♪ ♪ >> Protesters raise their voices but couldn't stop the Kentucky General Assembly from finalizing a new law about transgender youth.

>> This is nothing new but were sounding the alarm at this point because this is significant.

>> Superintendent not mincing words when it comes to funding for Kentucky schools.

We would like to support emerging artist in Korea and emerging artists from Louisville and maybe have a stronger connection.

And an international art exhibit combines Korea and Kentucky.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KTM down meant for Kentucky productions.

Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION for this Wednesday March 29th, we thank you for joining us.

>> I'm Renee Shaw and our Frankfort studios in the Capitol Annex for the last 2 days of the Kentucky General Assembly.

>> Senate Bill one 50 will become law today in Frankfort, Republican lawmakers in both chambers overturn Governor Andy Beshear's veto of a bill critics see as a bill being against transgender youth as it bans gender affirming care for minors and set school policies on bathroom.

Use.

Students preferred pronouns and teaching sexual identity.

Our Casey Parker Bell reports on the debate in the Senate and tonight's Legislative update.

>> To say this is a bill that protecting children is completely disingenuous and to call this a parents rights bill.

Absolutely.

Does.

The couple the front protesters outside the Senate chamber were her well debate over Senate Bill.

One 50 was underweight.

>> Legislators echo their arguments earlier in the session with some saying the bill that would ban medical care for transitioning saving parents.

service or other say Recca was taking.

What's?

>> We're having to make decisions because there are school districts.

They cannot.

Legislate on their own.

Common sense.

In bathrooms and locker rooms and shower rooms.

I want my child to call by the pronoun that he or she wants.

Well, my child to go to the bathroom that separate the art from from whatever gender they have.

That's up right?

Not invading anyone's face.

Your rights today have been denied.

>> Only one Republican senator voted against SB One 50 senator Carolina.

He says going against the entire Republican caucus.

It was an uncomfortable place to be my novo.

As for those kids that are being left out, those kids that it may be contemplating suicide.

That may need to delay puberty, that that could have a huge impact on >> We're taking away an option, too.

Then it a family that doctor would have.

We're not doctors with the exception of a couple of us, we're not doctors.

>> I trust them to make the right decisions when they're dealing with those kids and those specific instances.

>> The Senate voted to override the governor's veto of SB One 50 29 to 8 for Kentucky edition.

I'm Casey Parker Bell.

>> After the Senate overrode the veto, the has finalized the new law to be but not before fiery floor commentary from some House Democrats amid loud protests from the gallery.

As we move forward, this body should not be legislating social issues.

>> As we have heard other folks mention on the floor, this is a very similar reminder of the civil rights movement.

People standing up for their rights and they have law enforcement to arrest them.

That is not the way we should be spending money and what our law enforcement should be doing.

>> We may not win today and we may not win tomorrow, but we will ultimately win.

Trans people are not going anywhere and neither are we.

We stand in solidarity.

You may all think this is over.

Well, I've got news for you.

We're just getting started to the LGBTQ children listening.

You are not broken.

Your government is.

>> I've heard supporters of this bill say that transgender people have mental illness.

You're wrong.

But if that's what you believe in, what is your plan to help?

All I see are attempts to deny them the help that their parents and their doctors.

And most importantly, they themselves say they need that is inhumane and cruel.

I've also art that no one in Kentucky with a modicum of expertise on this issue spoke in favor of this bill because they were scared.

We had all these out of state hucksters testifying for the bill while hundreds of Kentuckyian to oppose the bill were in the room in all ways in our offices in this gallery.

>> The House overrode the governor's veto of Senate Bill one 50 on a 76 to 23 vote.

In a statement, the Fairness Campaign which champions LGBTQ+ policies calls this, quote, a temporary defeat.

The ACLU says it will fight Senate Bill one 50 in court, but the Family Foundation called the override a win for Kentucky's children and parents earlier in the day, both backers and critics of the bill crowded the Capitol campus.

But the demonstrations.

>> We're here today, but you >> To fight for your freedom to fight for your right to fight for you to be who you all.

>> I can't understand why these attacks on children have taken root in this Capitol and others like us across the country.

But I can tell you that we hear today are standing on the right side of history and we're the ones that will build a better future rate is probably try to be as as I don't say, gay bill.

This is God don't say gay bill.

This is my parents are the same.

>> The deal.

But children don't belong to the government.

I don't belong to the store.

They don't belong to some audio.

They failed to may.

>> So the legislature will tell you that this bill does nothing to directly harmed trans youth or impacts their freedoms yet they demonize the medical professionals and parents who provide gender affirming medical and mental health treatment to their children.

They want to out to you.

We want to say that we disrespect the right call you about probably down.

>> We want to police your bathrooms and we want to burn >> We want to do everything possible to marginalize you to destroy you to KET you hidden and not clean.

