♪ >> This is not about teen moms who made a mistake.

This is about.

Women and people who want to be about that first.

>> Ahead, a Kentucky lawmakers bills on abortion access.

>> Over the past 3 years, Kentucky is have experienced significant natural disaster.

>> How do you deal with bigger storms by building better houses?

>> This is a community problem that we can have these people from going back into some sort of, isn't it better?

The community?

>> And we'll look at our program turning today's prisoners and to tomorrow's productive citizens.

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

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky edition on this last day of January, January 31st.

>> I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you so much for joining us this evening.

♪ Just a couple of hours ago, the House Budget Committee advanced or nearly 130 billion dollar two-year spending plan.

>> That puts taxpayer dollars toward education, public safety, health services and drinking water.

Among other services that kicks off our legislative coverage tonight.

Our revised plan fully funds K through 12 school transportation funding at 100% puts 10 million dollars toward the state health care Workforce Investment Fund.

The Legislature created last year funds 100 new social worker positions over the next 2 years at a cost of 50 million and provides money to build a ksp post and Harlan and Richmond.

We'll have much more about the budget and other actions by the House, appropriations and Revenue Committee that just ended of little while ago.

We'll have more on that tomorrow on Kentucky EDITION.

Now in other news at a time, when most abortions are illegal in Kentucky, state lawmakers are now presented with 3 reproductive health bills.

They're all filed by state Representative Lindsey Burke, a Democrat from Lexington today.

She joined members of the ACLU of Kentuckyian Planned Parenthood to announce those measures for Berk.

It's an issue that hits very close to home.

>> So when we talk about reproductive health care access in Kentucky.

This is.

Were critical issue than people realize.

This is not about teen moms who've made a mistake.

This is about.

Women and people who want to be mothers who desperately want 2 experience being a parent.

Who don't have access to the care that they need because of the way we have hold up the the excess.

And that's why today I'm here to file 3 new Bills.

One I filed last year we refer to as the North Star Bill.

It's a full reverse.

All of all the detrimental legislation that's happened over the last 4 years.

It rolls us back to the access that should have been has been available in Kentucky over the last decades.

I'm also introducing what we call the Shield Bill.

The Shield Bill provides that a parent who has to travel out of state to receive either an abortion or medication based abortion that she doesn't have to worry about.

Someone in Kentucky pulling her medical records, subpoenaing her, suing her prosecuting her for taking care of her health and the health of her loved ones.

It actually waives sovereign immunity so that if the state of Kentucky should do that to any woman who sought medical care out of state.

They can be sued for violating that woman.

Civil rights last but not introduce a bill that I also introduced last session to add to the hands program, a component on maternal mental health, postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety.

And to me, it seems like a glaring omission.

That is a state where we have high rates of maternal mortality.

We are talking more about postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression.

So I think this is a very simple way that we can improve the lives of.

Parents and children in Kentucky.

This to me should be a very nonpartisan issue.

We actually passed a similar bill last year.

This just takes that one little step further.

>> Now, the first bill that you heard Burke introduce the North star bill.

It was filed last session, but it did not advance.

On a somewhat related matter.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you often heard the phrase healthcare heroes to describe doctors, nurses, another clinicians now state lawmakers in Frankfort are discussing a bill that protects these heroes even when they make mistakes.

Our Clayton Dalton has more in this report.

>> Doctors and nurses make mistakes and sometimes those decisions that lead to a patient's sickness or death should health care workers be criminally charged for January mistakes?

House Bill one 59 sponsored by House Majority whip chase in NE MS says no.

>> What this would say is effectively different nurse or another health care made a mistake, but they wouldn't be criminally liable.

There could someone who's given the wrong medication obviously not intentionally.

That was intentional.

That's a crime.

But if it were a mistake, that's something that they're still be civil liability, that the person is still lose their job, maybe should lose their job in the right circumstances.

But that's not a crime.

>> State Representative Lindsey Burke, a Democrat from Lexington and staunch supporter of abortion rights chimed in.

>> Doctors in Kentucky are often reticent to perform legal lifesaving abortions for a mother who is in critical condition.

Would this bill providing coverage for a doctor who was acting in that limited capacity where the mother's life was at stake to protect the doctor from any criminal liability.

>> Linda Robinson, a registered nurse from northern Kentucky, responded.

>> Well, this addresses more process type errors, mistakes that wouldn't be a mistake.

That's a treatment call.

And that that is not addressed in this.

That would be that doctors, medical opinion or call not to do that type of a treatment.

This wouldn't be kunst that would not be considered a mistake.

Okay.

That the reason I'm asking is yeah, I think that's the situation that doctors who are providing are reticent to provide this type of treatment are worried about, but their medical judgment would be questioned and they would be treated as though they had made a mistake, even though they were acting, what they thought was.

