♪ >> Opponents of this bill misread.

Don't read the bill before they state their objections.

>> More testimony on Anti Dei legislation and an intense committee hearing.

>> Let me be crystal clear.

The section of the bill that included the moratorium has been removed.

Lawmakers adopt a change to a bill that would regulate cannabis infused drinks.

Still not.

Everyone is on board.

>> Well, being a state farm agent has absolutely helped me prepare for this role.

>> State Farm agent to state representative freshman lawmaker.

Representative Erica Hancock tells us what she brings to the legislative table.

>> The unique thing about this one is its students in high school getting to experience what it's like to be a teacher.

>> And how a group of North Central Kentucky school districts are looking with end to help reduce the teacher shortage.

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

♪ ♪ >> Good Evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this brand new week.

It is Monday March, the 10th.

I'm Renee Shaw and we thank you for being with us this evening.

We began tonight on legislative update with a controversial bill that's getting a lot of discussion in Frankfort, the longest-serving member and the state Senate tried to block the staying of an Anti dei bill targeting Kentucky's public colleges and universities.

Louisville, Democrat and Senate minority Floor Leader Gerald Meal offered a fleet of changes that were rejected by the Republican dominated committee today.

Here are some of the testimony both for and against House Bill 4 sponsored by Waddy Republican Jennifer Decker.

>> Opponents of this bill misread.

Or don't read the bill before they state their objections.

I have received countless letters from opponents of the bill who state that it is terrible that the bill threatens student centers and supports for veterans first generation and low income students.

Services that the bill specifically and explicitly.

Exempts from the application of the bill.

This bill solely aims at unconstitutional dei initiatives, offices and officers that promote or provide differential treatment or benefits to individuals on the basis of religion, race, color, sex, national origin, nothing broader on the campus.

After the United States Supreme Court ruled in the 2023 case of students for fair admissions versus harbor.

It's clear that race conscious preferences violate the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 19.

64 in the majority opinion in that case.

Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority opinion states eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.

A continuation of unconstitutional practices.

Woods would.

Subject our state to great legal risks and students.

2 great harm.

Discrimination.

On February.

28th my classmate, Savannah, Dow and I.

>> Both organized of day of dei where across every public university campus in the state of Kentucky.

Helder.

But students held a rally to support their diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Students from all over Kentucky from the Urban Centers of Lexington and Louisville to the Jackson purchase and western Kentucky to the Appalachian Mountains and Morehead enrichment.

All came together to say that they belong on their campus and they deserve to hold space on their campus.

I'm concerned that House Bill 4 is a vague definitions of differential treatment will harm students.

>> I'm already feeling the effect, for example, last week I learned that women studies.

I've also the director of women's studies at my institution must pas are women and art contest because of evolving legislation.

This contest has been operating since I started at MSU in 2000.

Similarly, I'm troubled that house before could be interpreted to abolish student groups like the Black Gospel Ensemble diminish scholarship opportunities like the Kentucky trio program which supports disadvantaged students of all ages and veterans upward bound.

House Bill 4 could even impact how we handle disability accommodations.

The bill introduced as a slippery s****.

During the roll call vote on the bill.

Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reggie Thomas of Lexington.

>> Had this to say.

>> Let's make no doubt doubt about it.

This bill is about race.

And about his intentions to really change the course of history.

We want to we want to put on the front door.

The puppy diverse cities.

You are not welcome.

Application did not.

>> Now the bill was approved by the committee on a largely party line vote and it's headed to the Senate floor.

The Senate has until Friday to secure a veto proof vote on the measure.

The head of Kentucky's community and Technical College System says it's 16 colleges and 70 plus campuses have already made personnel adjustments in anticipation of policy changes about dei from Frankfort, Ryan corals, a former state lawmaker and former candidate for governor stopped by our studios earlier today and shared this.

>> Well, it remind folks that are community technical college is that we already are open access.

We educate Kentucky's from all walks of life from our veterans who adult learner.

So those who are actually incarcerated right now, but also the our recovery community as well.

So we're talk about openness.

We are open access institution.

And last year we took time to a study of kctcs and made adjustments knowing this legislation is probably going to pass.

And so we look forward to working with our policy makers.

Well, it does remind Kentuckians that our community technical college systems that we are called true.

Anybody and everybody and that all are welcome on our campus.

Doesn't have any operational impact on how you are set up the office is that you have are even programs that you offer or scholarships that are afforded to students.

Well, we made personnel adjustments last year in 2024.

>> But this legislation will affect our ability to administer scholarships as well.

And so until that bill >> of will probably become a waiting to see exactly what sort of changes we're going to have to make this upcoming year.

>> We'll have more with president calls about efforts to ease credit transfers between 2 and 4 year institutions and new programs coming online within the community and technical college system and a future broadcast of Kentucky edition.

