All Entries in the "Jeff Hoover" Category

Judge issues restraining order in filing deadline case

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A judge issued an order Tuesday that extended the filing deadline for state legislative candidates by at least a week as he considers a legal challenge of Kentucky’s new legislative district boundaries.

Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd, in a four-page order, said the filing deadline for state House and Senate candidates won’t come before 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 7. It was scheduled for 4 p.m. Jan. 31.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said her office will continue to accept nomination papers from candidates for state senator and representative until the new deadline.

Despite the extension, several candidates filed Tuesday for Kentucky’s General Assembly, while two longtime state lawmakers — Sen. Walter Blevins, D-Morehead, and Rep. Lonnie Napier, R-Lancaster — said they have decided not to seek re-election. Their terms will end at the end of this year.

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.

House committee approves bill to redraw state House districts

By Jack Brammer
jbrammer@herald-leader.com

PDF: House redistricting plan

FRANKFORT — Over protests from Republicans, a state House committee approved a bill Wednesday to redraw boundaries of the 100 state House districts.

The new House redistricting plan, prepared by House Democratic leadership, puts nine incumbents in districts with other incumbent representatives.

That affects eight incumbent Republicans and one Democrat.

House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook, and Rep. Jill York, R-Grayson, would both be in the 99th House District.

KET to partner with public radio stations

The Kentucky Educational Television network will begin a partnership next week with public radio stations in the state to air some of the network’s series and programs.

The partnership will begin with WEKU in Richmond and WKMS in Murray. KET said in a news release Thursday that it is in discussions with all public radio stations in the state and will be announcing more partnerships.

The first KET program involved in the partnership will be the “Kentucky Tonight” program Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. ET. On the program, host Bill Goodman and guests will discuss Kentucky’s 2012 General Assembly.

House GOP leader asks Beshear to reject special session on redistricting

By Jack Brammer

jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, asked Gov. Steve Beshear Wednesday not to call a special legislative session to redraw boundaries of legislative and congressional districts.

Hoover’s position differs from House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who has suggested that Beshear call a special session for next month on redistricting.

In a letter to Beshear, Stumbo, Senate President David Williams and Senate Minority Leader R.J. Palmer, Hoover said the state is facing a potential $337 million hole in the next state budget.

“It is simply wrong for us to spend taxpayers’ money at an approximate cost of $60,000 a day on a special session to deal with redistricting,” Hoover said.

Kentucky House approves bill to fix Medicaid budget

UPDATED AT 6:18 P.M.

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

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky House overwhelmingly approved a bill to plug a $139 million shortfall in the state Medicaid budget Monday evening and sent it to the Republican-led Senate, where its fate remains unclear.

The plan transfers $166 million from next year’s Medicaid budget to this year’s and provides for “triggered cuts” if Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear cannot realize savings from privately-run managed care programs for Medicaid patients, said House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown. Most education programs, including public universities and the main funding formula for K-12 education, would be exempt from spending cuts, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, noted the proposal’s speedy flight through the House. The-94 to-4 vote in the House came less than an hour after the House budget committee unanimously approved the plan, which House Democratic and Republican leaders presented to their party caucuses for the first time Monday afternoon.

“It got passed quicker than Sherman went through Georgia,” Stivers said. “As to the substance of the compromise, we have not seen it.”

Gov. Steve Beshear said in a statement that he still thinks his proposal to fix the Medicaid budget is better, but he is “glad to see that they (House members) agree with me that we should not balance the Medicaid budget on the backs of our schoolchildren and college students.”

Beshear calls House talks on Medicaid options ‘constructive’

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

FRANKFORT – The state House and Senate passed bills on Wednesday but still have no firm agreement on a fix to the state’s Medicaid budget.

House Democrats and Republicans said they will continue discussions on a possible budget compromise Thursday. Wednesday was the third day of the special legislative session.

Meanwhile, the Senate released a “road map” of possible solutions to the impasse between the House and Senate.

The Senate passed Senate Bill 1, which includes moving money in the higher education budget, and said it was a vehicle for the House and Senate to develop a compromise over a hole in this year’s Medicaid budget.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said he and House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, met Wednesday and will continue to talk about a variety of possible solutions to the Medicaid budget fix on Thursday.

Some new faces in legislative leadership

By Jack Brammer and John Cheves — jbrammer@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Senate Democrats decided Tuesday to go with a self-described “mild-mannered” lawmaker as their new leader instead of one who has been a strong critic of Senate President David Williams.

Sen. Julian Carroll of Frankfort, who was governor in the 1970s, described his loss to Sen. R.J. Palmer of Winchester in the race for the Senate Democrats’ floor leader as tantamount to a victory for Williams, a Burkesville Republican who is running for governor this year.

The race to replace Democrat Ed Worley, who retired from the Senate last year, as the chamber’s minority leader was one of a few changes in legislative leadership on the first day of this year’s General Assembly.

Besides electing leaders who determine the flow of legislation, the first day of the law-making session produced a tense atmosphere in the Senate over Republican leaders’ removal of Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, D-Louisville, from the Senate Education Committee and the official unveiling of GOP-backed bills in the Senate dealing with topics ranging from taxes to immigration that the Senate is expected to approve this week.

House GOP caucus outlines agenda for 2011 session

FRANKFORT –State House Republicans are proposing legislation to require lawmakers to give up their pay during a special session if they are unable to pass a budget during the regular session of the General Assembly.

The House GOP also wants any bill that raises taxes or spends tax dollars to be made available to the public at least 48 hours prior to a vote on it.

About 20 House Republicans and about 20 others who are vying in the Nov. 2 general election to become House Republicans held a news conference Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda to outline their agenda for the 2011 General Assembly that begins in January.

“By making this commitment to the Commonwealth, it’s time that we in the House Republican caucus take back control and make government more accountable to the people who elect us,” said House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown.

Speakers confirmed for Fancy Farm political picnic

Gov. Steve Beshear and the two candidates for U.S. Senate — Democratic Jack Conway and Republican Rand Paul – will headline the speakers at the Aug. 7 Fancy Farm political picnic in Graves County.

Mark Wilson, political chairman for the picnic that traditionally starts the fall election campaigns, has released a list of confirmed speakers. The event, on the grounds of St. Jerome Catholic Church in Fancy Farm, is free to the public.