State Government

The Kentucky House has passed a bill that would allow businesses and schools to reopen during COVID as long as they follow federal guidelines.

The Fifth District congressman said his stance was the result of hundreds of calls from constituents questioning the election results.

The program will be shown during Monday's League of Women Voters meeting.

In a statement, Comer condemned the acts of pro-Trump extremists who breached the Capitol on Wednesday.

The Republican-led Kentucky legislature is moving quickly with bills to alter the governor’s emergency powers, restrict abortions and allow businesses to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic.

The requirement comes after several instances of lawmakers not wearing masks during interim committee hearings last year.

Beshear said reducing his emergency powers while the virus is surging and hospitals are filling up, and the state is deploying vaccines, "would not only be a shame, it would be a tragedy."

The bill would expand the current statute to include protections for all dogs and cats, not just domestic pets as previously legislated.

Legislators need to pass a one-year budget amid uncertainties about how much money the state will bring in, and they must respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Republican leaders say they want to strip Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of his power to respond to the pandemic.

Harmon was likely exposed to the virus before or shortly after receiving the coronavirus vaccine on Monday. In a statement, he said he still has faith in the vaccine and the need for people to receive it as quickly as possible.

Less than a month after he moved from running a hospital emergency department to leading the state Department for Public Health, Kentucky's first case of COVID-19 was reported.

Based on the state’s calculation of the total amount available for direct payments to households, an estimated 85% of Kentuckians are eligible for the payments.