Now in other news, a move to regulate drinks infused with cannabis has some state lawmakers at odds with Kentucky's hemp industry as drafted Senate Bill.

202 called for a temporary ban on sales of the infused drinks while lawmakers craft regulations and amended version of the bill passed the full Senate on Friday.

Changes in the bill included removing a moratorium on sales, clarified that the bill seeks to regulate only intoxicating cannabis-infused drinks and that the drinks would be regulated just like alcohol.

Republican State Senator Julie Rocky, Adam sponsored the bill and filed the amendment which she says is a good starting point for ensuring proper oversight.

>> Right down the street from the Capitol, you can purchase cans of cannabis infused beverages that are 60 Miligrams and even 100 milligrams.

That's the potency equivalency of drinking an entire bottle of bourbon.

>> Or an entire bottle of vodka packed into a 12 ounce.

Can what we've also found out is that users do not understand the label measurements.

And again, this is a huge public safety problem.

So what you have and Senate Floor Amendment 2 is I think a really solid starting point to the guardrails around this product.

So it doesn't get in the hands of our children.

Guardrails for public health and guardrails for safety.

While maintaining the small business interests that we have seen across the Commonwealth.

>> That could top the Kentucky hemp industry is strongly opposed to the bill even with the changes.

In a statement, the group said, quote, the Floor Amendment to Senate bill 202, which was not discussed with the state's leading hemp trade organization ignores prior agreements and legislative processes.

Instead handing regulatory control to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, unquote.

♪ ♪ Of course, drinks aren't the only places you can find.

Cannabis in Kentucky, the state's medical marijuana program went into effect at the beginning of the year.

While dispensaries are still working to get up and running.

Some physicians are now issuing medical cannabis cards.

We spoke with a doctor and ashlan in northeastern Kentucky about that process and why he thinks marijuana is an effect of medicine.

More about this in today's medical news.

>> My interest in the program probably sparked my other kind of my job in emergency medicine.

It's no secret that a lot of folks in our part of the country and eastern Kentucky, especially all over the commonwealth.

But definitely in eastern Kentucky where practice we've definitely been hit pretty hard by the opioid epidemic over the years.

There are a lot of patients in our region that, you know, definitely could.

That could benefit from using cannabis to better manage chronic conditions.

Cannabis is a is a very, very, very unique medicine, said it's a it's a living breathing organism.

I think most people are probably familiar with that with THC.

One of the main active components in in candidates.

But there are.

I think, like 528 different components that have been isolated from cannabis plants.

There have been found to have some medicinal or therapeutic effects, kind of first step to getting access to the program is meeting with a qualified Kentucky cannabis practitioner.

So that can be a physician or nurse practitioner who has completed the education and training requirements set forth by the state to participate in the in the medical cannabis program.

The first is that have to be in person.

So like here at our office, a blue folks will either bring medical records from, you know, that another physician that they've been cared for by or if you're somebody who, you know, I don't have printed out copies of your medical records or anything like that.

>> The good thing about the program is that part of that training process is is we have the ability to diagnose.

>> Some of these qualifying medical medical conditions in our practice here probably caught pain is the most common complaint that we're seeing.

A lot of folks are saying that, you know, opiate medications, you know, they may come.

So if you take that, they can't function in terms of their daily life.

They were about dependents.

They worry about tolerance.

It's one thing to that I think is is potentially a little bit of a misconception about, you know, medical cannabis.

We tell people here in our office that, you know, if if if all your achieving by, you know, coming to see us for medical cannabis treatment is and you know, feeling impaired, feeling high, feeling intoxicated, then then we're not doing our job.

Also a lot of patients that Muncy and have been using cannabis as medicine for decades.

By the time they come see me, you know, on the flip side of that, there are tons of patients who we've seen so far that and never use campus ever in their lives ever.

You know what we've heard on the state level so far as well.

I think there's been think of a 5,000 patients registered and approved so far last I heard the stories we get to hear the folks with the help and it's been a a good, good spirits so far on my mind things.

I'm going to do that until.

>> He'll talk.

Anthony Moore, thank.

>> Currently in Kentucky, only a limited number of medical conditions, including cancer, epilepsy and PTSD can qualify a patient for medical marijuana.

You can find a full list of conditions.

Plus, directory of certified Cannabis Physicians online at K Y Med can DOT K Y dot Gov.

>> From State Farm to the state Capitol, Democrat and state Representative Erica Hancock shows how the insurance game has prepared her for public office.

Plus, her reflections on her first term in Frankfort as we continue our profiles of the freshman lawmakers of 2025.

♪ >> I've been a state farm agent here in Frankfort, Franklin County for 23 years.

And then one Derrick Graham announced his retirement and it just kind of put the opportunity presented itself to do something outside.

