Bluegrass Politics

Chandler, Barr both file to run in 6th District congressional race

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler and Republican challenger Andy Barr took steps Friday that are expected to set up a rematch in this year’s race for U.S. Congress from Central Kentucky’s 6th District.

Chandler, who has represented the district since winning a special election in 2004, defeated Barr in the 2010 race by 647 votes.

Chandler sent a representative Friday morning to file his candidacy papers for this year, while Barr showed up at the Capitol to file his.

Barr then held a news conference to say Chandler is too close to President Barack Obama, who also is seeking re-election this year.

Lawmaker pulls sponsorship of anti-meth bill after integrity questioned

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — State Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, withdrew Friday as sponsor of a bill that would require prescriptions to obtain some cold medicines used to make meth after questions arose about a potential conflict of interest.

Jensen, during a floor speech in the Senate, said he heard that some media and blog reports were alleging that he, as an attorney, represents Operation UNITE, an anti-drug task force backed by U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Somerset.

Rogers is a strong supporter of Jensen’s bill in the state Senate that is aimed at curbing methamphetamine labs by requiring a prescription for cold and allergy medications that contain pseudoephedrine, an ingredient used in making meth.

Jensen said he does not represent Operation UNITE but did do some legal work for the agency eight or nine years ago. That had nothing to do with his introducing Senate Bill 50, Jensen said.

House, Senate agree to continue negotiations on congressional districts

By Jack Brammer and Beth Musgrave
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — The House and Senate agreed Friday to push back the Jan. 31 filing deadline for candidates to allow more time for negotiations on the redrawing of Kentucky’s six congressional districts.

Senate State and Local Government Chairman Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said extending the deadline to Feb. 7 would give the negotiators more time in trying to come up with a new map for the congressional districts.

“I believe we will be able to reach a resolution,” said House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg. The two sides did not meet Friday but will continue negotiations on Monday, Stumbo said.

The Senate voted 25-0 on Friday to approve the extension. The House is expected to vote Monday.

‘Some movement’ on congressional redistricting

FRANKFORT – The state House and Senate still have not reached a compromise on the redrawing of boundaries for Kentucky’s six congressional districts, but House Speaker Greg Stumbo appeared more optimistic Thursday that the two sides could reach an agreement.

“I think there’s at least some movement,” said Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg.

He said the House has offered another compromise plan to Republican Senate leaders. That plan specifically addressed some concerns of Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, Stumbo said. Rogers’ district includes most of Eastern and Central Kentucky.

The filing deadline for candidates is Jan. 31, but lawmakers could extend the deadline to give the two sides more time to hammer out an agreement.

Stumbo said he met and talked with Senate Majority Leader Robert Stivers about the congressional map on Thursday morning, although no meeting has been set between leaders of the two chambers to produce a new congressional map.

Stivers, R-Manchester, said negotiations are “going slowly.”

HERALD-LEADER FRANKFORT BUREAU

Providers say Medicaid managed care payments late

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@hearld-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Home health agency officials told a legislative panel Thursday that Kentucky’s new managed care system for Medicaid is three months behind in its payments to them.

Jeannie Lemaster, chief compliance officer of Nurses Registry and Home Health, based in Lexington, told the House Health and Welfare Committee that the agency has outstanding claims of between $300,000 and $400,000 that have not yet been paid.

Kip Bowmar, executive director of the Kentucky Home Health Association, said that only 8 percent of the claims from the approximately 150 home health agencies have been paid since the switch to managed care on Nov. 1.

“If these problems don’t get corrected, there is a likelihood that some agencies could go out of business,” Bowmar said. “We are hopeful and optimistic that it will get better.”

House panel unanimously approves adult abuse registry

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — The House Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday unanimously passed House Bill 259, which would establish a registry of adult protection workers who have had substantiated cases of abuse and neglect.

Gov. Steve Beshear has included $2 million in his proposed two-year state budget to establish the registry that supporters say will protect seniors and adults with disabilities.

Currently, if someone who works with vulnerable adults has a substantiated case of abuse and neglect against them, a potential employer has no way of knowing the worker’s past history. The $2 million would help provide technical support to create the registry and for administrative overhead for an appeals process, said Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, D-Lexington, the sponsor of HB 259.

It is now headed to the full House, where it is expected to be approved. A similar bill passed the Democratic-led House last year but stalled in the Senate because health care providers were asked to foot the bill for the registry. With Beshear agreeing to include $2 million for the registry in his proposed two-year budget, hopefully those concerns will be alleviated, Palumbo said.

Lawsuit challenges new boundaries for Kentucky legislative districts

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

PDF: Read the lawsuit

FRANKFORT — House Republicans filed a lawsuit Thursday in Franklin Circuit Court to challenge a redrawing of state House districts that Gov. Steve Beshear signed into law last week.

The suit affects all of House Bill 1, which also redrew boundaries for state Senate and Supreme Court districts, said Louisville attorney Jason Nemes, who is representing the Republicans.

“If one part of the bill is declared unconstitutional, then the whole bill is unconstitutional,” Nemes said.

Sen. Kathy Stein, a Democrat whose Lexington district was moved to northeastern Kentucky, said it’s “highly likely” that she and some Fayette County residents will join the lawsuit.

“I’ve had several constituents — Democrats and Republicans alike — say they would be willing to be a plaintiff in a lawsuit. This may certainly well be a vehicle to get it in front of the court as expediently and efficiently as possible,” she said.

Kentucky Horse Park needs millions from state to balance budget

By Linda B. Blackford and Beth Musgave
lblackford@herald-leader.com

As most state agencies brace for dramatic budget cuts, the Kentucky Horse Park could be getting millions of additional dollars.

In Gov. Steve Beshear’s recommended budget, the Horse Park faces no budget cuts, and instead would receive an additional $3.5 million increase this fiscal year, plus another $1.6 million each year of the next two-year budget.

State officials told lawmakers on Tuesday that the funds are needed to cover operational shortfalls that stem from utility costs for roughly 264,000 square feet of new facilities built at the park in anticipation of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Lawmakers said they want to hear more before agreeing to increase the park’s funding.

Lexington man calls his arrest in state Capitol ‘an overreaction’

By John Cheves
jcheves@herald-leader.com

The Lexington man arrested Tuesday in a scuffle outside the Kentucky Senate chamber said he never touched Senate President David Williams.

Stephen Rhodes Schwartz, 45, said he joined other people at the Capitol who wanted to protest a political redistricting map that effectively removes state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, from office at year’s end. Schwartz lives next to Stein on Transylvania Park near the University of Kentucky campus and said he knows her, although she did not ask him to protest in Frankfort.

“It was people responding to something they saw on Facebook,” Schwartz said Wednesday. “It wasn’t something planned. It wasn’t an ambush.”

Sen. Thayer says he likely will sponsor Beshear’s expanded gambling amendment

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Senate State and Local Government Chairman Damon Thayer of Georgetown said Wednesday he is “strongly leaning” toward sponsoring Gov. Steve Beshear’s constitutional amendment to expand gambling.

Thayer is a Republican, and the governor is a Democrat.

Thayer said the amendment would mention casinos at racetracks and other locations but he declined to say how many.

The amendment also would be brief and outline in a “general way” where proceeds would go from expanded gambling, the lawmaker said.

Beshear, who has tried since taking office in December 2007 to expand gambling in Kentucky, is expected to unveil his constitutional amendment in a few days for lawmakers to consider.