♪ ♪ >> Licenses for paper.

Pull tabs and bingo are permitted.

>> What's changed in a bill that would restructure Kentucky's gambling regulations.

Will coach Cal State courtside at Robb for another year.

>> Our kind of allows the story through our mind to be put on either Candace Wear a mask or sculpting or whatever the media might be.

>> Plus, learn how art is opening up new ways to heal.

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

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Wednesday March, the 27th I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for winding down your Wednesday night with us.

>> It's down to the wire in Frankfort and lawmakers are working at a breakneck pace to get bills across the finish line.

Dozens of pieces of legislation are already been acted on today.

Day.

57 of the 60 Day 2024 General Assembly.

That includes a bill that seeks to hold sexually abusive teachers accountable by preventing predators from bouncing to different school districts.

That story begins tonight's legislative update under House Bill.

2.75 schools would have to be fought their background checks before hiring a teacher.

The bill also bans public and private schools from entering a nondisclosure agreement when it relates to misconduct with a student 2022.

Investigation from the Lexington Herald-Leader found 61% of Kentucky teachers who had their licenses suspended or revoked lost those licenses because of sexual misconduct through a Senate committee substitute.

The bill also revisit Senate Bill one 50, the sweeping anti-trans law that passed last year that had some confusing and or language and now clarifies that children in 5th grade and under would not receive any instruction on human sexuality or STDs and prohibits regardless of grade level instruction on gender identity expression or sexual orientation.

The bill cleared the full Senate today and it now goes back to the House for consideration.

There.

A bill that would ensure parents have access to their child's medical records.

Also pass the full Senate today.

House Bill one, 74 sponsored by State Representative Rebecca Raymer speaking to a Senate committee earlier this month.

Raymer said some parents are losing this access once their children turned 13 Republican state Senator Donald Douglas, who's a doctor, spoke in favor of the bill on the Senate floor today.

Meanwhile, a number of Democrats said the bill while well intended will have dire consequences.

>> I encourage all the members of this body.

Join me in returning some of the parental guidance and some of the parental responsibility that we all big 4 because of where our society is going.

>> There's nothing in this bill that protects children that create any sort of carve out from parents accessing medical records if they suspect that a child is being abused.

And I worry today, although I I believe that there are good intentions behind this bill.

And I certainly respect the goal of having parents be involved in the loving participants in their children's health care.

There are an unintended consequence.

Quinn says.

>> The bill passed the full Senate along party lines.

There was a Senate floor Amendment which means House Bill one.

74 heads back to the House.

4 agreement or rejection of those changes last fall.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals issued a clear message.

Government business conducted on personal cellphones as part of the public record and U.S. subject to open records request.

But a controversial House bill could create a carve-out shielding public information on private devices from transparency.

Laws.

Here's more about that from our Clayton Dalton.

>> So this bill is on the fault line in between the public's right to know the individual's right to privacy.

A panel of Kentucky state senators heard House Bill 509.

>> Which deals with the Kentucky Open Records Act.

The bill requires public agencies to issue its people and internal email account that though used to conduct a professional communication and business.

>> If you provide a juror.

Members or employees with at least one official way to communicate and telling them they need to do their official business on that.

Then you do not need to search their personal devices.

Personal accounts.

>> Public agencies would not be obligated to search personal devices like cell phones with private text messages for information that might be subject to an open records request before discussion, the committee adopted a new version of the bill.

But opponents from both sides of the aisle were quick to highlight their issues with the new House bill.

509.

This change in the new last-minute substitute exempts the governor completely from the Open Records act.

Every constitutional officer.

>> From the Open Records act, every elected mayor, every elected city council member, every elected school board member.

There is nothing in this bill that says don't text or signal or anything else in the bill expressing the exempt agencies from searching for something sent other than by email.

We saw the JCPS audit this week.

The auditing firm said, hey, our senior employees felt they were encouraged to use text instead of e-mails because they're less susceptible to open records.

Law.

That's going to be the norm.

That's what everybody is going to do.

If you pass this bill, that is what's going to happen.

It's human nature after opponents testified the committee did something unusual.

>> Center storms recognized make a motion to withdraw my motion to adopt committee.