State Farm had a couple weeks to decide.

And I just want to head and just went for it.

My children are grown 17 and just turned.

21 this weekend.

So it's just a perfect time for me to give back to the community in a different way.

Being a state farm agent has absolutely helped me prepare for this role.

You know what would be having a tough conversations when when a claim is being denied.

We're having a tough conversations when the rates are being raised and those things I just I'm good at it because I care.

I care about the customer and I care about the company and its is bridging those 2.

Together.

You get to help them recover from horrible tragedies.

You get to help protect the things that they love and the people that they care down here.

It's the same thing.

It's just learning what the community needs and filling those needs through legislation.

So it's very similar and just building relationships, making sure people know that their needs are put first, not my own need.

So I it's it's it's pretty much the exact same thing when it comes here.

As far as relationship building.

I love it.

It's there's so much good that happens up here.

And 99% of what we do up here is not controversial.

I mean, clearly the night and thanks from not being in it and seeing it from the outside.

And finally coming into it.

You think that it's all this division and all these people don't like each other up here.

And that is the farthest thing from the truth.

I think a lot of us have different ways to get to the answer.

And it's just trying to compromise on those ways to get to what helps our Kentucky families.

All of us are up here to do the right thing for Kentucky families.

And it's just different ways to get there.

So I think that's been the biggest pleasant surprise is there's so many great resources available at the Legislative Research Commission.

The team up here is the smartest group of people I've ever been around and there is no reason Kentucky can't get it right.

My biggest constituent bases, state workers have Frankfort.

Franklin County has the largest concentration of state workers that live and work here in our community.

>> And Senate Bills, 79, there was an amendment put on it to make everybody go back to work full time.

And I do not believe that this is a way to go about how we get our state workers back to work.

So that's a huge priority.

Mind.

>> And keeping an eye on it and making sure to KET everybody informed that we're working on it and hear them and know that that we're going to do everything we can to make it as fair as possible.

I would really love for my bill 3.85.

To get past.

I'm I'm a aggressively optimistic but not naive.

This is the bill Athens Branscum has been trying to pass this bill.

>> Since he was 6 years old, it passed in the House in 2020 and its naming the state pet shelter, animal.

It's kind of full circle for me.

Uncle Hank was the state rep here from the Mid 70's, the Mid 90's.

And a couple weeks before he passed away, he told me the story of his first bill that he ever passed and it was naming the state tree.

So it's a full circle moment for me.

I'm hopeful that we can get some movement on it just because one of the things I ran on was civility and there's so many bills that we can agree upon.

This is just one that I felt like because of rain on civility.

It shows that I'm trying to reach across the aisle and build those relationships.

That is to me a no-brainer and a non partisan bill that we should be able to get past.

We are more than just one single issue.

All of us up here more than just one single issue.

Get to know U.S..

Call us come see us and learn how we are as a as a person.

And that's why I think bills like I even spent Bill.

It's just to say we are friends up here.

We are family up here.

We are all doing what's right for Kentuckians.

Just because we disagree how to get.

There does not mean we can't find middle ground to move Kentucky forward for all of Kentucky families.

Representative Hancock says Consumer protection is one of her specialties.

>> She serves on the House Banking and Insurance Committee among others.

Over the past 5 years, Kentucky has removed more than 600,000 people from the state's voter rolls.

The latest purge happening last month.

The Kentucky secretary of state's office announced it removed more than 231,000 in eligible voters in February.

The majority of those removed 225,000 were inactive voters.

5,000 were deceased and more than 300 were registered to vote in other states of the 225,000 inactive voters removed more than 99,000.

Were Democrats around 96,000 where Republicans and the other 30,000 were registered under other affiliations.

Republicans account for 47% of the electorate in Kentucky.

Democrats 42% other political affiliations make up 11% of the electorate.

Another legal blow for former around one county clerk Kim Davis.

Davis refused to issue a marriage license to a gay couple back in 2015 saying it violated her Christian faith.

The couple sued in 2020 23, rather, a federal jury ruled against Davis in the case she appealed last week.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the verdict remain in place.

Davis is legal team also plan to use the appeal to challenge the Supreme Court ruling that legalize same sex marriage in the U.S.. More people were unemployed in Kentucky last year than the previous year.

The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet released numbers today that showed in 2024 the unemployment rate in the state was 5.1% and 2023.

It was 4.3%.

Kentucky was one of 21 states that saw a significant increase in jobless rates from 2023 to 2024. the U.S. annual unemployment rate was 4 percent in 2024.

Up from 3.6% in 2023.

Turning now to federal politics.

House Republicans unveiled a spending bill over the weekend that would KET federal agencies funded through September.

The bill gives a slight boost to defense spending while trimming about 13 billion dollars from nondefense programs.