Appropriate medical treatment.

So you do believe that there's an overlap here?

>> I think I've not looked at it.

I'm not thought about this in Cannes in that context.

I think Kentucky law allows obviously for a procedure to save the life of the mother or if it's serious health consequences.

This doesn't affect that in any way.

>> Mi Mister clarified that this bill is intended to protect hands-on clinicians, not health care, administrators and executives House Bill one 59 passed out of committee with bipartisan support with one Democrat and one Republican registering a past vote.

The bill's next stop is the House for for full consideration.

For Kentucky edition.

I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Thank you, Clayton.

And other news.

The documents you can use to prove your identity at the ballot box could be changing under a bill that cleared the Senate this week.

Senator Adrienne Southworth is the sponsor of Senate Bill 80.

It calls for removing all non government issued ID ease as a primary source of identification in order to vote.

Now that includes student ID's, which under this proposal would still be accepted as a secondary source of identification, credit cards which are currently accepted only as a secondary source of ID would be eliminated from the list altogether.

The bill drew a lot of debate on the Senate floor yesterday with some Democrats predicting the measure would end up in court and that it could suppress voter turnout, especially among young people in Kentucky.

>> Removing college ID's from the list of acceptable identification will certainly create a barrier to our young people participating in democracy.

There's no evidence the college ID's are being used for voter fraud.

And there's no evidence that they're more likely to be used for voter fraud than any other type of ID.

So I would avoid.

>> This that we know there's going to be a challenge.

I would listen to the Republican secretary of state.

He said what we have is working.

We have not had complaints.

We do not have brought.

We don't need to disenfranchise young voters from voting and vote against this.

>> Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers called the bill a simple improvement to Kentucky is voter ID laws.

>> We're trying to tighten up some of the guardrails.

About how we conduct business in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

I think this is a good bill.

I don't think this is the discriminatory bill.

I don't think this is a bill about voter fraud.

>> This happens every time we bring up some sort of voter ID, the minority party.

Just thanks for ending the world.

Well, the voter ID bill that we passed in 2020 has been working pretty well.

This will make it better.

>> Senate Bill 80 passed by a vote of 27 to 7 on yesterday.

It now heads to the House for consideration there.

Storms and flooding in recent years have caused millions of dollars in damage to Kentucky homes.

House bill to 56 would encourage the building of stronger homes to prevent some of that damage and save money in the long term.

Our June Leffler has more.

>> Representative Michael Sarge P****** is sponsoring House Bill 2.56, which would create the strength in Kentucky homes program.

>> Over the past 3 years, Kentuckians have experienced significant natural disasters here in the state of Kentucky.

Tornadoes flood March 3rd of last year, 70 mile an hour winds resulting in thousands of insurance claims to repair damaged homes, but also also the economic activity.

And in some extreme injuries and loss of life.

Other states, many on the coast have begun to build their housing stocks to a standard meant to withstand the severe weather events.

>> The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety has outlined how to build a fortified home that can withstand some severe gusts and storms.

>> Prince between a roof that's going on every day here in Kentuckyian a fortified roofs.

It's very simple is just a change in the way that things are applied and it's also a ceiling or a second water barrier to the decking.

So not going to go too far into the weeds, but everybody knows on your roof.

You've got decking sheets of plywood or Alice B, there's a space between that decking that has to be there because it has to be able to it contract and expand with heat.

When she ingle loss is experienced in 70 mile an hour winds and there's a rain event at same time that water pours in between that crack and it amplifies the damage that that structure would have seen had that water stayed out.

So fortified puts a secondary Waterbury are basically just keeps the water at the crack between the pieces of wood.

>> Homeowners, builders and charitable organizations would be eligible for money to help make these improvements.

And once they do, they're able to get more affordable insurance options.

According to the bill, the House Committee on Banking and Insurance approved the bill unanimously chair Michael Meredith said this bill will likely head to an appropriations and revenue Committee as it sets up a designated fun for Kentucky June left for.

>> Thank you, June.

Now shifting now to legislation about education, a bill requiring public school students to start each day with a moment of silence or reflection passed the full house today under House Bill.

96 students would remain silent and seated for no more than 2 minutes.

Teachers could not instruct them during that time.

Local school boards would be required to come up with a policy for the moment of silence or reflection.

The bill sponsor, Republican State Representative Daniel Pfister of Versailles said parents will be notified about the policy and encouraged to provide guidance to their children on how to use the time today on the floor, Fister was asked if parents could opt out their child and participating in the moment of silence.

>> Well, I think they would have to do is instruct the child to sit there motionless and not interfere if any other state.

