♪ ♪ >> Please let us teach our students.

Not perpetuate the past.

>> Emotional debate in Frankfort over dei policies on campus.

>> This is a major epidemic.

>> The push to get tough on teenage vaping.

>> And voting rights advocates say after you've served your time, you deserve a voice.

>> Production of Kentucky edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ Well, good evening to you and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Tuesday, February.

The 13th, I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you from joining us.

As we're coming to you from the Capitol Annex, all Frankfort operations here at the state Capitol.

>> Public colleges in Kentucky may soon have to change their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts commonly called Dei.

A Senate bill would restrict colleges from engaging in what the bill calls quote, discriminatory concepts.

This includes hiring requirements for faculty and mandatory curriculum and training for students.

Senate Bill 6 advanced today and our Clayton Dalton watched it all and has this report.

>> Diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses.

Focus on enrolling, retaining and graduating students from underrepresented demographics.

This includes racial minorities, veterans, low-income students and students with disabilities, Senate Bill 6 prohibits Kentucky's public colleges from requiring faculty and students to take part in dei programs.

The present discriminatory concepts as defined in the bill.

Here's a summary.

Of the contents of the bill.

>> It begins with definitions setting forth the discriminatory concepts.

It then prohibits pick faculty, students, applicants and staff from having to adopt certain political.

Our philosophical positions in order to be admitted, hired, promoted or receive any other academic benefit.

It also prohibits preferential are prejudicial consideration based on an individual's actual for perceived political or social ideology.

>> Required dei statements would be prohibited.

Senate Democrats took issue with the bill.

>> We have over 20%.

Minorities across the campuses.

All state universities.

You know, of all different languages, all different colors, all different races.

No different genders.

We've got state University system today that looks like America.

We a significant progress.

And we've come a long way.

And I think today with adopting this policy.

We really, really big on all the advances that we have seen.

>> I think this bill is dangerously confused.

And I am sorry.

That people in our society feels so intimidated by other groups that they literally feel like they have to pass laws to protect themselves.

That is so sad.

>> I am worried about the way that this bill will chill speech.

I'm worried about the way it will be perceived by faculty and students at our educational institutions.

For those reasons, I will be voting no and urge other members to do the same.

>> State Senator Donald Douglas, the only black Republican in the Kentucky General Assembly said he supports the bill because education should unite.

Not divide >> I plead with every Senator.

In this chamber.

Please let us teach our students.

Not perpetuate the past.

Let's show him, but they let us show respect.

Let us not show the vision for Kentucky edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Senate Bill 6 passed on the Senate floor today by a vote of 26 to 7 struggling along party lines.

Help could be on the way for parents struggling with childcare costs are even access and quality day care where they live.

Republican state Senator Danny Carroll unveiled the What's Called Horizon Act this morning.

The 300 million dollar plan comes at a time when Kentucky is set to lose COVID Arafat, all childcare funding.

>> This transformational piece of legislation.

>> dollars per year for relation request.

We'll go a long way towards a birdie and the crisis we're about to face.

We don't act with purpose searched.

This is to put in motion a process that will lead our commonwealth looking on the horizon to a time when the term stake here and childcare are no longer the common terms used to describe what happens and center's homes in schools providing early childhood education to our youngest We're establishing vision of our childhood education that will no longer be Cole, a vision chart here.

We're also establishing division, regulated early childhood education.

Chairman Care also outlined a new innovations.

>> Grant programs that is also critically important because that will allow for more employers to offer things like onsite childcare.

>> Allow more schools, top early-childhood education services for school staff and also our all sorts of other innovative ways to deliver the child Place services and a nice finish to that is that we create these new services that free-up or capacity with an existing services.

As we heard today often have very well with us.

I fish onal skilled early child murders to our ecosystem.

>> Cannot be the only solution to solving this crisis.

We simply do not have enough quality Cecil to our neighbors.

To address this challenge.

We want that individuals with the necessary skills not only to work with in high quality facilities but also to own and operate these facilities.

The disciplinary early childhood you worship program.

We'll do just that.

>> One of the things that this bill does is that it creates a new startup program to help those types of entrepreneuers get their start-up costs covered.

So thinking about things like purchasing Maybe making certain modifications to their homes that are necessary to provide early-childhood education services.

Something like this could be the difference between someone decided to start the service and someone deciding not to do it.

This legislature has a decision to make this session.