So.

>> They and adopted the new version of the bill reverting to the one passed on the House floor.

But some lawmakers still have issues.

There is a problem.

>> And congratulate representative.

But everybody here for trying to address the problem of privacy versus our governmental records.

There's an issue there.

That means absolutely positively needs to be addressed.

We haven't addressed in a way that really.

Accommodates the the necessity for open records.

Government records to be available to citizens that are concerned.

>> Even some supporters express their hesitancy.

They win or not.

>> 100%.

And in okay.

I guess sometimes you have to get to.

Are you more okay?

The case, I guess I think I look at this more the start of a conversation moving force, but I vote aye.

>> The committee voted to approve House Bill 509, in the same version that passed on the House floor.

One Republican join 2 Democrats in voting.

No.

And one member registered pass boat with just a single day left before the governor's veto period.

House Bill 509, heads to the Senate floor for a >> Thank you, Clayton.

And that vote could happen this evening as the senators are going to be a degree of convening after 06:00PM.

Yesterday the Kentucky Senate fast-tracked a bill overhauling how the state regulates gambling.

Since then, lawmakers say charities are contacted them to say not so fast.

Kentucky additions Ju Leffler has more.

>> Nonprofits can raise money through charitable gaming.

Thank pull tabs at a local veteran sludge or a cake will or raffle at a church.

Some even have electronic and online gaming.

Surely sway raises money for people going through cancer treatments.

The organization's founder spoke to lawmakers Tuesday.

>> She lives Way has become as of last year.

The number one to the gaming charity in the state.

And I really feel like we have a lot of knowledge and can help elaborate on what could be done.

But the charitable gaming functions.

So thank you so much.

Appreciate your time.

>> Apparently these nonprofits are contacting their state representatives over Senate bill 2.99.

It would create the Kentucky horse racing and Gaming Corporation which would fold and charitable gaming with the for-profit gaming industry.

Currently, the 2 are separate.

>> We've seen with the church's because I'm getting text messages from the church of the Parish Council and they say that they're worried.

>> I'm all for looking for sports betting.

I'm a big were sky-high believing in our industry.

I want to do that.

>> Also believe in the charitable aspects in our tribal gaming, the things that can help.

That's all I'm asking is that we KET that separated for today.

>> The bill made it through the Senate Tuesday in a 26 to 11 vote.

House representatives heard the bill and a committee Wednesday.

The House speaker offered some bill changes just for charitable gaming.

>> At the request of several charities and internal game itself or is revise the moratorium on charitable gaming machines to ensure that licenses for paper, pull tabs and being go are permitted less churches.

Schools continue their Cheney charitable gaming activities during the year.

of course, the use of any electronic machines that are already in place are grandfathered in.

>> Some lawmakers say they're getting whiplash from the quick changes to a 280 page bill and the response they're getting from constituents because >> we have only briefly been provided with some of this information.

Of course, my folks at home have not had the opportunity to kind of give me their feedback on it as well.

So today I am, though and talking speak with my locals.

Thank you.

>> The House Economic Development and Workforce Investment Committee advanced the bill to the full House for Kentucky June Leffler.

>> Thank you, Jim Senate bill to 99 now heads to the House.

So we'll have to go back to the Senate to sign off on changes to the bill.

♪ ♪ The longtime leader of Lexington's Hope Center has died see sold on died last Saturday at the age of 86.

Dawn was a veteran of the U.S. Army and spent 16 years as a lawyer and judge.

He was married to his wife Judy.

For 58 years.

They had 3 sons.

The visitation is from 10:00AM to noon Saturday at First Presbyterian Church of Lexington followed by a celebration of life service, housing, the richest man in the world is giving more children in Louisville, the opportunity to attend preschool.

>> City officials announced today a 3rd Bezos academy will be opening in Louisville.

The Bezos academy founded by former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos offers tuition free.

Montessori inspired preschool for children, ages 3 to 5 from low-income families.

The center will be located in the city's fairdale neighborhood will take up to 40 kids.

Tracey Brown with the Bezos Academy says when it comes to choosing a location, they look for communities with the most to gaps in access to early learning programs.