The word prayers only in this bill one time.

And that is as an option among other options that are available.

>> The Pfister went on to say that students would ultimately decide on what to do with that time.

State Representative Sara Stock or a Democrat from Louisville who voted against the bill, said she had some ideas about what students could reflect on.

>> Maybe you could think how many of your classmates and Kentucky children are food insecure for how many students are experiencing are on the verge of experiencing homelessness or how many kids are being abused and neglected.

How many kids will participate in an active shooter drill today or of lawmakers are doing to address any of these real issues and why are they passing laws forcing for you to participate in a moment of silence?

That is not the policy solution to the many issues.

>> That we have.

>> House Bill 96 passed by a vote of 79 to 17 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

A suicide prevention bill focused on military veterans is also advancing in the Kentucky Legislature.

House Bill 30 drew bipartisan support as it cleared the full house today.

The bill's lead sponsor is Republican Representative Michael Meredith.

The measure is aimed at ending military and veteran suicides which occur at a far higher rate.

Then in the general population in Kentuckyian even the nation.

Representative Meredith says the goal of the bill is to increase awareness of and access to the many services that already exist for veterans better tailor services to meet veterans needs and reduce the stigma of seeking help.

♪ ♪ Time now for midweek, check-in of some major political developments in Kentucky.

So far, this midweek with our good friend Ryland Barton, who is a senior editor with in PR.

>> Good to say it's been a minute as we >> It seems to Renee.

>> So let's get down to it.

First item that will talk about.

We know that in the House yesterday the House passed a resolution signed that they support and they are urging Governor Andy Beshear to support Governor Greg Abbott's actions and Texas dealing with the southern border crisis.

And we know that the attorney general of Kentucky is also getting involved in this conversation.

Tell us more about this.

>> Yeah, this a really interesting topic for this This might view the main issue that folks are looking at in the presidential election with that conservatives criticizing President Biden's handling migrants crossing the border and and and then also the conservatives and the border in Doing a whole lot of different things, including setting up a hundreds of miles of concertina wire, too, of trying to prevent people from crossing the border and also getting into this big dispute with federal officials over who has the rights to, you know, detain right here to the spaces and also occupy a space around the border.

This is a big I think it's to kind of the 3 cups of of federalism in this country.

You have states rights.

What hours reported to states versus the the federal government has the power to regulate the the national border, which, you know up until this point in time, he's been pretty clearly the power that's been relegated to the federal government.

But Texas officials say that this the government isn't doing a good enough job once.

And so they're super didn't hear any way.

Kentucky politicians are starting to weigh in on this issue and trying to turn their support for it behind Republican Governor Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

In this case.

You know, it's interesting not only because Kentucky's 1000 plus miles from the Texas border this is just this is what politics looks like this year and also the trying to make this case.

That is not only a you know, this is not just a Texas issue that this the Attorney General, Russel Coleman, saying your Kentucky is effectively a quarter of a border state because that switch because a little bit hyperbolic.

But that is that's that's kind of them.

The rhetorical moment right now, I'm a governor.

Beshear responded saying that this is we know that that is troubled by what's going on the border right now that, you know, he said Kentucky National Guard troopers to the border to help previously but also he's worried about this legal precedent of that.

It was essentially used to you know, session, the rebellion, 3rd civil war and that this is really reminding us of some other the other other times too much.

The federal government had to intervene with with dissertation in Little Rock in the 1960's.

These are there's a lot of different issues going on right now where the federal powers starting and and and and how states are responding to.

>> There was an with that.

The Legislature yesterday, I believe it was a press conference between the eyes by by camera, if you will, Representative Nancy Tate in the House and state Sen Lindsay Titian or have this public protection measure as they have built that which deals with adult oriented businesses and could have some implications perhaps for drag shows.

>> Yeah, this is a little bit of a rehashing of a bill that was proposed last year and that is as some other state struck down by federal courts.

That be restrictions on adult oriented businesses and sexually explicit performances, which does the definitions do include track shows that something that that the bill sponsor winds attention said this isn't really targeting drag shows.

But this is it is something that's included in here it's worries about my years interacting with in sexually explicit performances or other the information that they are are not ready to handle you.

And it's trying to it's hard to target this is something they've done that it's written very, very probably require a lot of interpretation by courts to to determine what actually counts of 6 sections within that tries to find some of these.

But it's it's a really white speaking, bill.

Again, similar measure to construct in other states.

In Tennessee.

There is one yeah, it's it's something that I think a lot legislators think that they can get a lot of support around and to their standing up for family values.

And in these instances.

But it's also something that I don't think a lot of people have seen.

You know, a lot of of.

A lot of problems around this particular issue.

The sponsors to say that there's they're all instances of of a drag, a reading performances taking place and libraries.

