Latest news with #StateoftheCommonwealth
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat Beshear renews push for universal preschool in Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear appeared before a joint session of the House and Senate on Jan. 8, 2025 to deliver his State of the Commonwealth address. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes) Gov. Andy Beshear has signed an executive order to establish an advisory committee to explore support for universal pre-kindergarten programs in Kentucky. Beshear, a Democrat, has long supported implementing universal pre-K statewide. He again called on Republicans in the state legislature supermajority to fund such initiatives in his State of the Commonwealth Address earlier this year. However, top Republicans said their caucuses don't have a consensus on the matter. The executive order creates the Team Kentucky Pre-K for All Advisory Committee with 28 members representing experience in business, workforce development and education. Jamie Link, the secretary of the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet is the chair of the committee. Other members include Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher, Council on Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson and former state lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican. Beshear announced the 'Pre-K for All' initiative with local leaders in Louisville Wednesday. The city launched a five-year plan for universal pre-K last year. The governor emphasized a need to offer all Kentucky 4-year-olds pre-K programs to increase kindergarten readiness. ''We are here, not as Democrats or Republicans, not as part of the right or the left,' Beshear said in a statement. 'Instead, we are here as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, educators and business leaders. We are here because we want the best for our Kentucky kids, the best for our Kentucky parents and caregivers, and we want to build and maintain the best workforce in America.' The Kentucky Center for Statistics says that 53.8% of Kentucky children are not prepared for kindergarten on the first day of school. Beshear also said that 18 states, including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and West Virginia, offer pre-K access to 4-year-olds — further underscoring that he views the issue as nonpartisan. The advisory committee will hold public meetings throughout Kentucky and create a report on feedback heard by Oct. 15. That's a few weeks ahead of the beginning of the 2026 legislative session, which is when lawmakers will begin debating the next two-year state budget. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and senior adviser Rocky Adkins will travel across the state in the coming days to highlight the 'Pre-K for All' initiative.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Healey announces business regulation reductions
BOSTON (WWLP) – Governor Healey is cutting state regulations to make it easier to do business in Massachusetts. This initiative, dubbed 'Massachusetts Means Business,' looks to cut or amend a quarter of all state business regulations to save business owners time and money. Governor candidate Mike Kennealy criticizes Springfield organization over 'disturbing' social media posts The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation is in charge of these cuts and so far, they have committed to updating Division of Banks regulations to clear red tape, overhauling unit pricing for grocery and retail stores, improving access to cosmetology and barbering education, and updating trail signage regulation at ski resorts, among other changes. One business leader says the main complaint he hears from business owners is about excessive state red tape. 'Just getting their way through the red tape is something that really takes the owner of that small business' eye off the ball of serving their customers,' said President and CEO of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts Jon Hurst. Getting rid of regulations to bolster the economy sounds like a similar mission to that of DOGE, but the governor says her goals are very different and are meant to benefit consumers. 'What we are doing here is, I think, like, really constructive, thoughtful engagement with the business community. What's working? What isn't working? Let's get rid of what's not working,' Healey said. Governor Healey shredded a stack of papers at her announcement, representing how much easier it will be to run a business in Massachusetts. These regulation changes deliver on a promise the governor made in her State of the Commonwealth address in January. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kentucky's average public school teacher pay ranks 42nd in the nation, education group says
