get a little fuzzy.

♪ >> The fact that we're naming or add, there's a clear thing they're trying to do to make drag scene that.

>> Drag shows in Kentucky.

Do they need regulating by the state?

>> What are people that find out about it?

The better off our state is going to be.

>> Kentucky kids have a cap of the problem and it's not just because of candy.

He's a really big personality and a really small body.

Plus, how a Kentucky family is helping their son battle.

A very rare disease.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KU Team Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Thursday, February 29th.

>> I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your Thursday night with us.

One day after Kentucky's senior senator announced he's leaving his leadership role.

>> Lawmakers moved ahead with the bill in Frankfort taking away a Kentucky governor's power to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy.

Currently if a seat becomes vacant.

The governor can choose from 3 nominees selected by the departing Senators party before a special election.

The General Assembly may that law in 2020 wine before that the governor had sole power to appoint someone to fill the vacancy under House Bill 6.22.

The governor would have to call for a special election to fill the seat Republican House floor leader Steven Rudy of Paducah sponsors.

The bill to tell the committee.

It's more in line with the 17th amendment of the U.S. Constitution ban Kentucky's current law.

>> The ability for Legislature wars to provide for appointments to allow the executive to provide for appointments.

But that's under section.

This is the shell we should.

This is within the spirit of the 17th amendment.

I think its preferred, I think.

God forbid we have any vacancy in a U.S.

Senator.

I think that the people would want to decide who their senator was.

>> The vote comes one day after U.S..

Senator Mitch McConnell announced he was stepping down as Senate minority leader after the November election.

Something representative cut your hair and a Democrat from Louisville noted during the hearing.

>> Appreciate you bringing this bill.

And I do know that we need to have some type of I think that Moos, Kentucky INS know that we do have a senator who could potentially be stepping down soon.

Senator Leader McConnell did say that he would continued leadership.

And so people are curious about if that seat will become open.

However, I just want to spend a little bit more time so, Jen, thank you.

>> The bill was approved in committee and now weighs for action by the full House political leaders in both parties continue to react to Senator Mitch McConnell's announcement yesterday, Senator McConnell announced he would step aside as Senate minority leader in November, but he would remain as a U.S. senator from Kentucky, at least through the end of the current term in January of 2027.

Here's reaction from Kentucky.

Senate President Robert Stivers quote, Leader McConnell has been a tremendous leader in the U.S. Senate and in Kentuckyian has helped change the body politic and Frankfort.

But in Kentucky on a much better trajectory, he's contributed significantly not only at the federal level, but also at the state level being a leader of a chamber myself.

I have great respect and admiration for the job he's done in, quote.

And we have this from House Speaker David Osborne.

Quote, Leader McConnell is the most consequential leader in modern history.

His legacy is the Senate leader will live on long after he steps down and our entire nation is better off because of it, unquote.

Governor Andy Beshear also talked today about Senator McConnell's decision to step down as minority leader.

>> Senator McConnell announced that he is going to step down from leadership in November and serve out his he has been in a position of leadership whether in the minority for the majority for a significant period of time.

It takes a lot of time.

Thanks a lot of time away from your family and your friends and other.

So anyone who gives that type of service, we ought to recognize the sacrifice and to say thank certainly appreciate his support on the bipartisan infrastructure will.

And I think that is going to be an legacy breaking through partisanship in doing something that reverberates incredible projects for years to come >> speaking of the infrastructure law, the governor also announced Kentucky would receive 74 million dollars to help clean up damage caused by historic mines.

And he announced Kentucky exported goods totaling more than 40 billion dollars in 2023.

A 16% increase over 2022.

And the biggest export total in state history.

Now back to news from the Kentucky General Assembly supporters say it will protect children.

Opponents believe it will hurt drag performers.

A new bill before state lawmakers would regulate adult oriented businesses and sexually explicit conduct.

But some say similar laws already on the books.

Our Clayton Dalton brings you this report as we continue tonight's Legislative update.

>> Kentucky state senators took their first step in advancing a bill that regulate adult oriented businesses like pornographic book stores and theaters.

>> The bill defines adult oriented businesses to mean and adult arcade adult bookstore or video store adult Cabaret, adult theater or any establishment that regularly host any performance involving sexual conduct that is defined in the bill.

>> The bill restricts these types of businesses from operating within 933 feet for about one city block from places frequented by children and families like K through 12 schools, parks, playgrounds and churches.

The bill includes sexually explicit drag shows in this prohibition.