>> We can either fallen is here with other states are falling in right now because they have been more the impending crisis.

We can step up.

We can take Ali in this nation in this area.

We until business and industry within the commonwealth, those that are looking to come to the commonwealth.

The providers in our Commonwealth, our families, our kids, you mean something to us and we're going to invest.

And you were going to ensure that our economy was forward.

We have workforce.

We have all the education for kids.

♪ >> Or Frankfort news, Kentucky lawmakers are taking aim at kids and teens favorite tobacco product.

E-cigarettes or vapes.

While fewer American high schoolers are vaping that in recent years House Education Committee members say they'd like schools to get tougher on confiscating these products from students.

Kentucky additions June Leffler has more.

>> This is a major epidemic because our young people have been convinced.

That this is not a serious.

They have been convinced this is not as bad for them physically.

>> Like smoking e-cigarettes are highly addictive.

They're not good for adolescents, brain development and vapes contain other cancer causing and harmful chemicals and particles.

The bill tackles vaping as a school disciplinary problem.

The bill says schools would need to confiscate these products from students.

And if a student brings another one to campus, they could be suspended.

>> our attempt here was to give the school administrators in the school district's a little bit that heat in enforcing in trying to create a stronger to turn.

>> By suspending the students, we will not change the behavior and it won't impact their health in the way that you intend to.

>> Bill Mark Hart says he will offer an amendment that offers alternatives to suspension when the bill is heard on the House floor, the committee gave unanimous support for Kentucky edition of John Leffler.

>> Lawmakers are also considering tougher penalties for people and businesses that sell e-cigarettes to minors.

House Education Committee members also green let a number of bills including one to improve Kentucky's youngest students, math skills.

As soon as they enter kindergarten.

>> If students do not have those foundational skills.

Of reading and math literacy and numeracy.

They are going to struggle.

All for school.

They're going to have difficulty getting in college and succeeding.

They're going to have difficulty fine, finding jobs that will support them in life.

>> Less than half of Kentucky's elementary students met state math standards in their last assessment.

Jefferson County students scored worse than the rest of the state.

But Kentucky students fair about as well as most states signaling that math comprehension is a national issue.

House Bill, one 62 requires math intervention for kindergarten through 3rd graders that are falling behind.

First, they would be given the universal screener to determine if they are truly at risk.

Then the diagnostic would be given to determine which specific skills >> would be honed in on in intervention support and then local districts that have the choice.

There are options for that.

The students could be pulled out during the course of the school day.

They have supports.

That could be given in the 4 after school.

High intensity tutoring in vacation Academy.

So there are different options for what that intervention could look like.

Committee members approved the bill unanimously but say this will be no easy task.

It brings back just one more things that were one more thing.

We're asking our teachers to do.

>> And they're not going to comply.

Not much anyway, because that's their nature.

They will do it.

But again, we're asking our teachers to do more and more.

But yet we're not giving them more and more.

So that bothers me, too.

I'm so supportive of this initiative.

I'm.

>> I think, you know, as members of this committee, we have to see everything through the lens of the teacher shortage.

How many of our school districts do you think are equipped to implement this within the elementary space.

There is certainly.

Not necessarily.

>> Increased capacity.

But in terms of certifications, they are broader.

So it would allow for more staffing at at the elementary space education advocate support this bill.

>> Math is a critically important input as we think about any of that future economic activity in our state.

If we just even think about health care pipelines, we are not going to secure the health care providers of the future in our state with Kentucky folks, if we don't improve our outcomes in mathematics.

>> And speaking of Kentucky's future doctors, the House Education Committee also greenlit Eastern Kentucky to create a school of osteopathic medicine.

>> The requirements this program will be to push those physicians out to those rule.

Underserved communities.

>> The committee also signed off on bills that would speed up investigations of teacher misconduct and cut red tape for school building projects for Kentucky edition.

I'm John Leffler.

>> Thank you.

June.

Another education note.

You could have the final say on school choice in Kentucky.

Lawmakers are considering 2 proposed constitutional amendments.

If past they would OK tax dollars for nonpublic education.

We talked about school choice last night on Kentucky.

Tonight, our panel of education advocates some for and some against of school choice discuss whether public schools are failing and whether private schools will be held accountable.

>> When we talk about private schools, Homeschools micro schools, all the things that are being thrown into that conversation now, there's no accounting for those are is the parents chose to take us.