>> Research does show that time and time again that attending preschool helps kids get off to an important start in life.

Unfortunately, though, fewer than half of 3 to 5 year-olds across the country are taking advantage of preschool.

And there are 3 main reasons for that.

One is affordability.

We know that's an issue for a lot of our families availability and then also location.

So that's why when we look at communities for potential BASIS, Academy preschools, we focus on the prevalence of those barriers and how we how we can overcome those barriers in those communities.

>> Other Basis Academy site will be located in the Okolona and Russell neighborhoods.

The 3 sites expected to open by the end of the year will serve 200 children.

A Lexington group on a mission to stop gun violence in the city is looking for partners to help in the fight.

One Lexington has $100,000 in grant money.

The group says the money will go to nonprofits, dedicated to saving young people from gun violence.

>> The community has dealt with gun violence.

They dealt with the trauma.

They lost loved ones.

And so what better people to stand up and lead this movement, then the community is so.

>> We realize that the work to make our community safer is not something the city can do alone.

We've we rely heavily on our community partners, the grant program provides community partners with funding and resources to help prevent gun violence in our community.

These grants are for nonprofit organizations, many of which have been active in our community for many, many years working to reduce gun violence among our young people.

We want to provide them with funding, but we want to know they see right community centers look different.

>> And 2024 than they did in the 90's.

Emu not just rolling the basketball out and have an open gym.

Kids want gaming kids want charging center's that one.

Meditation pide right.

So we want organizations to come with those innovative ideas to bring us into this new century.

Well, we're really resonating with the kids that were trying to reach.

>> Time now for midweek, check-in of some major political happenings happening in our state Capitol, even as we speak right now, are there good friend Robyn Gardner is actually on set with us.

He's a senior editor with the NPR states team.

Good to have you in person to be here.

so this is like day, 57.

And it is kind of breakneck over there.

They're taken maybe some dinner breaks and then getting back down to some business later on tonight.

But let's review a couple of bills that happened today.

This open records Bill has gotten a lot of consternation and it came out of committee differently than it went in.

And maybe that's better for some open government advocates who may like this for some better.

Not so sure.

There are a lot of worries about this and how this would a public records that are contained on people's cell phones, which is a big deal.

A lot of public business is done on people's.

>> Private >> so at the last of their disability change so much of the course of the credit rare thing happened during today's legislative session, which they actually stripped out this public records advocates are open open government advocates and worrying about and return it to coat the original version of this bill, which, you know, folks are so concerned about and very, you know, what will end up seeing what a final version of this bill ends up looking like.

But it returns to kind of how this is originally introduced in the legislative.

So yeah.

>> Another big Bill, them Omnibus Bill, which is a maternal health that's been moving along.

This is the bill that sparked a walkout by some Democrat lawmakers, female lawmakers a couple weeks ago.

>> What's happening with this bill?

Right?

So the original version of the mom of this bill is actually a pretty bipartisan effort.

That includes provisions such making it easier for pregnant women to be got to get access to health coverage once they become pregnant.

These are things that both Republicans and Democrats agree upon.

But then this other provision that was more controversial provision that's related to pregnant women who have non viable pregnancies, that that of of resources that could have if the Kerry did that non viable pregnancy to term, which is something that raises a lot of red flags abortion rights advocates who say that this is really discouraging health care providers from informing patients the availability of abortion in other states, possibly thats something that they want to seek because abortion is abandoned, Kentucky except for some extreme circumstances.

So what happened today is they end up putting that more controversial element into that bipartisan bill which really upset a lot of the Democrats on the committee.

You know, that's kind of the way things go sometimes in Frankfort, where there are so many at least some of the people who are in I'm against abortion rights at this point in time that they they really just didn't have any say in the process.

Yeah.

So late in the session.

>> Right.

So late in the session, an anti-vax bill.

This is Senate bill 2.95, by Oldham County Senate Republican Lindsey Titian or you would say we're we're 4 years from the COVID-19 pandemic and several months, maybe a year so removed from the official ending of the emergency declaration.

And yet we're still talking about COVID vaccinations and Talk to us about this bill.

>> Yeah.