The newest version of the bill does not regulate drag shows without sexual conduct, including controversial track programs like drag story hours of public libraries and drag shows that the park.

>> So its work.

If we're just delineating nudity and sexually explicit.

Why don't we just put adult cabaret?

Why do we have to include drag?

>> I will say because now we have 2 forms of drag.

That one is in the public sector where there talking to they're going to drag Queen story hour.

They're not performing sexually there, but you don't want that.

That's not what this bill does.

It doesn't limit that it would limit a sexual performance from going into the library.

So we have 2 distinctions of drag now we don't have any other distinction in the adult oriented business.

Is that no other type of performances trying to going into an approach public sector in front of children.

We have drag is so I want to make sure we define that sexually explicit performances.

Stay in this context.

And these are the ones that are we're trying to KET minors away from one drag performer who testified against the bill says singling out drag is wrong.

>> So this bill is being.

>> How did as a way to KET children away from sexually explicit material?

I think if we define what sexually explicit means, we don't have to define drag.

Why have we not defined all dance forms and described which are and which are not sexually explicit.

Why do we define what stand-up comedy is?

So then we can decide what is sexually explicit and what isn't.

The idea is we need to target dragged to make it seem like it is.

The fear is that it is the key like it is associated with disease and destruction and pestilence.

The fact that we are naming drag, there's a clear thing they're trying to do to make drag scene that always.

>> Senator to chin or says that Kentucky can and should regulate sexually explicit businesses much like it does other industries.

>> We regulate and monitor insurance.

Horse racing, the financial industry, alcohol, real estate.

The list is long.

The intent of this bill is to set a regulation around this industry to ensure we are protecting communities and minors within those communities from exposure that may lead to negative ad for secondary effects.

>> The bill draws associations between adult oriented businesses and human trafficking, prostitution and drug use among others, the bill passed along party lines and now heads to Kentucky separate chamber.

The state Senate for Kentucky Edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Thank you, Clayton.

Lawmakers considered a similar bill last year, but it did not pass.

A prolife lawmaker in the House want school districts to adopt age appropriate curriculum on human growth and development beginning with 6 graders.

It's called the Baby Olivia Act, which is in reference to a 3 minute video produced by an anti-abortion group.

It shows an animated depiction of the stages of pregnancy until birth parents who object could choose not to have their children.

See the video and parents would have to sign a permission slip for their kids to participate.

Brandenburg Republican State Representative Nancy take the sponsor of the Baby Olivia Act said the video has been widely viewed.

>> As of May of 2023, this video has been seen by more than 50 million viewers since it was released in the summer of 2021.

Offering an animated clips of human life from the first moment of conception are skewed a fertilization and details of preborn child.

Some growth inside the mother's womb.

So not only what I like to see this video shown in schools, but I would also like for it to be shown in churches, pregnancy resource centers and offices of obstetricians and OG the Lions.

>> Rebut reproductive rights groups and others registered their opposition to the bill.

They say the Olivia video makes fall scientifically inaccurate claims about fetal development.

They believe that sex education is the best way to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

We don't have good education about contraception and family planning and healthy pregnancy maintenance in our expectations right now for sexual education.

>> So I don't see why we would start educating with this video, which is coming from a philosophical perspective before we're giving children.

The actually need as they become young adults who are making decisions for their own health.

And that of others.

House Bill 3.46.

Doesn't specify a certain video rendering or animation be shown but leaves that up to the schools and teachers to decide.

>> The pro-life group, the Family Foundation supports the legislation.

>> As a father of including a 4 month-old at home.

I can tell you from recent firsthand experience that ultrasound videos and photos and even whole of the apps that are available to see the computer generated the reality of what is occurring in the room.

How was so helpful for my kids to understand what is taking place inside.

Armies will right inside.

Always valley.

What's going on and I think that our our kids, I mean, shouldn't our middle school and high school kids have access to that information?

>> The House Health Services Committee agreed and approved the bill on a vote of 14 to 4.

It now heads to the House floor for consideration by the entire House membership.

280 Kentucky health care professionals, including doctors, medical students and some lawmakers denounced Kentucky's current abortion laws this week at the Capitol.

The group says the laws are dangerous and create a hostile environment for doctors.

>> How do you practice medicine in a culture of fear?

I don't think you can.

And I would reach out to the state of Kentucky to listen to the voters to listen to women, to listen to the health care of this state.

We almost leave the country and maternal mortality.

I think we're number 2 now.

That's not a proud statistic to be what you have.

So many, many women now with medical problems are getting ill and they will not have the choice, whether it's their life.

