Time now for a midweek check in of some major political developments, particularly what's happening in the legislative session in Frankfort with our good friend Rylan Barden, who is a senior editor with NPR State's team.

Good to see you, Rylan.

Good to see you, Renee.

So let's start talking.

We are in the the hourglass just as it is emptying.

Now we're going to approach I think it's day 53 when they officially gavel back in on Thursday.

They've taken some time these first few days of the week to really have committee meetings to get things kind of moving through the system.

Let's talk about the budget bills.

We have, of course, an appropriations bill and a revenue bill.

What's a movement on the revenue side that viewers need to understand and know about?

Yes.

So every couple of years, usually the state has to pass one of these big spending bills.

Along with that goes from the revenue bill, which is how the state makes its money.

This is where all the taxes are.

But also what ends up happening towards the end of the session is they're other things will end up in these bills and a lot of negotiating happens at the last minute.

So we're in that time right now.

One of the revenue bills is the revenue bill is moving forward and included a very interesting thing which changes the changes of policy, allowing the state's automatic tax cuts to go forward with a little bit more ease.

So the legislature has been lowering attempting to lower the state's income tax every budget year, depending on how much money the state brings in.

If there's not, if the state hasn't spent too much money and has brought in enough money, then an automatic, you know, the income tax will be reduced.

Once again, the state doesn't need that level last year.

So the legislators tweak that a little bit to make it a little bit easier, saying that, okay, when you look at all the money that the state spends, don't pay any of the money that we put into the rainy day fund as an actual spending appropriation.

So by not counting that, you know, sometimes massive amount of money makes a little bit easier for the state to implement those tax cuts.

So that was one of the things notice in that revenue bill that would allow the state, the Republican led legislatures goal of fully eliminating that income tax eventually to make it a little bit easier for that to happen.

Right.

So we know there is no trigger that will happen in 2025, but it could be set up where it would be one that would happen in 2020.

Cheesy or going into the future?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And of course, we know that they're still doing budget negotiations right now and we'll see where they are when they Gavilan on Thursday.

Another measure a lot of bills are getting faster action right now since time is limited a bill that really addresses adult oriented businesses and sexually explicit performances.

Why is the LGBTQ community concerned about this and how would it impact them?

Yeah, it started out as a so-called ban on on drag shows from any any area where children might be nearby.

It's been amended where there's nothing explicitly saying that this includes drag performances, but it does include some definitions that basically include drag performances as well.

It has been amended to as long as the performances, but only banned performances or things that involve sexually explicit material.

But it also it's such a broad definition that this could apply to, you know, businesses that show movies that include nudity in them.

And as long as they're within a city block of a lot of different places where kids might be, it could severely restrict the ability of those those things to happen.

So the the LGBTQ community has to be concerned about that element.

But I think even more concerning is how the discussion has developed around this very committee hearing earlier this week.

There's just a lot of transphobic statements that were taking place and conspiracies that were being proffered involving saying that trans people are obviously the subject of abuse.

That and and and also kind of repeating some conspiracies that it's the intended goal of these groups to indoctrinate children in a particular way.

So even though, you know, sometimes the bill doesn't really address some of those things, the discussion around this has gotten pretty pretty toxic on this particular issue.

This is not really a legislative policy issue that we're going to talk about, but it concerns a legislator representative named Michael Carney, a Democrat from Louisville, who has filed for reelection.

And that happened the first Friday in January.

But now there is a petition against her.

Right.

And from a former political rival, tell us the story of what's going on.

Why is it happening now?

Do something months after the filing deadline?

Yeah, this this complaint was filed by a former Democratic political opponent.

So this is Dennis Orlando.

He was a long time state representative who represented a new call Carney defeated during a 2018 primary election and really handily beat in that time and also in the following race by about 50 percentage points that next time.

Anyway, former Representative Portlanders has filed this petition saying that one of the signatures on on Representative McCarthy's filing for this year was the signature came from somebody who is a registered Republican and they needed to be registered Democrat.

And even though this person had switched their party affiliation to Democrat, they had done it too late.

It was actually after the point in which you're allowed to switch your political parties and which needs to happen at the end of the year into the next calendar year.

So there's a challenge here that's now been filed in Jefferson City or both, and we'll see where this ends up.

The timing of this is a little bit unusual.

This didn't take place before the filing deadline to try to eliminate the penalty.

So and represent former representative or later, isn't one of the people who could potentially take the seat unless this you know, a while from now?

So a little curious thing, but it is something that will follow because it affects a city representative and her ability to run for reelection to exceed.

Yeah, right.

So while and the few days we have remaining a lot to get done and clearing the budget.

But aside from the budget, what do you really have your eyes on?

Well, we're still waiting to see the final version of this.

But the anti DUI bill that tries to target diversity programs in state universities, which is something that's been happening around the country in a lot of other places, Texas and Florida has thrown deals.

Last year, Alabama just passed one.

It's being considered in a lot of different states, just kind of like a high profile moment, a piece of legislation right now.

And also we're going to see, you know, if there are any legal challenges over over things like that.

Obviously, the the budget, that's the big thing that lawmakers have to pass this year.

They're still arguing, as we have in final versions of that, to be hammered out.

Education funding always kind of being one of the top arguments there.

The bill that will change the way agencies for the U.S. Senate are filled.

That's a big high profile one, especially with Senator McConnell saying that he's going to be resigning from leadership, at least at the end of this year.

And then constitutional amendments which lawmakers will have all the way until the end of the of the session.

They can even go out and veto hearings and don't have to worry about the governor taking action on that.

So a lot of things to be watching in these last few days of the legislative session.

Oh, it's going to be a whirlwind for sure.

Breakneck pace is coming, that is for sure.

Thank you, Rylan, for helping us understand it all.

Thanks, Renee.