And as somebody watching a lot of what's going on other state government to us, this is still discussion that comes up.

>> A lot not of but yet.

So this is something that.

>> It's this is a bill that we crop up during the pandemic.

A lot of you know, just essentially prevents requirements for workers or students to have to get the coronavirus vaccine in order to be in school or to stay employed.

>> Either health care workers by health care And this is something that during the debate and introduction of this bill, a senator to cheer repeated a lot of things for the pet pandemic that have been disproven.

A lot of of anxieties over the over the vaccine that have shown that they're they're really as worrisome as as initially thought.

And those come from through the system that where people report the problems that they allegedly had to the vaccine.

So a lot of these discussions came back up.

The thing is we are so late in the legislative session, there be a lot of things that have to happen in order for this measure to go through.

But it was just this reminder that this is still in the political discussion, right?

Right.

>> And so since it passed the Senate, I mean, this is the chamber of origin.

So if this got a lot to go before, but it could crop up as an amendment somewhere, You know, there's many his another working day before this video period.

But 2 thing is, you know, if you've been talking about there's this veto period coming up and the Republican led Legislature really want to get the priorities across long before them.

Right.

And they're still negotiating and working on the budget bill.

But real quickly, an update on any other controversial bills and we've got a lot of things still help out there.

I mean, House Bill, 7 autonomous vehicles has been on the orders of the day in the Senate.

Still there, perhaps I get to after dinner tonight.

That's one of them.

I think the 1, 1, 7, >> At least take the most discussion in time.

It's going to make it over the finish line over these last couple days is the dei Ntd.

I feel this is a little I think that's has been There's been different versions of that that moved through the legislature.

And right now it's it's kind of settled on at least the original version of it was proposed by Representative Jennifer who what this will do is undo a lot of diversity programs in higher education in Kentucky.

Again, this is something that's working through a lot of other legislators in the state.

But there are a lot of different interests involved here.

Not only higher education institutions, but other folks who have wanted to kind of tweak dei in different ways.

And there's so many different versions of this bill at this point.

And it's going take a bit to reconcile that ahead of this veto period because if it ends up having to pass after the veto period, then Governor Beshear but have a much more authority to to be towed.

I do imagine they'll probably come to some some agreement on it, but it's going to take a lot to get.

>> There I They're working on the budget so they did have an agreement on House Bill 6 yesterday.

I think there might have been some tweaking, but they say that's going to be on the orders for the Senate tonight when they come back after dinner hospital one, which is the one-time investment bill.

I think there's still some work on that as well as the transportation insurance budgets.

There's still some work on this.

And a lot you know, this all comes down to the spending and raising of money, which is what we deal with every couple years and >> in the state legislative session and a lot of the stuff comes down to the last minute and again comes down to the took period.

The governor does have the opportunity to line item veto things when the.

>> And especially when it comes to about about to to the budget bills it's so the heat can find issues with certain parts.

There are the rare moments where, you know, there will be an error or something that will take place in the budget bill that the governor can receive.

But this is come down to the wire as it always does.

It seems like the negotiations take best happened next.

That deadline right?

>> Right.

So they do have tonight and then have tomorrow to all day tomorrow.

They will work up until 11.

59 and then come back 10 days They're scheduled to come back.

April, 11th and 15th or 12 to 15, whatever that Friday and Monday are.

So in the minute we have how would you characterize?

The 2024 Kentucky General Assembly in regular session.

>> Well, this is the first legislative session where after Governor Beshear's reelection.

And I think it's been a little bit interesting to watch that there.

You know, so what characterize so much of the first 4 years of of this year's administration all the time bills that are clipping the governor's powers that is still happening time.

It is not as much of a focus.

It's just a little bit of a reality right now.

I think that the legislature is trying to settle a little bit into the the process of governing, but there is in some ways they kind of of they've exhausted a lot of the big a controversial bills on abortion.

I think that's a big thing.

And that >> didn't come up the session.

Everybody's wondering if they would include any sort of exceptions for for rape or incest or expand their clarifying the cases in which the life of the mother and allowing abortions.

And so it's felt a little different this time around to have a second term Democrat with the Republican led Legislature and yeah, I think the 3rd they are playing nice to a certain extent.