And that's something that they want to they want to cut down on that.

Yeah.

We'll see how hard it makes it this time around.

He didn't too much in the Legislature.

I think lawmakers see that in other states has really advanced too far.

you might end up leading to some expensive lawsuits.

>> And our last item that just came out right before we started to speak today is about an audit of Kentucky's do no justice system.

And John Cheves the report I'm citing he's been on this issue for a long time and been covering this for many, many, many years.

What does this audit say about these persistent problems in our system of juvenile justice?

>> Yeah, we we read this over the years and the current leader about all the problems in Kentucky stool justice system.

Lawmakers have tried to start passing summer pass last year, put a little bit more money and resources into the We have this independent audit came out and says they're still a lot of problem in the juvenile justice system even after some of the reforms last of corrections and juvenile corrections officers overusing, however, spray and isolation practices really focus a lot on the juveniles who are in that in the system are being treated and mistreated.

A lot of critics of set so far there hasn't been the focus yet on what actually I'm trying to perform some of these policies of all options are being treated in the juvenile justice system, which whether mistreatment that does lead to have a lot of more problems that we've seen in recent years and east high-profile escapes fires, riots that have taken place sets one side of things.

But then the other side, there's yeah, you know, far too solitary confinement taking There's not a behavior management model for our kids are in the system.

So a lot that needs to be addressed with that.

>> Yeah, and we'll see what happens if anything during this legislative session.

Well, thank you, Alan Barnes, always good to see you.

>> Appreciate you see it here in.

♪ ♪ >> The good will aspire program helps soon-to-be released prisoners find jobs and get mentorship and guidance before they're released 8 and after they're released back into the community, those prisoners are helped by the ASPIRE team.

A group that knows what it's like to be buying dot bars.

>> I started my first of conviction with the prison in 1995. in doing across those 18 years in and out.

They always have program for you to take to get good time a few cents, maybe get out of the area I want to probe or but isn't nothing guarded.

Impacts you and give you the resources when you get out.

So to stop program not only goes pretty release, but it post-release when they get out with that with them for this journey.

>> The purpose of this fire program is ultimately for people that are incarcerated upon release.

They are successful in Inter reintegrating him back into the community, but also just employment having a sustainability in being independent.

And having good employment.

So that's the ultimate goal.

And that they don't obviously receipt of it.

We have 6 career development facilitators having the justice backgrounds enables the career development facilitators to be related will just almost instantly.

>> That me being in the justice system for so long in being right in the very presence that I'm now going to need gave me some life experience that they can see.

Hey, disguise.

And I just come from something that we really are going to school getting a degree someday.

You may have some experience.

I think just the past week.

>> The Ranger coordinators at state, Kentucky Department of Corrections.

They determine who is eligible on the requirements that we have are that they had to be 20 to 90 days for release.

They can have a sex charge.

And they've got to be returning to the Louisville area or they don't have a home placement.

And one of the about the reasons that we put that in there about no home placements because the majority of the reentry centers are in Louisville.

We have 5 in moments right now.

For the aspiring integration face.

But we had 67 complete the Spire Workshop, which is inside the prisons.

15 hours is provided inside the prison we work with the client.

It's 3, 5, our day.

We really go over like raintree barriers.

We have 7 partner prisons into re-entry center's.

We have some other partners.

We have legal aid society.

So every client that's release will get a legal assessment completed.

We also had 3 mental health partners that will help transition in receive mental health services.

So one of them is specific substance abuse.

The other one for high-risk offenders that have a high risk averse.

Innovating.

And trauma.

It informed care.

And so we have 3 mental health partners that are going to be helping.

Vilma as they transition.

This is a community problem is we can have these people from going back to recidivism.

It better as a community.

I just think it's well overdue.

>> Is long It gives hope for.

>> The program started in 2023 and is run by a federal grant from the Department of Labor.

It will last until 2026.

And then it will be evaluated to see how well the program worked.

♪ ♪ Batting has become a hot topic in the last year.

And one Kentucky library has taken action to protect access to controversial information.

>> Second Amendment has been shined.

>> Why wouldn't we and trying the First Amendment as well?

>> Tomorrow on Kentucky Edition, we take you to the Paris Bourbon County Public Library.

The first sanctuary libraries in the commonwealth.

So we hope you'll join us for that story.

And many more tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central on Kentucky Edition.

>> We inform connect and inspire.

Subscribe to our email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips of KET DOT Org.

You can find us on the PBS video app on your mobile devices, smart TV, and connect with us all the ways you see on your screen, Facebook, X and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Hope to see you right back here again tomorrow night.

I'm Renee Shaw.

In the meantime, take really good care tonight.

♪