Time now for our end of we check in of major political developments, especially in the state capital this week.

Inside Kentucky politics.

We're glad to have joining us by Skype, Julia Bright, Craig Lehr, who is the founder of Broad Strategies and a Republican strategist.

And joining us on set, the lovely Morgan.

He's a Democratic strategist who is an education policy consultant.

Busy week in Frankfort.

Ladies, and let's start with you, Julia.

We know that this week the filing deadline for new bills expired in the House and the Senate.

And we are at the midpoint of the session.

So talk to us about the themes that we're seeing, the types of issues that are emerging so far this session.

We did.

Yeah, it's been somewhat of a slow burn this session until probably this week.

And once we got to this week, we we saw two major pieces drop that I think folks have been anticipate.

The total ban on gray machines filed by Representative Killian Timoney in addition to sports wagering filed by Michael Lee Meredith.

So those are the ones folks have been really looking out for this session.

In addition to a number of shell bills being filed.

So folks wondering, are they going to open back up the budget?

Is one of those shell bills going to become medical marijuana?

So lots of questions still not not answered this session yet.

So, Julia, I forgot to introduce our third guest, which is Sergeant Pepper, the lovely canine in the foreground.

So if we see him, we love our little four legged friends.

And so if we see him occasionally, our viewers will understand our dog.

And he's very sad.

I've been gone.

It gone in Frankfurt too long.

Yes, we understand.

We understand.

So when you said the term Shell bill and Morgan, you can jump in here, that may not be a term that is familiar to our audience.

What does a Shell bill mean?

A Shell bill is essentially they'll file a bill before the filing deadline.

Typically, it's adding gender neutral language to amend a statute.

And that's your key to now.

There are some other priorities that may be coming down the pipeline.

They just didn't have the time to fully form those ideas on that legislation prior to the filing deadline.

And we know that could even extend to issues like more relief for eastern Kentucky flood victims.

Right.

The Senate president, Robert Stivers, this week kind of alluded to that, that there is not already a specific bill for that cause, but there is a vehicle or a shell bill that could be used for that.

There are other things, though, Morgan, that we've noticed this session.

What have you picked up on as an emerging issue or set of issues?

General Assembly is occupied with.

I think it's it's a set of issues we can politely call the culture wars, you know, things that are surrounding transgender rights, the use of pronouns in schools, education, curriculum and parent complaints for curriculum and materials in schools.

These are things that aren't only trending in Kentucky, but nationwide and state legislatures.

And that hasn't missed Frankfort.

They're alive and well and that's really been the focus and sort of the headline grabbers thus far in the session.

Julia, you mentioned about sports betting and Gray Machine.

So we know that there is a House Republican that filed a bill to ban, for all intents and purposes, gray machines.

But there is also another House Republican that filed a bill to regulate gray machines.

So is this going to cause some rift in the House Republican caucus?

I think that's yet to be seen.

Freshman Steve John out of northern Kentucky filed the bill to regulate and text gray machines.

And then you had Representative Tim Kelly and Timothy out of Lexington who filed the total ban.

So I think it will definitely bring up some healthy debate within that caucus for for certain.

In terms of confusion, I think there's there's enough difference.

And that gray machine issue was out there last year as a total ban.

So I think members members won't have a hard time deciphering.

I think it'll just it'll be some spirited conversation.

Yeah.

And so we're talking about two gambling related measures, legalizing sports betting and then doing whatever they decide to do about gray machines.

Do you think there's enough time and bandwidth for the lawmakers to actually get both of those measures through this time and the 14 days remaining?

Absolutely.

There's 14 days left in this session.

Plenty of time, too, for bills to go through the committee process, have a thorough vetting by members and make it over to the other chamber in plenty of time.

You know, people are I think there's some wondering, too, about what bills might make it in before veto days versus which ones they might hold in reserve until after.

So a lot of debate still yet to be had.

For sports betting.

We know that the House Democratic Caucus leadership all joined together and they filed a sports betting bill.

So it seems like I don't know where Gray Machine stands in the Democratic caucus, but it seems like sports betting has more people who are for that, or at least they know where they are, as opposed to gray machines, which still may have some gray matter area.

The gray area.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think you're right.

You know, sports betting seems to have the better consensus.

We know that Governor Beshear is for sports betting and Representative Meredith's bill actually probably is a bit more palatable to maybe some of those more conservative folks who had a little bit of issues with some online sports wagering and and things like that that were in representative kind of bill from last year.

I think he made the move to make it a little bit more palatable this year.

So we'll see where it goes.

Serg Last item, not a laughing matter of there was a bill filed about exceptions on abortion, rape and incest.

Representative Jason Amos, I'll throw that to you real quickly, Julia, to respond to so we could see some movement there.

Sure.

Absolutely.

I think I think there's also some misconceptions out there.

This is not a new issue for Representative Nimitz to carry.

He actually filed these amendments originally to the abortion bills we saw the last two years.

So I think this is really just his iteration of doing a stand alone bill, especially in the wake of Supreme Court decision.

And a lot of those court cases still kind of working themselves out.

I know one came through the Supreme Court recently, so I think this is just his way to try to address it as best as possible.

And we know that Representative Rachel Roberts of Northern Kentucky, who's now one House Democratic leadership, she had filed an amendment to the trigger law or to the measure last year, so previous year.

So they would be in line with this correctly.

I think Democrats would definitely pile on to support representative name as this bill, which quite frankly, is risk as reactive to what we've seen the majority of Kentuckians want.

They want those exceptions.

So definitely they would have the Democrats support on that.

We hope to get the Republicans as well.

Okay, Always less time than we need to talk about what's happening in Frankfurt.

Thank you, Morgan Eaves.

And thank you, Julia Bright, regular for your time today.

Have a great weekend.

Rest up.

Thank you.