Are you have the pregnancy and we need to provide that to them.

I will continue to counsel my patients and how to make informed responsible decisions so they can protect their bodies.

>> But perhaps the most important protection I can teach them.

It's not how to use a condom, but instead how to protect themselves from lawmakers who do not have their individual liberties and freedoms as a priority and encourage every one of them and their parents to register.

>> The group is part of a coalition called the Kentucky Physicians and Allied Health Professionals for Reproductive Freedom.

Its collecting signatures for an open letter calling for an end to the state's abortion bans.

Kentucky schools aren't just short teachers and bus drivers.

School districts also need more police officers to break up fights help with student discipline.

And in the worst-case scenario, respond to an active shooter as June Leffler reports a state senator says armed guards might fill that gap.

Kentucky requires all school campuses to have police officers also known as school resource officers.

>> State Senator Max wise push that mandate in 2019 as part of a larger school safety package.

But now he says schools can barely higher and fund those positions.

I had a principle.

>> From Johnson County who I know who I met on a statewide campaign that was in my office who would read the bill and said Sen what I love about this bill as we have an SRO at our high school, but not our elementary school, which is 18 minutes away for us being able to get to that elementary school.

This can be a help to us because right now we cannot get an SRO in coverage at that elementary school.

>> Weiss is Senate Bill 2 proposes that districts hire armed guards if they want to.

The Guardian will not half arresting authority.

They are simply a stopgap measure help a school district that could not provide an SRO beginning in 2025.

26 school year.

In my opinion, Garden Elementary or campus location is better than having nothing at all.

One grandmother says more guns in school won't curb gun deaths.

>> Research shows us that if you examine all of this school shootings that have happened over the last >> several decades, the presence of an armed guard did not reduce the number of deaths or the number of injuries.

senator, widespread up you've all day.

How many guns were in that school?

>> How many armed people were there that day?

Standing outside the door where the shooter was and those kids were dying inside that room.

Kathy Hobart says measures regulating guns would be a better solution like Senate Bill.

13.

It would set up a red flag law to temporarily take guns away from Kentuckians who've shown they intend to harm themselves or others.

>> That bill hasn't been heard in a committee.

The Senate Education Committee, advanced Senate Bill 2 with one.

No vote.

>> It's just concerning.

When you think of the things that could happen in a school and how those things might be handled by by someone that doesn't have basic training academy doesn't have years of experience interacting with the public Senate bill to also direct school districts to boost their mental health response.

That includes creating trauma informed teams that will work with students but also report trends back to the state for Kentucky edition of John Leffler.

>> Thank you.

June.

The Senate Education Committee also said yes to bringing back cursive, writing to the classroom.

One supporter told lawmakers today that curse of went by the wayside about a decade ago when national Common Core standards were adopted.

Kentuckians 70 and older could opt out of jury duty under a bill being considered in Frankfort.

76 year-old Republican state Senator Johnny Turner of Harlan is the sponsor of Senate Bill one.

53, the bill calls for creating a new form for jurors that gives those 70 and older a chance to opt out the period for which they've been selected or to even be permanently excused from jury duty.

But not all committee members were on board.

>> It's kind of unfair to make a little go in the courthouse, even to judicial centers.

Don't have a place for coffee water, candy bars.

They got hard seat known.

People get to South seats are actual jurors that serving on a jury and they can be in there for hours.

The get $12 and $0.50.

And I was told by.

A Senate colleague that the process of parking in their district was $18.

There is no reason for us not to.

Consider that 70 year olds should have the right.

To be relieved from serving.

It's important to remember that the demographic or society is talking.

>> Over this bill would apply to me many folks.

My have time now to serve on juries.

The other factor is is the Wright in American Jewish jurors prudence to have a trial by jury of your peers.

If you have an older person who is on trial.

And >> that limits the pool of.

>> A jury of your And you can now petition a court Biggs from jury duty.

And that is a bit.

I know that it is a bit of inconvenience for people, I have not been contacted by any folks.

My >> pressing for this.

>> The bill advanced out of committee by a vote of 72.

It now heads to the full Senate for consideration there.

Other measures passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today include Senate bill to 49.

It would require registered sex offenders to use their full legal name on social media platforms.

Failure to do so could result in a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for a second offense Senate bill.

2.49, now heads to the full Senate now.

House Bill one, 59 is also heading to the full Senate.

It would mean health care providers could not be criminally prosecuted for harming a patient.

