state-funded aluminum mill broke ground in northeastern Kentucky and Gov. Bevin asked for a judge to recuse himself from the lawsuit over the new pension bill. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, lawmakers retreated behind closed doors to begin hammering out a compromise on the state budget for the next two years. A bill that would shield personal cell phones and computers from records requests drew fire from open government advocates. And a common type of abortion would be banned under a bill that is nearing final passage out of the legislature. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week in Kentucky politics, students marched on the state Capitol to call for lawmakers to come up with solutions to school shootings; during a radio interview, Gov. Matt Bevin lashed out at teachers for protesting a plan that would take some of their retirement benefits away; and the pension bill that teachers have been protesting, well, it’s on life support. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

This week, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Congressman Andy Barr came back home to jeering crowds of protesters at town hall-type meetings. Meanwhile the General Assembly advanced controversial bills including a bill giving more power to Louisville’s metro council and another that would create a social studies course about the bible.

Controversial proposals like the “blue lives matter” bill and a scheme to defund Planned Parenthood advanced in the General Assembly this week. Legislation stiffening drug penalties and changing public education also made their way through the Republican-led legislature. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

Lawmakers returned to Frankfort this week after a month-long break in the legislative session. Governor Bevin announced that the state might have to raise taxes to fix the state’s ailing pension system. Plus, a sweeping criminal justice reform proposal was proposed and a bill making it a hate crime to attack police officers is making its way through the legislative process. Capitol reporter Ryland Barton has this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled.

Kentucky Politics Distilled: Budget Compromise by KY Politics Distilled

A little over a month ago Gov. Matt Bevin unveiled Benefind, a one-stop shop for entitlement benefits like food stamps, cash assistance and Medicaid. The rollout of the program has had huge problems, with thousands of people losing services and thousands more getting false notices that they had lost services. There’s been a lot of confusion over what caused the problems and who’s to blame. In this week’s edition of Kentucky Politics Distilled, capitol reporter Ryland Barton tells us what happened.