What best wets your whistle, what’s clearer than crystal, what’s sweeter than honey and stronger than steam? It’s bourbon, and it’s going down the drain in Ontario.
The humours of whiskey also wafted over the legislature this week as the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Kentucky lobbied lawmakers to mull a moratorium on hemp-derived beverages.
Yes, it’s that time of the session where lawmakers are passing a slew of legislation out of committee with wide ranging impacts. One bill would regulate the state’s use of AI, another would pave the way for Louisville Metro to offer certain tax incentives for downtown, a third would tell courts how to review actions of executive agencies, a fourth would allow adults 18-21 to conceal carry firearms.
One of the highest-profile bills of the session passed out of the House this week. That bill would ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI, in higher education. During a committee hearing, Republican bill sponsors limited discussion from opposition to 10 minutes and didn’t allow any people of color to speak. That didn’t stop lawmakers from getting an earful from students and others after the hearing.
Meanwhile, another bill causing a ruckus this session has slowed after pushback from Kentuckians. The GOP chairman behind the bill acknowledges the “validity” of concerns over a bill that could subject many rural water supplies in Kentucky to pollution.
Out on the steps of the Capitol, hundreds of protesters returned this week to voice their disapproval of President Donald Trump’s actions. A retired military veteran told Kentucky Public Radio he’s concerned about the administration cutting veterans benefits and services, but even more concerned the country is losing the ideals upon which it stands.
By the way, a tip from a listener led to this story about a veteran-owned business losing a VA contract, and that story was then read into the congressional record by Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal as evidence of federal cuts gone wrong.
Listen to capitol reporters Sylvia Goodman and Joe Sonka discuss these subjects and more in their capitol roundup for the week of March of 2.
