Across the Bluegrass, Kentuckians await the arrival of Memorial Day weekend. As family and friends gather, it is imperative to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice protecting our country. The brave men and women who fought and died, defending the freedom we covet as Americans, deserve our respect and gratitude. Collectively, I ask that…

The dust has settled on my 16th Legislative Session as a Kentucky State Senator, and I am proud of our work passing significant legislation to move the Commonwealth forward. This Session was one of the more difficult and contentious I have experienced, but we did our constitutional duty of passing a two-year state budget that…

After a productive 58th day of the 2018 Legislative Session that saw the passing of several significant bills to benefit the Commonwealth, we have now entered a 10-day “veto recess” where Governor Matt Bevin will have the opportunity to sign and veto bills passed by the Kentucky General Assembly. The most significant measures to pass…

The 2018 Session is quickly winding down as Thursday, March 29, marked Day 57 of the 60-day budget session. Budget negotiations are continuing with positive results, and the Senate gaveled in for two days to pass a number of bills including some aimed at helping our first responders and their families. Although the amount of…

Rapidly nearing the last days of the 2018 Regular Session, the Senate passed our version of the state budget that contained no new taxes during the 12th week. The Executive Branch Budget, contained in House Bill 200, put an emphasis on public safety by investing in law enforcement, the state crime lab, frontline social workers,…

As we draw closer to the end of the 2018 Regular Session, there has been no shortage of movement on significant bills in Frankfort this week. The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee has spent several days and some late nights working on the Senate’s budget proposal, which we expect to go before the committee soon.…

Now that the General Assembly is in the home stretch of the current legislative session, activity in the legislative committee system is in overdrive. There are only a couple of weeks left in the 2018 Session. The pace of activity in the Capitol is sure to continue increasing in the days ahead as the Senate…

Receiving the Commonwealth’s two-year, multi-billion dollar budget plan from our colleagues in the House highlighted one of our busiest weeks yet in the Senate as we reached the two-thirds point of the 2018 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly. Hundreds of visitors from all corners of Kentucky packed committee hearings and rallied for important causes…

Receiving the Commonwealth’s two-year, multi-billion dollar budget plan from our colleagues in the House highlighted one of our busiest weeks yet in the Senate as we reached the two-thirds point of the 2018 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly. Hundreds of visitors from all corners of Kentucky packed committee hearings and rallied for important causes…

After weeks of anticipation and months of discussions and meetings with stakeholders, the Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus filed its comprehensive pension reform bill as Senate Bill (SB) 1 on Tuesday, February 20. While SB 1 marked the filing of one of the most significant pieces of legislation of the 2018 Session, we continued to hold…