Democrats in both chambers said some districts wouldn't impose mask mandates, raising the threat of the coronavirus not only in schools but the general population, leading to more deaths from COVID-19.
Legislators are considering a controversial resolution that would require the state to recognize a positive COVID antibody test as the same as a COVID vaccination, even though people who naturally recover from the virus are more than twice as likely to contract it again compared to people who get vaccinated.
Both the governor and Republican leaders of the legislature say they are negotiating when to call the session and what policies to propose, including whether to renew the official state of emergency for the pandemic.
Republican House Speaker David Osborne said several legislators are reviewing a list of pandemic priorities sent over by the governor, who is the only one with the power to call a special session.
Lawyers for Beshear and GOP Senate President Robert Stivers asked Franklin Circuit Court for 10 days to come up with an agreed plan before the court vacates the ruling.
Special legislative sessions are politically tricky — partly because the governor is the only person allowed to call them. Generally, governors try to reach a consensus with lawmakers before calling them in to officially consider legislation.
As police shootings have become a flashpoint in U.S. cities, The Marshall Project and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting spent a year examining their rural counterparts — which mirror the dynamics of many police shootings that have come under scrutiny in cities, according to the analysis.