And that is not right.

And that's why you are clear for the by today.

>> I understand you want to take into consideration the mental and emotional state of transgender students.

And I agree that we need to be careful, thoughtful and sympathetic to them as they are also vulnerable.

I'm not denying that they need and deserve love, support and safety.

But we also must restore the balance between protecting and safeguarding transgender students and their rights while also safeguarding and protecting the rights of biological females.

>> This would take the kids that could talk.

Eat our motivation is low.

We love you.

>> Now when we go home tonight and we reflect on what today was about to be honest today may be a big loss for us.

Let us remember this moment and this crowd and the love that we feel for each other today.

>> Because what today is doing is renewing ourselves for the fight ahead.

This is where we show that love can conquer all.

>> Because we?

>> Well not go >> We should not fall into the trap of play that do the politics of us versus them left versus right.

Male and female, black and white.

No, he's not.

We come with one goal.

That goal was to protect the kids of conduct.

>> And a related story, a Republican lawmaker is calling for Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason Glass to be removed.

State representative Josh Callaway who we just heard from supporting Senate Bill, one, 50 filed House resolution.

95 today it urges the Kentucky Board of Education to dismiss glass at the Capitol rally by the Family Foundation.

He explained why he filed the resolution.

>> His position that we have seen that for.

Also the take was we had by way of gotten to see those types of things actually tailed it.

Teachers that if you do not want to support this idea that you need to find another job.

And it's sad that that is where we are and we're not going to let these things happen.

When I go on the court and they will be falling.

A resolution.

And that is asking for the Kentucky Board of Education.

>> Commissioner Glass has been outspoken against Senate Bill.

One 50 calling it a harmful piece of legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

The Kentucky Department of Education is planning a fall conference about LGBTQ issues and other news today, Peso, Matic and other companies are suing Kentucky over the new ban on what some call skill games and critics call gray machines.

The Kentucky General Assembly passed and Governor Andy Beshear signed House Bill 5.94.

It bans the slot machine type games which have become popular in bars, restaurants and gas stations.

Matic, which makes some of those games says it's unconstitutional to ban, quote, a skill game.

Critics of the game say they involve random chance, not skill and violate Kentucky Law.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron says his office will defend the state in the lawsuit.

A school administrator calls funding for public education and Kentucky, quote, inadequate.

He says it's especially concerning for school districts with growing enrollment numbers.

Our more Rogers has more from her conversation with the superintendent.

>> Warren County Public Schools tells me they've grown by 25% in the last decade.

They've increased by 600 students over the past 3 years.

I haven't, however, received any additional funding to serve those students and time is running out to make it happen.

>> The adequacy of education funding has been a challenge since day one in my superintendent.

>> I challenge that is increased since Rahm Clayton came to Warren County a decade ago.

>> We're facing the greatest workforce shortage that we've seen in my lifetime.

We have to address the compensation be have to have the right to write and says when considering inflation, Kentucky teachers are being paid $10,000 less than they were 7 years ago.

>> That's not acceptable.

>> Our public schools, part of the foundation of all of our communities across the Commonwealth.

Our educators have worked tirelessly dedicated, tremendous amounts of time and energy.

>> Warren County Public Schools dipped into its contingency fund last year to provide a 3% pay raise.

>> We know that for us to remain viable.

We have to address the compensation for our educators and staff there on the front lines.

>> During the pandemic, the state legislature enacted a plan to help fund its school lost enrollment numbers.

Clayton says it was a good move.

But 3 years later, it's proving difficult for school districts who are growing.

>> Over the past 2 years, we've not received any additional funding for the new students.

And just this past year long, our girls would have equated to approximately 3 million dollars to the school district.

>> Clayton says Warren County Public Schools is among the lowest per pupil funded school district in Kentucky.

Yes, strong words for state lawmakers urging them to open up the budget.

>> It's unconscionable to think that anyone in Frankfort find that these monies are necessary for school districts to be able to to move forward next school year.

>> He says he's been in, quote, continuous communication with legislative leaders and Frank first.

But with only one day left in the session, it's unclear what will happen.

>> I pledge to our community is we're not going to take no for an answer.

And so we're going to continue to engage in conversations with our legislators.

This is a significant negative impact on our district.

We'll continue to fight for what we know to do the right thing to do for our kids Robin tells me that he's been advised over the past 2 years that a correction was coming.

>> He was hopeful it would happen this year with a budget surplus.

But instead of being allocated to school districts, that money was rolled into the general fund.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Laura Rogers.

>> Thank you.

Laura Superintendent Clayton says one 3rd of the growth across the Commonwealth has been and Warren County Public Schools.

He says there are more than 25 school districts in Kentucky that should receive more funding based on enrollment.