A teacher waves to her students as they get off the bus at Carter Traditional Elementary School in Louisville on Jan. 24, 2022, in this file photo. (Photo by) New reports highlighted by the Kentucky Education Association show that pay for public school teachers in the state fell in national rankings again this year. The annual reports from the National Education Association, the national teachers union, examine teacher pay nationwide. This year, Kentucky ranks 42nd in the nation for average public school teacher pay at $58,325 despite a 3.6% increase from the previous year. Last year, the NEA ranked Kentucky as 41st in average teacher pay. The national average teacher salary is $72,030, according to the 2025 data. In a press release, KEA President Eddie Campbell said the organization 'is deeply concerned about the General Assembly's lack of investment in Kentucky educators' pay.' 'Every school district across the commonwealth faces shortages of teachers, substitutes, bus drivers, custodians and office staff nearly every day of the school year,' Campbell said. 'Properly investing in our teachers' pay could help remedy this critical shortage and make Kentucky a competitive destination for educators working in our neighboring states. Until then, Kentucky will continue to struggle with staffing our public schools.' The NEA data also put Kentucky at 48th in the nation for average beginning teacher pay. According to the report, average starting teacher pay is $40,161 after a 2.4% increase over last year's average. Kentucky ranked 45th in average beginning teacher pay in 2024. Additionally, Kentucky classified workers — such as bus drivers, janitorial workers, administrative staff and cafeteria employees — were found to make an average salary of $28,088 per year, ranking 49th in the country even though the average salary increased 3.7% over last year. Salaries for public school employees has long been a political football in Kentucky. Throughout both of his terms, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has called for the Republican-controlled General Assembly to approve raises for public school employees, most recently during his State of the Commonwealth address in January. At the time, Beshear said that Kentucky voters' rejection of a constitutional amendment to allow the state legislature to fund nonpublic schools last fall was 'a mandate to prioritize public education.' However, days later at the annual Kentucky Chamber Day Dinner, Republican House Speaker David Osborne, of Prospect, said the state legislature had provided a historic level of K-12 education funding. 'These are the same people that have not provided one single, substantive, creative, thoughtful, intentional policy change to improve education,' Osborne said. 'Because let's be clear, asking for more money is not big. Asking for more money is not bold. Asking for more money is just an ask — and it's not working.'During the 2023 gubernatorial election, then Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron released an education plan that called for raising the base rate pay of new Kentucky teachers to an annual salary of $41,500. Cameron, who ultimately lost to Beshear, is now campaigning for Kentucky's open U.S. Senate seat.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GOP changes to Medicaid in doubt after Democrat Beshear says legislature failed to fund them
Gov. Andy Beshear appeared before a joint session of the House and Senate on Jan. 8, 2025 to deliver his State of the Commonwealth address. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes) This article mentions suicide. The number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Changes the Kentucky General Assembly ordered in Medicaid face an uncertain future after Gov. Andy Beshear said lawmakers failed to fund the legislation. For the second year in a row, Beshear last week sent the House and Senate a letter listing bills that they had passed without providing what Beshear said was the necessary funding. Beshear sent the letter on the next to last day of the 2025 session, listing 11 bills and writing 'there is still time in this legislative session to add appropriations.' The Republican-controlled legislature took no action in response to the Democratic governor's letter, and Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, told reporters Beshear is obligated to carry out laws as enacted by the legislature. 'He wants to make some excuse about, 'oh, you didn't give me the money.' But it's basically: 'yes, you do have the money. Find it within your budgets,'' Stivers said. Among the 11 bills that Beshear said lack 'the appropriations necessary to implement' them is House Bill 695, which directs the Beshear administration to take steps to enact a Medicaid work requirement while prohibiting the administration from making any changes in the $15 billion program without first receiving the legislature's approval. The bill also creates a Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board to look for cost savings in Medicaid. Beshear vetoed the bill and the legislature easily overrode his veto. The clash comes as Democrats in Washington are bracing to fight Republican efforts in Congress to cut Medicaid — a federal-state program that covers health care for low-income people — in order to pay for renewing federal tax cuts. In the letter, Beshear said HB 695 would require rebidding Medicaid managed care contracts, which he said would cost the state $1.4 million, including hiring a contractor to help develop the request for proposal. The bill also is estimated to cost $500,000 in state funds to conduct a managed care long-term service study, Beshear wrote. In his veto of HB 695, Beshear said the Medicaid community engagement requirement, commonly called a work requirement, would 'undoubtedly' cost some adults their health coverage and also spark costly litigation challenging the requirement. Emily Beauregard, the executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health, said health care advocates are concerned about new costs associated with a work requirement. 