There are exceptions for cases involving extreme negligence and other acts of intentional misconduct.

♪ ♪ February is National Children's Dental Health Month.

While it's no surprise that sugar can lead to cavities, one pediatric dentist in Kentucky says she's on a mission to help educate parents about a more common source of sugar that is often overlooked.

>> Well, things like a milk cheese sodas, candy, and things like that can cause We see a lot practices that happened the bottom end of the first acts.

And it's just the parents don't understand that they can be very detrimental to the team.

So unfortunately, in the 22 years that I've been doing dentistry.

>> This has become an everyday conversation and every day education conversation that I had with every family that comes in by practice and more people that find out about it, the the better off our state is going to be because it's kind of a hidden epidemic like you see it some of the parenting magazines like at the very bottom, it'll say pediatric dentist.

The dentist do not recommend gummy vitamins.

But as going up against a huge like industry.

>> I got found out early on in my career that that I I was not going to have a voice like I can't go up against the money that is generated from advertising for gummy vitamins when every kid on the planet loves their gummy vitamins.

So ours is out one by one.

We just try to educate and say, hey, tell your friends.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> The last day of February is known as rare Disease Day.

This year.

It falls on the 29th the most rare day of the calendar and estimated 300 million people suffer from a rare disease, meaning a disease that affects fewer than one and 2000 people.

Our Kelsey Starks introduces us to one Louisville family who is making a difference.

>> He's a great kid.

He is full of full of personality.

He's a really big personality in a really small body.

>> Robert vice is a lot like any other 8 year-old boy.

He loves sports and school.

He wants to be a scientist when he grows up.

>> I love the fact I might say that, Mike.

I thought about being a scientist step here.

>> Help and that man in that it stands for people.

>> His plan includes finding a cure for the disease.

He was born with called Marchiol Syndrome.

It's a rare birth defect that affects one in every 200,000 people.

>> He started off just like any other child, you know, through 2 and a half years old.

In fact, he was high on the growth chart.

Everything was normal.

You know, testing wise and but we noticed he had a bump on his back in the bathtub.

And we just and that's all that was just a bump on the back.

Just mom.

>> Mom got something.

Something wasn't right.

>> We thought we cleared all of these hurdles right?

>> It turns out Robert was born without an enzyme that breaks down sugar chains naturally produced in the body over time.

Those chains accumulate and cause damage inside to everything from cells to bones.

>> He might not reach 3 as well.

So we're talking extreme short stature.

And, you know, when you got you kind of lungs, heart, all the organs in this and obviously cause a lot of problems.

>> Hideaway.

>> Since his diagnosis and 2 and a half years old, Robert has had surgeries on his neck and legs which meant a neck brace for 6 months of full body cast for 6 weeks and weekly enzyme treatments lasting 5 to 7 hours each week which KET the sugars from building up in his cardiovascular system and organs.

The vice a tid rooting for Robert.

The only organization in the world focused on finding a more Keogh cure.

>> You don't want to go on this This was not something that we asked for and you hate to see your son go through it.

But and there's a lot of silver linings in.

It's it's incredible.

What what the the loyal and Kentucky community and done.

>> Since 2021, they've raised more than 1.6 million dollars almost exclusively from the Louisville community.

Now they think they can help a lot more people than just Robert.

>> We think that.

be able to cure care.

One disease, even though it's a slightly different says you should be able to apply the concept elsewhere.

>> And that's exactly what happens when it comes to a rare disease research finding what works and what doesn't helps narrow the field for all diseases.

>> I want to live a full, happy, healthy life and he's healthy.

He's different.

>> Stand Shaq.

Panel and check.

>> I know he's as life is going to come.

A challenge physical challenges.

I want him to be able to be successful and I know his brain can do that.

And I want his body to be good enough to KET up with his brain.

>> And next up.

>> What a beautiful little boy.

We wish them all the best before the vices.

Another family from Louisville spearheaded the treatment that Robert receives today.

Hear that part of the story on an upcoming episode of Inside Louisville in March.

By the way, Kentucky is one of 27 states that has a rare disease Advisory council giving patients a voice in state government.

Well, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

We so appreciate it.

We hope to see you right back here tomorrow at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire.

We hope you'll subscribe to our email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips K E T Dot Org.

Look for us on the PBS video app and also send us a story Idea K E T DOT Org and follow KET on Facebook, X and Instagram to stay in the loop.

>> Thanks again for watching and side Kentucky politics tomorrow night of the week on Friday and we'll see you then take really good care.

Tonight.

♪ ♪