Category Archives: Capitol Solutions Blog

With new Brent Spence Bridge tolling ban, sponsors of public-private partnership bills optimistic about their chances

by Kevin Wheatley – FRANKFORT — Legislation that would authorize public-private partnerships for state, local and transportation projects came close to becoming law in 2014, but the estimated $2.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge reconstruction project in northern Kentucky has proven an insurmountable obstacle for the past two years. Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, has sponsored so-called P3 bills in…

Republican group attempts to tie Democrats to Obama in March 8 special elections

by Nick Storm – Kentucky’s four March 8 special elections are being targeted by two outside groups supporting Republicans. With control of the House of Representatives up for grabs with a 50 – 46 split in favor of Democrats in the chamber, outside GOP groups are tossing some serious cash into the races in an effort to tie-up the majority.…

Bevin budget: No funds for abortion

by Tom Loftus – FRANKFORT, Ky. – Buried within Gov. Matt Bevin’s budget bill are provisions that would repeal Kentucky’s prevailing wage law and cut public funding to Kentucky’s Planned Parenthood clinics. Bevin outlined the major aspects of his proposed 2016-18 budget in an hourlong speech to the General Assembly Tuesday night, but he did not mention these two items,…

Pursuit of $50M transit grant stirs questions

by Phillip M. Bailey – Advocates worry that Louisville’s pursuit of $50 million Smart Cities award is ‘hijacking’ local efforts. A coalition of transportation advocates is pressuring the city to be more transparent about its application for a $50 million award to revolutionize roadways. Louisville Forward, the city’s economic development agency, is preparing to jump in a national competition…

Environmental group ending annual mountaintop mining protest

by The Associated Press – FRANKFORT, KY. – A Kentucky environmental group is ending an annual protest in Frankfort that called attention to a destructive surface mining practice known as mountaintop mining. Kentuckians for the Commonwealth says it will not be conducting the “I Love Mountains Day” for the first time in a decade. The rallies in…

Stumbo questions Bevin’s current year cuts

by Joseph Gerth and Tom Loftus – FRANKFORT, Ky. – House Speaker Greg Stumbo on Wednesday questioned the legal authority of Gov. Matt Bevin’s plan to cut the current year spending of most state agencies by 4.5 percent. Bevin’s plan to cut funding by that much in the current budget was part of his budget proposal Tuesday night, which also…

Bevin proposes $6 billion road plan to Kentucky legislature

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has proposed spending $6 billion on roads and bridges over the next six years. Bevin submitted his road plan to the state legislature on Wednesday, one day after he unveiled his two-year spending plan for the state’s general fund. The road fund is mostly made up of…

Concern mounts as budget day looms

by Tom Loftus – FRANKFORT, Ky. -Anticipation is building as Gov. Matt Bevin prepares to unveil his first state budget, no small matter to some since he has promised to shrink state government. Advocates for the arts, for instance, are worried that Bevin could propose cutting the nearly $2.8 million annual appropriation to the Kentucky Arts Council. “There’s…

Kentucky Senate President Suggests ‘Austere’ Measures In State Budget

by Ryland Barton –  Less than a week before Gov. Matt Bevin gives his formal state budget proposal, Republican Senate President Robert Stivers, Bevin’s ally, gave an ominous prediction. “I think this budget that will be introduced and proposed by the executive branch will be one of the most austere budgets that I’ve seen in my 20 years in the General Assembly,”…

Ky. Legislature Cancels Friday Session As Winter Storm Nears

by Associated Press – The Kentucky state legislature has cancelled its Friday session because of the threat of winter weather.  The National Weather Service is predicting as much as 14 inches of snow could fall on Kentucky’s capital city on Friday. The service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the entire state. The House of Representatives…