Archive for January, 2011

Cost to lobby state lawmakers surpassed $16.6 million in 2010

By Jack Brammer – jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT – Companies and advocacy groups spent $16.65 million lobbying Kentucky lawmakers last year, according to the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission.

Of that total, lobbyists were paid $14.3 million and spent $1.2 million on expenses, such as office rent, in a year when lawmakers were in a 60-day regular legislative session and a six-day special session.

Expenses for employers amounted to $902,000, and total spending for receptions, meals and events was $217,000.

The 2010 total is just below the $16.9 million spent on lobbying in 2008, the last year in which there was a 60-day session and a special session.

The lobbying expenses for 2010 were published Monday in the monthly newsletter of the ethics commission.

Proposals target fraudulent Medicaid claims

By Beth Musgrave – bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Two proposals before the state legislature would encourage whistle blowers to come forward to help the state recover potentially millions of dollars in fraudulent claims.

“We think there is a lot of waste in the Medicaid system,” said Sen. Tom Jensen, a Republican from London and a sponsor of Senate Bill 11. “It is the fastest-growing portion of our state budget.”

The bill would encourage people to help root out fraud in the $6 billion state-federal health care program for the poor.

SB 11 would allow a whistle blower who works for a Medicaid provider or contractor to turn over evidence to prosecutors and receive a portion of the money recovered. It would allow the state to recover triple damages from a provider that defrauds the state.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, has sponsored similar legislation in the House. House Bill 4 would expand the provisions of a state false claims act to include whistle blowers of any company that does business with the state.

House committee chair questions Senate-passed immigration bill

FRANKFORT – A state lawmaker whose House committee this week will consider the Senate-passed bill designed to crack down on illegal immigrants said Sunday his panel will “give it a fair hearing but we have a lot of questions about it.”

House Local Governments Chairman Steve Riggs, D-Louisville, said the Senate may have approved Senate Bill 6 earlier this year “on a symbolic vote to deal with illegal immigrants, but I have to wonder if they considered how practical it is to implement.”

Asked if the bill will get out of his committee, Riggs said, “That’s hard to predict. I’m not going to comment on that until after we hear it.”

Vote online in slogan contest to encourage election participation

FRANKFORT — It might not stir the passions of “Go Big Blue,” but “Set your goal to go to the poll” or another slogan like it might motivate some Kentuckians to vote in this year’s elections.

That’s the hope of Kentucky’s office of secretary of state.

For the 21st year, the office is conducting a contest required by law to come up with a slogan to put on this year’s election materials to encourage citizens to vote.

The office is asking Kentuckians to select online their favorite election slogan to be used on various election materials to be distributed in county clerks’ offices across the state.

A citizen’s guide to the 2011 General Assembly

Lawmakers will find a buffet of bills beckoning them when the Kentucky General Assembly reconvenes on Tuesday. Here’s a sampling of the top issues legislators are expected to tackle before adjourning for the year on March 22.

Whitley County judge charged with misconduct over campaign issues

FRANKFORT — A Circuit Court judge for McCreary and Whitley counties has been charged with two counts of judicial misconduct for contributing money to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign and for sending U.S. Sen. Rand Paul campaign materials to other judges via email.

Circuit Judge Daniel Ballou was charged by the Judicial Conduct Commission in November 2010 for contributing $543 to McCain’s campaign in 2008. Ballou also sent out an email in January 2010 about U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s stance on the 2nd Amendment. The email was sent to dozens of people.

The judicial canons, which govern judicial conduct, say a judge “shall refrain from inappropriate political activity.” According to the canons, that political activity includes not soliciting funds or making contributions to a political organization or candidate.

‘Comment’ will discuss candidate filings, legislative session

This year’s candidates for state constitutional offices and the resumption of the 2011 Kentucky General Assembly will be topics on this weekend’s “Comment on Kentucky,” a public affairs show on the Kentucky Educational Television network.

Joining host Ferrell Wellman will be three reporters — Amanda Van Benschoten of the Kentucky Enquirer, Joe Arnold of WHAS-TV in Louisville and Jack Brammer of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The show will air live at 8 p.m ET Friday on KET1. It also will be broadcast at 6:30 a.m. Saturday on KET KY, 7:30 a.m. Sunday on KET KY, 12:30 p.m. Sunday on KET 1, 8 a.m. Monday on KET KY and 7:30 p.m. Monday on KET KY.

On Monday’s edition of “Kentucky Tonight” at 8 p.m. ET on KET1 and at www.ket.org/live, host Bill Goodman and guests will discuss state taxes

Racing Commission wants ‘Instant Racing’ case heard by Supreme Court

By Beth Musgrave – bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the state’s racetracks want the state Supreme Court to decide whether the state can regulate bets on videos of previously run horse races, including the game Instant Racing.

Last month, Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate ruled that the state can regulate Instant Racing. The Family Foundation, which had filed suit challenging the state’s ability to regulate Instant Racing, filed a notice Jan. 20 that it would appeal the case to the state Court of Appeals.

On Friday, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the racetracks and the Kentucky Department of Revenue filed a motion to have the state’s highest court hear the case, arguing that the case should be heard by the Supreme Court because it was of “great and public importance.”

In Instant Racing, players try to pick the top three finishers in an anonymous horse race based on limited background information.

Martin Cothran, a spokesman for the Kentucky Family Foundation, said the Family Foundation will not oppose the motion to transfer.

“We do wonder why they are in such a rush in the court system,” Cothran said. “They are dragging their feet in the legislature.”

Administrative regulations regarding games such as Instant Racing have been pending before a state legislative committee for several months. Legislators have said they are waiting until the court case has been decided before approving the changes.

Sen. Paul gets committee assignments

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, has received his committee assignments for the 112th Congress.

He will serve on four committees: Energy and Natural Resources; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland Security and Government Affairs and Small Business.

“I look forward to serving on these four committees and working to enact the small-government, debt-slashing agenda I came here to accomplish,” Paul said in a statement.

“These placements are great news for Kentuckians, as I will be poised to fight for coal, repeal Obamacare, work to eliminate wasteful spending, and look out for the best interests of our many small businesses.”

–Jack Brammer

Newspapers file suit for state’s child abuse records

By Bill Estep – bestep@herald-leader.com

A state agency is improperly blocking access to records about children who die or are severely injured while in the state’s care, the state’s two largest newspapers have charged in a lawsuit.

The Lexington Herald-Leader and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal filed suit Thursday against the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which investigates allegations of abuse and neglect concerning children and runs the foster-care system.

The newspapers had sought access to the cabinet’s records on a number of cases during the past two years in which children died or were severely injured because of abuse or neglect while under the agency’s purview.

The cabinet denied the requests.

The newspapers’ complaint challenges that denial, asking a judge to order the cabinet to release the records.