State Government

A Kentucky Senate committee has approved a bill allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to carry concealed firearms with provisional licenses.

The budget approved by the Senate became publicly available on the legislature’s website just hours before the vote.

Rep. TJ Roberts, R-Burlington, sponsor of House Bill 78, told lawmakers that “criminals should be held liable for their actions — not manufacturers, not sellers who had no clue that someone was going to act that way.”

Supporters say the move protects sensitive utility data, but critics warn could allow taxpayer-funded work to be conducted in secrecy.

Decisions will require "exhaustive negotiation" with the Senate, according to the state House speaker.

The bill would allow judicial candidates to disclose their political parties and federal officials, like Rand Paul, to run for Congress and president.

The design was inspired by the submitted artwork from two students, Caden Penn, a sophomore and FFA member at Crittenden County High School, and Alyssa Woodard, a sophomore and FFA and 4-H Club member of Henderson County High School.

The Kentucky House voted 79-17 to opt into a new federal tax credit program funding private-school scholarships, reviving debate after a ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Senate Bill 154 would remove Social Security and public benefit cards from the additional documents that voters may use — along with signing an affidavit attesting to their identity — if they cannot provide a primary form of identification, such as a Kentucky-issued driver’s license.

A Senate committee has advanced bills that would require year-long expulsions for students who assault school employees and allow districts to offer optional cash-outs for unused teacher sick leave.

The Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously struck down the legislature’s 2022 charter school law as unconstitutional, ruling it violates the state’s mandate for a uniform, efficient system of common schools.

A bill awaiting Gov. Andy Beshear’s signature would let Kentucky utilities spread out higher fuel costs after January's winter storm drove up natural gas prices.