Government

Candidates for Kentucky governor — Democratic challenger Andy Beshear and Republican incumbent Matt Bevin — had the spotlight among several speakers running for office.

This year’s featured guests include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Gov. Matt Bevin, Attorney General Andy Beshear and candidates for statewide offices like secretary of state, state auditor and agriculture commissioner.

Incumbent Republican Matt Bevin and Democratic challenger Andy Beshear are scheduled for five debates this fall.

The bill narrowly passed out of the state House of Representatives on Saturday, but easily passed the Senate on Wednesday with a vote of 27-11.

All Democrats voted against the proposal and were joined by nine Republicans. The bill could pass out of the Senate by Wednesday, Republican leaders said.

House Bill 1 would allow regional universities and "quasi" state agencies to avoid a massive spike in pension costs and incentivize them to freeze pension benefits for their employees and move them into 401k-type retirement plans.

The attorney general charges that the governor's proclamation calling lawmakers into special session is too narrowly drawn and doesn't allow the General Assembly to consider alternate proposals for dealing with the pension crisis.

Political rhetoric has gotten "way overheated all across the political spectrum," the Kentucky Republican said.

The city had expected to spend $1.4 million in reserve funds to balance the budget but the deficit was much less.

As a candidate in 2015, Bevin initially said he would abolish the expansion, then said he would request a waiver of federal Medicaid rules so beneficiaries would have "skin in the game" through premiums, co-payments, deductibles or health savings accounts. After he was elected, he added "community engagement" requirements including work, but those have been blocked in federal court.

The Kentucky Sports Radio host says he hasn't decided if he'll get in the 2020 Senate race.

The governor touted Kentucky's low unemployment rate and investments made by businesses.