But then again, we will have these last remaining days, a legislative session, but that veto period.

And that's where, you know, all the, you know, the the gloves come off and everything.

Everybody's positions on things are are made very clear that a lot.

>> To KET our eyes on.

Still.

Thank your island.

We appreciate it.

Thanks for that.

appreciate it.

Thanks for that.

John Calipari will be back next year as coach of the University of Kentucky men's basketball team.

There were some questions and some fan criticism of Coach Cal after the Wildcats loss to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and other early losses in the tournament in recent years.

But athletic director Mitch Barnhart put out a statement last night saying, quote, as we normally do at the end of every season.

Coach Cal Perry and I have had conversations about the direction of our men's basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach, unquote.

Arts can sometimes seem like a daunting and exclusive hobby.

But hospitals like UK health care want people to realize it's a healing process that everyone can benefit from the integrated medicine and health program.

There is using art therapy to treat patients minds and bodies that on this week's Arts and culture segment, we call Tapestry.

>> This is the art Therapy.

Barbie Barbie actually worked with the American Art Therapy Association to get an idea of what to put in the design.

>> We're a lot like a mental health professional.

So in art therapy, we are able to process with the patient and things that they're struggling with and dealing with their mental health.

And then we use arts to kind of help them express that as well.

So in a different way, instead of just like using words, we can have that visual interpretation as well when we create are a lot of the time.

Both verbal and nonverbal parts of our brain are actually processing a lot of things that are going on.

So a lot of times.

>> When I work with patients or there's a lot of some extreme emotions that might be happening.

There might be trauma that's happening.

There's might there might be very, very big moments in their life that they're trying to process even while they're in the hospital, they're dealing with that anxiety or that depression that comes up when they are dealing with a new cancer diagnosis or something like that.

So it helps them to process is difficult changes in their life.

>> Our kind of allows the story through our mind to be put on either.

Can this or mask or sculpting or whatever the media might be to kind of be able to handle that processing a little bit easier.

Our our materials can impact how the patient like.

>> Expresses themselves.

So if a patient is very like emotional, if we hand them pain, pain is very fluid.

It doesn't provide a lot of control.

So if they start to use pay and they're very emotional that may ramp that emotional state up.

So giving them something more control during that emotional experience for them like a colored pencil or a pencil, we'll help them like gain control of that.

So kind of depends on what we want to do right.

Like if we want them to express emotion, great will probably get into paint or something more fluid.

But if we want to help them came back that control our composure, we would give them a more restrictive material.

So in my bag, I always have like a range of I'll have like the color pencils, the pencils I have clay, which is very can us that D***, and that can like help people let out a lot of anger or aggression.

And just like heavy feelings like pushing that.

Clay is just very therapeutic for a lot of people.

And I have like mask making, which can help people portray like how they feel.

They look on the outside and then on the inside what they're dealing with.

>> When our bodies under stress, of course, that's not good.

That's not it's kind of counter acting the healing process for way their medical diagnosis is and stress can actually exacerbate symptoms and it can actually create more anxiety.

Depression even more physical pain, symptoms, too.

And so with our being able to relax themselves a little bit better or being able to have space and time to connect with those emotions and being able to let them scare or 2 have a moment just to feel them and then process them.

I think it really helps with, you know, their physical treatment and can help when they leave the hospital as well.

>> The UK integrate of Medicine and Health program also offers various other therapies for overall wellness, including music therapy, yoga, massage therapy, and more.

You've probably heard the debate about whether schools should introduce or reintroduce cursive, writing.

One expert says it's a good idea that would help students with more than just penmanship.

The upside of person writing that story tomorrow on Kentucky EDITION, which we hope you'll join us for at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our Kentucky Edition email newsletters and watch full episodes and clips of KET DOT Org and look for us on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

Send us a story idea at the address on your screen and of course, follow KET on Facebook X forming on his Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Thanks very much for watching.

More coverage of the legislature tomorrow right here on Kentucky.

Addition, you can count on us for that coverage.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thanks for watching tonight and I'll see you right back here again tomorrow night.

Take a can.

♪ ♪ ♪