♪ ♪ Time now for a midweek check-in of some major political happenings, particularly what's happening here in the state Capitol today with our good friend Ryland Barton, who is the managing editor of Kentucky Public Radio.

Good to see.

You can see 2 and a lot happening.

So let's start some activity on Senate Bill.

One 50.

This is the big sweeping anti trans measure.

>> And there's been a lot of action on it today, right?

So this is the bill that the governor vetoed last week.

There's been a lot of protests against it.

>> And this bill's it's one of the most sweeping anti-trans bills in the country.

Really?

The addresses bans a lot of gender affirming medical care for trans kids.

So miners are going 18 years old.

Wouldn't be able to access Pierre hormone therapy surgery, which is very for minors to get.

And also those who are on to rebut blockers or hormones within the having to transition off of them.

After the passage of this bill, it goes in several parts of it have an emergency clause in it that would go into effect immediately.

Those are the kind of early to schools and high schools having to set a trans bathroom policies.

I don't say gay on steroids, right?

It does.

And it's going to change.

Gets kind of creep guardrails for what teachers can can talk about in schools in terms of sexuality and and when they need to notify parents about it, those will go into effect immediately says schools need to start, you know, coming up with plans now and doing that, you know, as this school year's winding down, but especially as we're going to the next school year, there were a lot of protests over There were protesters locked arms in the House Gallery, chanting against the bill.

A state troopers were trying to remove them.

That's what usually happens when folks are making too much noise in the gallery, they couldn't get them to move for a long time of the kept on shouting through the debate through the votes, eventually roll to Russell in zip ties.

So we'll see what comes of that.

>> But yeah, and the ACLU has already issued a statement along with some other groups, but it looks like they may mount a challenge against It's unclear if and when that will kind of same might happen soon.

So that's a seat on what part on what grounds, right?

That because there's so many different parts of this So it's going to be interesting to see if it's just a seal.

You see a lot of school boards are getting involved in this at But yeah, this is a band of all eyes are kind of on Kentucky at this moment on a date.

>> Anti trans go.

>> So Senate bill, one of 7, which has to do with the education commissioner.

It kind of talks about the process for appointments to the Board of Education.

But it also says that the education commissioner would have to be Senate confirmed that the Senate voted to override that veto.

The House had not taken up at the time that we talked about 404.

So we'll see what happens there.

But we likely will have the action on the House to do the same rate in this is that this has been a real political really over the last 2030, years over how of the top of the commissioner of the top education official, the state get selected as the way back in 1990, the Kentucky Education Reform Act set the policy at that point to say that the governor appoints the board of Education, the Board of Education and hires an education commissioner.

>> So now they're going to add in this other step, saying that the Senate actually is going to have to have confirmation over the education commissioner.

I'm going to see how exactly this rolls You at what point would the Senate be able to rescind the confirmation or say they don't confirm?

And the current he's still under contract, but they've taken issue with a lot of Republicans legislature taking issue with that commissioner of the department's stance on recommending that schools come up with policies to use students of preferred pronouns for trans kids.

So that's where this all comes together.

Its toll and another part of this.

You know, this being the big anti legislative session.

>> And so now let's talk about what the governor has allowed to become law without his signature there.

Couple of notable bills.

And let's start talking about firearms measure, right?

A couple interesting bills you might have imagined the Democratic governor to veto.

So this I can remember the number, but it would make Kentucky a sanctuary, a Second Amendment.

Sanctuary state.

>> It tends to require forbid law enforcement, Kentucky law enforcement from complying with federal any sort of federal firearms ban.

So whether it's a regulation on guns or ammunition, organ accessories, and I would say that really that local cops could be punished for enforcing any sort of federal rules on this.

A lot of of police were actually voiced opposition to this, including a Republican Senate state Senator Danny Carroll.

He's a former put Paducah police officer.

So similar measures have been struck down in other states.

And Missouri want to start down in early March.

So we'll see where that yeah.

>> Senate Bill 5 and this is the one we've talked a lot about Missus making the complaint Prague process for parents object to obscene material or events or programming and sells the SoCal book Banning Bill.

And this again, very interesting that the governor allowed this to become law without his signature I got to say there's there's got to be politics at work and work here, especially because we're in the.

>> A re-election year for the governor.

this measure was going to very likely become law.

No matter whether the governor vetoed it or not, because it's so easy to override the governor's veto in Kentucky.

So if you just allow this to become and >> but he was going to make a statement on SB One 50 that he wasn't going to make with SB 5.

That's And so were these kind of picking choosing and some of these battles going forward and we'll see kind of to what you know, his Republican opponents are able to weaponize some of these maneuvers.

>> As they go into the governor's race and so weaponizing us before, which is by Robby Mills is a senator and Henderson, Kentucky.

This is about coal-fired power plants and him.

>> And it makes a lot harder for for coal-fired for utilities.