'One of our concerns all along with HB 695 has been the additional administrative cost it requires to ultimately provide less health care, which isn't a good use of taxpayer dollars,' she said. Beshear's letter to lawmakers last week echoed one he sent the year before, which has sparked a lingering controversy over the state's failure to fund relief for kinship care families. Lawmakers have previously said Beshear has misinterpreted a 2005 state Supreme Court decision that he says precludes the executive branch from spending money the legislature has not appropriated. That decision came out of a cycle when the General Assembly passed no budget. Still, Beshear wrote: 'These holdings are simple: if the legislature creates a policy or program but does not provide funding, it does not intend for the executive branch to perform those services over the biennium. The omission of an appropriation is the same as its elimination.' Beshear also cited a more recent federal court decision. On Friday, Stivers criticized Beshear's handling of the kinship care issue, which resulted in months of back and forth with no solution for families who are raising minor relatives and need more assistance. 'He decided to expand Medicaid rolls, not do kinship care, but then he says he doesn't have the money to do it,' Stivers said. 'He picks and chooses what he wants to do, even though we've told him what to do.' 'We've talked about on this floor all the things he decided to fund without authority, things he does without authority. We send him bills, and it's his obligation to carry out those laws that we change and empower him to execute on,' Stivers said. Most of the funding for Medicaid comes from the federal government. Beshear said 1.6 million Kentuckians are covered by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Beshear's letter to lawmakers also said they had failed to take into account the costs of their decision to protect conversion therapy. House Bill 495 overrules restrictions Beshear had placed on the discredited practice and also prohibits Medicaid from covering transgender-affirming medical care. Beshear estimated it would cost $540,000 to $1.95 million in state funds. 'Flabbergasted:' Help for kinship care families passed unanimously. $20M price tag could derail it. 'Other states with similar laws have experienced an increase in suicide attempts, some by as much as 72%,' Beshear wrote. 'The increase in services expected include an additional six hours of behavioral health counseling and therapy, an increase in pharmacy costs and increased psychiatric hospitalization.' Among other bills Beshear said the legislature failed to fund: Senate Bill 4, which he said would cost at least an estimated $2.5 million to operate a centralized registry of artificial intelligence systems in state government and implement an AI governance process. House Bill 390 to set up an accessible online vehicle insurance verification system, which Beshear said would cost $600,000 to $1.1 million initially and then $750,000 a year to operate. Beshear also said that House Bill 346, exempting emergency temporary internal combustion engines from paying an emissions assessment fee and to retroactively refund some fees would cost the Division of Air Quality $1 million in expected revenue from fees. FILE_4515 (1)
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utility bills skyrocketed 300% in February
BOSTON (WWLP) – If you noticed a shockingly high utility bill last month, you are not alone–electricity prices were up 300% this February. Utility prices are determined primarily by consumer demand and fuel costs, and a colder-than-average February means both of these factors were elevated. Natural gas suppliers usually set the wholesale electricity costs, closely linked to fuel costs, so when the supplier's prices are up, your bill is higher too. By the numbers, the average real-time electricity price in February was a whopping $126.40 per megawatt hour up 301%. 55% of New England's power is generated using natural gas, and the price per therm–the unit of measurement used to indicate how much heat energy is made using natural gas–clocked in at 319% above average at $14.62 per therm. Carbon emissions are also increasing in New England, up 10.3% this February as compared to last year, with a grand total of 2.28 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in February 2025. This increase goes hand in hand with the increase in customer demand, up 4.7% from last year, and decreased average temperatures, down 5 degrees from last year. Lawmakers have been working on tweaking Massachusetts' energy sources for years, with the end goal of switching the state to entirely renewable energy like solar and wind power. Progress is slow, and expected to slow more under the Trump Administration, as the president has promised to 'frack, baby, frack.' Governor Healey named energy affordability as one of her administration's main goals in her January State of the Commonwealth address but has not yet put a specific plan before state lawmakers. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