It does not cover the majority of government spending, including Social Security and Medicare funding for those 2 programs is on Autopilot.

Congress must act by midnight Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown.

At least 2 of Kentucky's federal delegates have said they won't vote for the bill.

Republican U.S.

Senator Rand Paul says the bill quote, continues to find a very foreign aid.

Elon Musk proposes to cut.

He also said it would add 2 trillion dollars of the debt this year, adding, quote, Count me as a h***, no sorry for the language in quote, Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky's 4th district echoed the senator's concerns on social media.

He said the bill would obligate President Trump to, quote, spend the same amount of money on generally the same things Biden spent money on and his last 15 months in office in quotes.

♪ ♪ Some high school students and northern Kentucky are learning while teaching their districts are participating in a program launched in January called Grow Your own teacher.

This Department of Labor registered program is putting high school students on an early path to becoming a teacher.

More about this in today's education matters.

We see how the program could help with the stunt state teacher shortage.

>> It is a teacher apprenticeship program for students in high school grades 9 through 12 students can enter as a 9th grader.

10th Grader 11th Grader 12 Th-grader.

We have multiple entry points and then depending on when they enter the program will determine how many years of post-secondary at they need to do the unique thing about this one is its students in high school getting to experience what it's like to be a teacher.

And with any of those career pathways that a high school offers, it's just as important for students to find out what they don't want to do as what they do want to do.

And it's going to save them a lot of time and money and really ensure that this is something that they want to do.

And B, the committed to.

And I think it gives him a great pree service opportunity to see if this is the career path for them.

So we have a partnership with J C, T C so that the students in the teaching and learning pathway can take dual credit courses while they're in high school.

And then depending on the number they accumulate, they will go to you about post-secondary and anywhere from 2 to 3 to 4 years become a certified teacher all while doing that.

They are working with a mentor teacher in their home district and they're going to be paid their senior year in high school.

And then the years that they're you about as an apprentice so that they're working back in their district, learning in the classroom that they may future teach in.

That's kind of on the job training and really hoping that by having this experience, we're going to instill that that joy and love for teaching and help prepare them to be job ready when they graduate.

As we were designing as pilot was the pilot was happening in Bullet County.

I think that was kind of a happy surprise that it's also supporting those teachers who are serving as the mentors.

The average turnover rate among 14 districts is about 20 to 25% a year.

Not all of those teachers are leaving the profession summer going on to become principles or moving schools.

But still, when you have that much turnover, you have vacancies that need to be filled.

That coupled with you have fewer going into undergraduate programs in education, choosing other professions beyond education.

And so we're really working with our districts to try to help them find teachers who recruit new people to the profession.

We are in the recruiting phase right now.

And we are in conversations and planning meetings them with 4 of our 14 districts at this point and hopefully we will bring on many more and will be very excited to announce when we make some finalized plans with some of our member districts to get this rolling.

Hopefully this fall.

>> The Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative covers 14 school districts, including Jefferson County.

Education is our topic this evening on Kentucky tonight for members of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Join us to discuss K through 12 education issues including school funding, how Kentucky handles non-traditional instruction days during winter weather and even illness and so much more.

So we hope you'll join us for that discussion and send us your questions and comments at 8 Eastern 7 central right here on KET.

♪ Learn about the Kentucky state treasurer who helped himself to gold and silver coins and drillers who found oil in Kentucky by accident are Toby Gibbs tells us more.

And this look back at this week in Kentucky history.

♪ >> Kentucky lawmakers rejected the 15th Amendment.

The amendment that made it illegal for states to block voting rights based on race color or previous servitude on March 12 in 18, 69, Kentucky wouldn't to ratify the amendment until 1976.

By then it was already part of the U.S. Constitution.

Shelby County, native and National Urban League executive director Whitney Young Jr drowned while swimming in Nigeria on March.

11th 1971, Young was there attending an African American Institute conference.

President Richard Nixon spoke at Young's funeral in Lexington.

>> On March 14, 1970, university of Kentucky basketball star Dan.

It's all scored.

28 points as Kentucky fell to Jacksonville, 106 to 100 that took missiles.

UK career score total to 2130 age.

He still UK's all-time leading score.

State Treasurer James William Tate was nicknamed on this day, even though his name wasn't Richard.

And he wasn't honest on March 14 to 18 88 Tate left Frankfort.

My train with $100,000 in gold and silver coins and was never seen again.

Drillers looking for salt brine and Cumberland County struck oil on 3/11/1929, although it wasn't an accident, it became one of the first commercial oil wells in the U.S. owners battle the oil and sold it as medicine.

And that's what was happening this week in Kentucky history.

>> I'm told the Good News.

>> Thank you.

To be gives to do it for us tonight.

We'll see you right back here again tomorrow night for Kentucky.

Addition, take good care.

So long.

♪