Actually, retired coal fired power plants have to go through hurdles.

This is something utilities even spoke out again saying that this is ultimately get hurt, rate pairs who these utilities are trying to find the most economical way to to provide power to the repairs.

And this could actually cost more to actually cause more.

So the governor allowed that to So what can we expect the Legislature do?

30nd is the big 2 things to watch for medical cannabis or so waiting another reading for that in the house.

That's what's got to pass out of committee.

But it's pass a similar measure in the past.

But also sports betting that sitting in the Senate, it's already passed a committee So specially designed a close vote there and whether it's going to pass.

But on this last day.

Yes, so we've got one more day tomorrow, Thursday.

And then at Sunday's Ayers on a diet tomorrow.

>> 11 59.

Yeah.

And that clock is not its digital now.

So you can, you know, do to his do or island is always good seeing you.

Thank you for staying on.

Top of everything.

See it too.

♪ ♪ >> After severe storms several weeks ago, most members of Kentucky's congressional delegation >> are asking President Biden to okay federal disaster relief for Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has asked for a major disaster declaration which would free up federal money to help with cleanup and repairs caused by landslides and mudslides that damaged bridges and roads.

Both of Kentucky's U.S. senators and 5 of the 6 U.S. House members have signed a letter supporting the governor's request.

Congressman Thomas Massie did not sign it.

The request is for help in 22 counties.

Now here's a national story with Big Kentucky implications.

The FDA has approved the first over-the-counter version of Narcan, the antidote to opioid overdoses.

Narcan is a nasal spray that can restore a victim's breathing.

The over-the-counter status means Marchand can now be sold in drugstores, grocery stores, gas stations and online.

The Kentucky injury Prevention and Research Center says there were more than 2200 drug overdose deaths in Kentuckyian 2021. and almost 1800 of those involved, some type of opioid.

A Kentucky college basketball team is plying for the national championship this weekend.

It's the Transylvania women.

The Pioneers Left for Dallas today.

Saturday.

They'll play in the Division 3 national championship game against Christopher Newport to college in Newport News, Virginia.

The Pioneers are undefeated this season with a record of 32 big cheers for the Pioneers.

♪ Louisville is hosting a citywide art exhibit with 6 different locations serving as temporary museums.

See how fiber and textile artists from South Korea and Louisville.

We've been together their respective cultures.

And this week's look at our some culture that we call tapestry.

>> When you look at a lot of the work in this people would think of a lot of 5 are being functional.

And there is that idea of quilting come to talk about tradition comes from great traditions, but it has moved from being a functional thing as being something that's more artistic.

They're really designed to be appreciated for this to the value and the techniques involved.

There are traditional.

>> Craftspeople who kind of made this into an art.

But it didn't stay there.

It kind of evolved as a more of a contemporary format.

And our forum was kind of.

But initiation of breaching the craft and the fine arts together.

I have always felt that the fiber art tradition >> can be and is a fine art expression.

I make quilts that look like best in diamonds and colored gemstones.

And so ask me to do this, I was researching what kind of gemstones are in South Korea and discovered that white jade and amethyst beautiful purple amethyst were part of what is mind is in South Korea.

And so my piece is called Amethyst unfolding.

>> I to Dish our the curry and colors a very vibrant and there's a word saying the 5 colors and it's called said don't.

So the typical colors would be like a deeper green.

>> A red, yellow blue and we would have white.

Sometimes that's more of the traditional like >> perpendicular format.

But these are kind of flight.

My kind of interpretation of to make it a little bit more fun and live here.

>> Most of this work is from another country.

It's from I don't know how many thousands of miles away.

It's a rare opportunity from both an educational perspective, but just increasing understanding of what what art can be worldwide and having it come right here to you in Louisville.

With that.

Yet, you might want to jump on a plane flight so that some time.

But, you know, like right now, you've got amazing art from artists that are on the other side of the world right here in Louisville neighborhoods.

>> Correa is where I was my home home City.

>> And Louisville, I lived in Louisville for over 30 years.

>> So they're both home.

So a lot of the content of my work comes.

From both places and I tried to kind of connect the 2.

We would like to support emerging artist in Korea and emerging artists from Louisville and maybe have a stronger connection.

>> How's that for a tapestry peas, Louisville Metro Hall, which is the longest-running side, will have art pieces on display until late August.

Farmers from across the state came together today in Lexington, discuss local food production.

>> The fresher it is more local.

It is better quality food.

Some of the best tasting tomatoes don't ship well, but you can get them into farmers market.

>> And find out what a local food system is.

Why it's so important tomorrow on Kentucky EDITION, which I hope will see you 4 again at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central where we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full episodes and clips of K E T Dot Org.

>> Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

We'll be right back here again tomorrow at the Capitol to KET you informed.

I'm Renee Shaw.

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