LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took action on more than 100 bills this week, passing dozens focused education, health care and more while vetoing 29 others.
Highlighted in the bunch was Beshear’s veto of House Bill 4, which was overturned Thursday. But Thursday, the Republican supermajority legislature overrode the veto. The bill now requires Kentucky’s public universities and colleges to defund initiatives focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and eliminate those offices. The bill also bans DEI training sessions for students and staff.
“DEI is costing taxpayers millions of dollars and largely been an embarrassing failure in our commonwealth,” said Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown.
Earlier this week, Beshear vetoed the bill, saying this bill will be seen as part of “anti-civil rights” movement.
“I feel like we started the session, lifting people up, and by the end of the session, the General Assembly was kicking them while they were down,” Beshear said in a news release Thursday. “We’ve got to govern in a way that has more humanity and more empathy. In order to reach our full potential and to build Our New Kentucky Home, we have to be welcoming to people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We have to lend that helping hand to other people, and certainly not make it harder for people that are already marginalized.”
Some Democrats in the legislature agreed.
“I am discouraged that you think you know everything and you have not experienced anything in my shoes,” said Rep. Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville.
Among the other bills Beshear signed this week, House Bill 208 requires school boards to adopt a policy that bans phones during instructional time, except in the case of emergencies. Senate Bill 1 establishes the Kentucky Film Office, the goal of which will be to strengthen the state’s film industry by making it easier to get more films produced in the commonwealth. Senate Bill 100 creates licensing and regulatory framework for tobacco and vape retailers.
And House Bill 15 will allow 15-year-olds to apply for a driver’s permit. The bill went into effect immediately once Beshear signed it, but teens will have to wait until next week to schedule appointments to get their permit. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet first has to update its system, which is four decades old.
“Folks, we are working as fast as we can,” Beshear said Friday. “It’s a bigger undertaking than it might seem. We might think in some of today’s technology that you can just check a box or change a number. It’s actually reprogramming a whole system.”
The legislature also overrode Beshear’s veto Thursday night of House Bill 90, which gives doctor’s clarity who are otherwise fearful of breaking the law for terminating pregnancies, specifically in situations in which expectant mothers face serious complications. This bill inserted several medical exceptions like removal of an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage management.
“This brings clarity for women to know they are going to be protected if their health is at risk and if any of these instances come up and they need to make the discussions of how to protect their life,” said Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield. “And, ultimately, we want to be a pro-life state.”
Opponents of the bill argued it continues to ignore medical standards and forces doctors to delay care.
“What right do we have to tell another woman and another doctor what to do with their body in a medical environment?” Stevenson said. “Get out of people’s bedrooms. Get out of people’s doctor’s offices and take care of your business.”
In total, so far during this legislative session, Beshear signed 89 bills, vetoed 29 and returned another 10 without his signature, meaning they still become law but without his approval. A list of the bills he took action on between Monday and Wednesday can be found below, with descriptions — including the explanation of the vetoes — courtesy of the governor’s office:
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