March 28, 2018
11-week abortion measure goes to governor
FRANKFORT—Legislation that would ban an abortion procedure known as a D & E in Kentucky beginning at 11 weeks of pregnancy for most women is on its way to becoming law.
House Bill 454 received final passage in the House today by a vote of 75-13 after being amended and passed by the Senate on a vote of 31-5 last week. The only change made to the bill by the Senate adds Kentucky’s statutory definition of an “unborn child,” which current law defines as “an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth.”
HB 454 would only ban the D & E—or dilation and evacuation—procedure starting at 11 weeks except in medical emergencies. It would not ban other forms of legal forms of abortion until week 20 of pregnancy, when all types of abortion are prohibited in Kentucky except in emergency cases.
A D & E is described by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as an abortion that uses “sharp instrument techniques, but also suction and other instrumentation such as forceps, for evacuation.”
HB 454 sponsor Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Florence, says the D & E procedure comprises around 16 percent of abortions performed in Kentucky. The purpose of the bill is to codify “the state’s valid interest in banning this brutal, intentional dismemberment procedure,” Wuchner said earlier this session.
Intentional violation of HB 454—of which Rep. Joe Fischer, R-Ft. Thomas, is also a primary co-sponsor—would be a Class D felony, with an exemption for the woman on whom the procedure is performed.
Among those voting against the measure was Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, D-Lexington, who said legislation similar to HB 454 has been found unconstitutional in other states.
“In Alabama, this was challenged in federal court and declared unconstitutional. Texas — challenged in federal court and declared unconstitutional,” Palumbo said, adding that HB 454 would impact patient health care options.
Wuchner, however, said HB 454 is in the “state’s interest.”
“This (bill) here in the Commonwealth is about the humane treatment of an unborn child, to protect that unborn child from dismemberment,” she said.
Deadline for Independent candidates to file statements of candidacy is April 2
FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 27, 2018) – Individuals seeking to run as independent, political organization or political group candidates for offices on the ballot in the November General Election must file their Statement of Candidacy forms no later than April 2 at 4 p.m. local time.
There is no fee to file a Statement of Candidacy. Candidates for federal offices, nonpartisan offices, and partisan city offices in cities of the home rule class are exempt from this requirement.
Potential candidates should contact the Secretary of State’s office or their local county clerks to obtain the necessary paperwork. The following offices that file with the Secretary of State and are scheduled for a regular election in 2018 require the filing of a Statement of Candidacy for independent candidates:
State Senators in even-numbered districts
State Representatives
Independent, political organization and political group candidates for these offices must file petitions of nomination no later than August 14. If a potential candidate was required to file a Statement of Candidacy but failed to do so, the Secretary of State and county clerks’ offices cannot accept a petition from the candidate.
For more information, please visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ky.gov.
ACTC announces dean’s list
Ashland Community and Technical College has named 33 Lawrence County residents to the dean’s list for fall semester 2017. Dean’s list students must have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) on at least 12 credit hours in courses numbered 100 and above. The students are listed below by city of residence.
Catlettsburg: Virginia May Conn and Kailee Jo Ross.
Louisa: Austin Bailey, Kailey Jordan Brown Jenks, Lloyd Christopher Brown, Jaime Nicole Bush, Alfred Andrew Cochran, Joshua Ned Compton, Ronald Lee Conway, Christopher Steven Fissler, Chelsey Hope Frazier, Timothy A. Griffith, Michael R. Halcomb, Ashley Bain Hardin, Lydia Marie Heston, Travis Ison, Charles Harrison Kirk, Holly Ann Martin, Cole Fredrick May, Trenton Blake Maynard, Megan Deshae McCoy, Jacob Cole Mosley, Kristen Osborne, Laura Vatasha Perkins, Tamara Reynolds, Austin Craig Ross, Ronda Leanne Stafford, Kyle Wayne Taylor, Weslie Zackary Triplett, Tanner Logan Webb, Gary Ryan Wilks and Gregory Lynn Woods
Webbville: Lyle Allen Hicks.
JOIN THE 20TH ANNUAL PRIDE SPRING CLEANUP IN APRIL
SOMERSET, KY — Volunteers are invited to join the historic 20th annual PRIDE Spring Cleanup, which will be held throughout April across 42 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky.
“Since the first Spring Cleanup in 1998, 433,460 people have volunteered with PRIDE,” said Tammie Wilson of PRIDE, the nonprofit organization that began the region’s tradition of an annual Spring Cleanup in 1998.
“That is an amazing number, but our region always needs one more volunteer: you!” Wilson said.
“PRIDE is all about appreciating the beauty of our region and taking personal responsibility for your corner of it,” she explained. “The Spring Cleanup is your chance to take charge of the trash near your home, church, business, or other place that is important to you.”
To volunteer, watch for announcements in your local media about Spring Cleanup events near you. Cleanup events also will be posted at www.kypride.com/calendar and www.facebook.com/EasternKentuckyPRIDE.
Here are a few Spring Cleanup events already scheduled:
April 17 – US 27 Clean Sweep (Pulaski County).
April 21 – Dale Hollow Spring Cleanup.
April 28 – Cumberland Falls Spring Cleanup.
You also could plan your own Spring Cleanup event for your church, business, civic club, neighborhood association, school or other group. PRIDE will provide trash bags, safety vests and gloves to volunteers who want to pick up litter and dispose of it with their own trash. For larger projects, the local PRIDE Coordinator may be able to assist with trash disposal.
To get started, please call the PRIDE office, toll free, at 888-577-4339.
Locally, you can call your PRIDE Coordinator. Your coordinator’s phone number can be found by clicking your county on the map at kypride.org/service-area.
The region-wide PRIDE Spring Cleanup is sponsored by Walmart, Touchstone Energy Cooperative, Outdoor Venture Corp., and Kentucky American Water.
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Ky. local govt.’s braces for pension and budget actions as General Assembly session draws to a close
Local governments, school districts and college campuses across the state are closely watching the Kentucky General Assembly as the 2018 legislative session enters its final days, as actions on pension legislation and hammering out a two-year state budget will have a large impact on those institutions.
Pension legislation is of particular concern, as many cities and counties are set to have a massive increase in employer pension costs for local workers unless Senate Bill 66 passes, which would limit such annual increases to 12 percent over the next 10 years.
However, with the chances of passage for Senate Bill 1 plummeting — the comprehensive pension bill altering the plans of state and local public workers and teachers — Republican Senate leaders have said that SB 66 would not receive a vote if SB 1 fails.