That's a huge accountability.

That's a huge accountability factor because if a parent isn't satisfied, this school is educating their child.

>> Then that school doesn't exist.

Whereas if we have a failing public school and even unfortunately sometimes charter schools, but they'll they'll remain open and they'll continue to fail.

Students are to underperform.

So the greatest accountability factor you have as a parent deciding this school will do the job for my child.

I I don't want to get in the middle of that.

I think that's a very high accountability all about calling school, especially our schools, failing.

There is no failing schools, their schools that are under-resourced, their schools that need systems that need to be put into place.

>> We have educators that are in those schools serving those kids working with them every single day.

But then that that the school is failing.

It's just not true.

Well, I think that on an arbitrary.

Picture in time count ability to get our country the object.

It's a it's a picture that I was going to screen at the all the snaps shot in time.

It was failing during that time.

But that's nothing measures how far that student has come since they walked in the door the first day and we have to be able to really like an accountability system that measures the whole child and their success throughout the year.

And not just from a snapshot point of view.

>> It was a rigorous discussion last night.

You can see the entire hour-long discussion about school choice and other education issues online on demand at KET DOT Org.

Slash K why tonight?

Wearing pink and holding signs for reproductive freedom.

Abortion advocates including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Kentucky say they'll KET fighting for abortion access as they rallied in the state Capitol rotunda today.

Reproductive rights for black women was a particular focus at today's event.

>> We >> did everything right?

But I do well at 12:00:04AM, et.

At 41 Feet.

For black she thing to have a child or not have a child is not accessible or at.

>> if people are forced to be pregnant and give birth in this state, they need to be sure to pass laws expanded.

Okay.

That provide health care to millions of people living prophet State.

Children in Kentucky, they beat a bully by public education because education is one of the way to combat poverty.

And it's someone coming from Martin County.

They need to clean water project.

>> Also in attendance at the rally were students, many of whom said that sex education in schools needed to be more accessible.

Give it back.

Several voting rights advocates used that phrase today to make the case for action on behalf of Kentuckians with past felony convictions who still can't vote.

Today's rally at the Capitol included some people who lived that experience.

>> Among them, Alonso Malone.

>> He read from the 15th amendment to us Constitution often called the voting Rights amendment and he says nothing written there justifies his long way to finally have his voting rights restored.

And >> to give it a try.

>> As was said, Governor Andy Beshear restored voting rights to 140,000 Kentucky in 2019 by executive order.

The progressive group Kentuckians for the Commonwealth says about 312,000.

Kentuckians still can't vote even though they've served their time.

The group wants a constitutional amendment to change that.

Republican lawmakers credit the rosy state revenue report to fiscal discipline by the GOP.

>> The state says tax revenues in January topped 1.3 billion dollars more than 4% from a year ago.

Senator Chris McDaniel, the Senate budget chair and and amaze Bledsoe.

The vice chair say this proves recent income tax cuts are depriving the state of tax revenue.

In a joint statement, McDaniel in Bledsoe said, quote, the January State Revenue report is further evidence that our priority to lower working families, income tax not only leaves more money in Kentucky has pockets but comprehensive tax reforms had successfully broaden the tax base leading to record revenues in quotes.

♪ Kentucky is now suing Kroger for its alleged role in the deadly opioid drug pandemic.

Attorney General Russel Coleman says Kroger and it's more than 100 pharmacies in the state were responsible for more than 11% of all opioid pills distributed in Kentucky during a 15 year period.

A lawsuit claims Kroger failed to stop suspicious opioid orders in 20.

0, 2 or 2022?

More than 2100 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses today, Kentucky has received about 900 million dollars from settlements with opioid distributors.

New numbers show the impact of the Kentucky community and Technical College system and Pharma says one a change in the policy affecting vaccines for kids.

Our Joe Gibbs has details in this.

Look at headlines around Kentucky.

♪ >> Kentucky, pharmacists are pushing for lawmakers to adopt a measure that would lower the age for children to receive drug store Vaccines.

W E K you reports the policy would allow pharmacists to administer vaccines to children age 5 and older.

The current starting ages 9.

FEMA is making major changes to programs, which officials say is partially due to barriers.

Families faced after the floods in eastern Kentucky, a local public media reports the changes include more cash assistance, expanding the type of repairs, allowed to homes and more flexibility on how survivors can use aid when finding a place to live help EM analyzed FEMA data found around 45% of the application for aid related to the 2022.

