Absurd.

That is how Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman described the view that Kentucky taxpayers should be required to pay for prison inmates gender reassignment surgeries.

Coleman released an opinion today rejecting the claim as Kentucky puts together a medical policy for transgender inmates.

Some wondered if federal law requires taxpayer back surgery.

A reporter asked Governor Andy Beshear today whether he agreed with Coleman's opinion.

I agree with the opinion that federal law does not require taxpayers to fully fund and provide a level of health care to a convicted felon in our state prisons, which typically means A, a, B or C felony, which are significant felony that wouldn't be available to private sector citizens.

In other words, if you're convicted felon in state prison, you shouldn't have better access to less expensive health care than a law abiding citizen.

And while the attorney general didn't phrase it in that way, that was the ultimate conclusion of that office.

Now, it does appear that federal law requires some level of care, just not those surgeries.

So I believe you will see in the regulation certain care that is provided to various populations, including the transgender population.

It would be unconstitutional and it would be wrong to provide no specialized care at all.

And so we're going to try to find that right balance that that both respects our duty to provide health care to those that are incarcerated.

But at the same time, respects our taxpayers and law abiding citizens and what they have available to them as opposed to those that are incarcerated.

And here's more from the governor's news conference.

He announced the kitchen food company will spend $69 million building a facility in Hopkinsville that will mean almost 2000 new jobs.

He says 2024 will be the fourth best year ever for investment in Kentucky.

And in health news, the governor says Kentucky now has 452 reported cases of whooping cough.