Floods were denied.

According to the federal registry entry, those improvements will take effect for new presidential pledges.

Asters starting March 22nd.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System contributed 3.9 billion dollars to the state economy last year.

According to Wks Murray State universities, public media stations Wk MSI to report from analytics company like asked saying the amount is equal to 1.6% of the state's gross state product.

A total of 3.6 billion comes from alumni.

Earnings.

W Kms reports that spending for construction school operations and students was also considered.

With headlines around Kentucky.

I'm told he get.

♪ >> The Louisville Orchestra announced its new season right on the heels of winning a Grammy.

Our Kelsey Starks joins us with the director of operations.

>> Adam Thomas is the director of operations for the Louisville Orchestra and congratulations are in order because the orchestra just received its first Grammy for best classical instrumental solo teddy Abrams for the American Project.

Tell us about that.

>> So this was one of our classics concerts back in January, 2 years And it was just it was quite a week to get through.

We had a snowstorm that week we had a many COVID outbreak going on.

And so we we were making sure musicians were safe and healthy.

We have a huge guest in huge along a great classical pianist.

But we made an album out of it.

We got through it.

And now here a couple years later, this is just such a huge validation of the work that head east on of you.

Just you just incredible musicianship.

But also the incredible musicianship of our local orchestra.

>> Oh, my goodness.

What an honor.

We're so proud of the orchestra all that you all do.

And speaking up, you have a new season to announce and this is exciting.

Tell us what's still to come.

>> That's right, some 24 25 starts this fall in September.

We're going to do things that are musicians are so excited to play.

But our audience the answers will be excited to hear like the planet's the great Gustav Holst We'll coming up the incredible piece with this giant choir behind the orchestra that you'll know you've heard it 100 just it's going to be a fantastic season.

Some great guests violinist Midori Andrei Chen who are just really so nominal people to have on the We're really excited.

It's going to be it's going to be worth catching.

You want to be there for it?

>> Yeah.

And that Grammy Award and you guys to still have a last leg of the in Harmony Tour for this.

For those who don't know is where you're taking the Louisville orchestra on the road performing throughout the state by what is still ahead.

>> So we've been in eastern Kentucky.

We've been in Western Kentucky.

We have a few spots kind of all around the state that we wanted to get to that we haven't been yet.

So we'll be in Bowling.

Green will be at Fort Knox will be in Danville and several other places.

These are free concerts.

Thanks to a really, really generous a gift from the state of Kentucky.

We're so grateful to the legislators for making this happen to give a people all over the state access to high-quality orchestral music with great guest artist Michael Cleveland, who is native to this area.

Fantastic bluegrass musician will be our guest on this tour and it's completely free to the citizens of Kentucky.

It's so fantastic.

It's unbelievable.

And it's been a real success.

This is really part of the mission of the orchestra is bringing music to the community that's running out.

>> That's right.

We do that right here in town.

Yes, we have our incredible concerts that Whitney Hall, but they have to get a ticket for and they're unmissable.

But we also have concerts that we take around the city just like we do with the tour to provide access to, to hearing these these great musicians, these great programs and our wonderful guests and and many of those concerts around the city are free because that's that's our mission.

That's it.

>> Wonderful.

Thank you so much for sharing all of the music with us.

And congratulations once Subscriptions are open now for that new season of the law orchestrate kicks off September 14th.

>> Thanks so much, Kelsey.

The craters Corps also part of the new season for the second year in a row bringing in composers from all around the country to live in Louisville and compose new music to present this season.

Tomorrow, of course, is Valentine's Day and we haven't up Prius story in the works.

We'll show you the art of Candy making it one of Kentucky's oldest candy makers.

It's a story more than 100 years in the making.

More on that tomorrow night on Kentucky Edition.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

We hope you do it again at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central tomorrow night that we inform connect and inspire.

>> Connect with us all the ways you see on your screen.

Subscribe to our email newsletters.

Find us on the PBS video app that you can download on your mobile device and smart TV.

Send us a story idea at public affairs at KET Dot Org and of course, follow KET on Facebook X, formerly known as Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

While Lynn Barton will be with us tomorrow to give us the lowdown on the week's news, especially here at the Capitol.

So we hope to see you right back here again, Wednesday night at the same time, same station.

I'm Renee Shaw until I see you again.

Taking care of the night.

♪