[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6342997,"mediaKeyId","2252956-a4f694c2b5c48dbe48ce177dbd9073c5","parentId",2252956,"title","Committee approves bill to designate June as Kentucky History Month","audioSeconds",245,"startMs",1480000,"endMs",1725000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2252956-a4f694c2b5c48dbe48ce177dbd9073c5&start=1480&end=1725","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2252956-a4f694c2b5c48dbe48ce177dbd9073c5/thumbnail_1480000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6342997/Kentucky/Committee-approves-bill-to-designate-June-as-Kentucky-History-Month","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342997-470adb98cebe4799c505b848dffd986a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897917&Signature=DrxJu6d9YwT5kwKYGaJJrs~TVaiFaq4WoszjAPuTjmfMo93zq-ohjJxZOcsCufYh9FebSVQCMkldpGCEMKwsUD2H6c0C~6B660RJkaAOqW70F4UR9alzvnx9P43jLvnSDGYECtyZVuLGseKimXh~OJUVJzJ0lR7QodFI0pVXYCc481l3iV7OM7C6Iq0vzOMPKFS9Fenf0B~UZRdhoRiyz7UPREKLzo615CNPybyfS7X0cO9OaL~~DG55O~Sft30E~q6wSdREGBLJpIyaYjGu1PaiVJWp9b~LfwiJ1Rx6sXnL6xp602RsuBuKik65qUU7KWmb11IoqrMFzEmQFaSkug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Standing Committee on Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor","date","2025-02-06T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Philip Wheeler, chair of the Senate standing committee on Economic Development, Tourism & Labor, and Scott Alvey, executive director of the Kentucky Historical Society, described Senate Bill 313 as a short, celebratory measure to designate the month of June as Kentucky History Month. \"Senate bill 313... is just a simple little bill. It's a, a 1 line change to say that the month of June shall be Kentucky history month,\" Wheeler said.

Scott Alvey told the committee the Kentucky Historical Society and other cultural organizations want to use the month to broaden awareness of state history across all 120 counties, to support local history groups and to align programming with upcoming national milestones such as the U.S. semiquincentennial (the 250th anniversary).

Senators moved, seconded and unanimously voted to report the bill favorably. The clerk called the roll; the chair announced the bill \"passes with favorable expression.\" The measure will go to the full Senate for additional consideration.

The committee recorded no opposition testimony in the transcript; supporters emphasized education, tourism and county-level historical programming as expected outcomes if the bill becomes law.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Standing Committee on Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor. (2-6-25)","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 313, a one-line change to name June as Kentucky History Month, passed the committee after brief remarks from the sponsor and the Kentucky Historical Society.","taxTitle","Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Kentucky","taxId",29199,"location","Kentucky","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6343001,"Committee advances bill allowing churches to develop affordable housing on existing property amid tax and discrimination concerns",1049,343000,1392000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2252956-a4f694c2b5c48dbe48ce177dbd9073c5&start=343&end=1392","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2252956-a4f694c2b5c48dbe48ce177dbd9073c5/thumbnail_343000.jpg","/articles/6343001/Kentucky/Committee-advances-bill-allowing-churches-to-develop-affordable-housing-on-existing-property-amid-tax-and-discrimination-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6343001-2ce9a301ed4df0c0207d64f0c822cc75/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897917&Signature=kokWUHbrNcIJE-aJbNgojyAIaWwq2JXcEVf-ixKeonCxwuyAf5Yrx60kdjMs5nzUqBUweBA4V03oipQUMWoZdScF7egoFv5fEnlhq-NaNlgpT~OiwkPZsMcp5TDiwMrTA8KNsME0vhIlwlSU-b-UdZgbtF9QA2QdkTsqOuZO6P1i8M0N~BR7mMHo0fIZIKfQavlThtO7dpbeG1otOY9Q74ei31AV6eysrGmcN5e463lpy7LGc15P1f0p5CvVBr~neogrnQjUmEa20B5Ff4gmGW1MiXWBKCD~FdbjGBq1pIiEA~ude5vY6YstSqCNLmmA0Ak-rZZe55T1j5k6dxSZLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Jimmy Higdon introduced Senate Bill 59 and a committee substitute that narrows the proposal to development on \"existing property,\" saying the change was intended to match the bill’s intent and avoid unintended expansion. \"The committee sub adds is this it says on existing property,\" Higdon said.

Higdon described the bill as modeled on measures in other states that allow churches to build affordable housing on land they already own while still requiring local governing-body approval and compliance with building codes. He said \"this is a part of a small piece of the solution\" to a statewide housing shortage that the housing task force estimated at about 238,000 units.

Public comment at the committee included an objection from Destiny Kelly of Henry County. \"When you couple this bill with HB 18, it, will essentially violate private property owners' rights as well as put discriminatory housing as our only housing option,\" Kelly said. She added that religious organizations can legally exclude tenants based on religious criteria and warned that multifamily units built by religious organizations would be tax-exempt, raising questions about who would pay for roads, bridges and emergency services.

Committee members debated taxes, local control and whether the measure would permit sale or rental housing; Higdon said the bill did not explicitly limit units to rentals. Several senators said local approval and planning processes would remain in place; Senator Funke Froehmeyer emphasized that local governing bodies would still review proposals and that the committee substitute narrows the bill’s scope.

The committee adopted the substitute and then voted to report SB 59 favorably. The clerk called the roll and the chair announced the bill \"passes with favorable expression\" by a vote recorded as 9–0. Senators who spoke during debate said the committee stage does not end the process and invited stakeholders to propose amendments as the bill moves forward.

The transcript shows no committee amendments beyond the substitute to restrict the authorization to \"existing property.\" The bill will proceed to the Senate floor where further revisions are possible.","Senate Bill 59, with a committee substitute limiting eligibility to existing church property, cleared the committee after debate over tax exemption, local control and whether religious organizations could lawfully discriminate in housing.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6343006,"Senate committee raises retained-escrow threshold from $500,000 to $2 million",208,133000,341000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2252956-a4f694c2b5c48dbe48ce177dbd9073c5&start=133&end=341","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2252956-a4f694c2b5c48dbe48ce177dbd9073c5/thumbnail_133000.jpg","/articles/6343006/Kentucky/Senate-committee-raises-retained-escrow-threshold-from-500000-to-2-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6343006-15f8569c900169213631628440aee794/orig.mp4?Expires=1770897917&Signature=MpK41HGrvW1J3SILPC4pe0JrvIG23LrZKAytPKWfMupKsGV-g2svLyrr~bw9qZtLpEEpJ4pURolYoXwmNouYnhlBb8UP36ntyj4oTCKvxfQBR1apIy-FQTlyIFzpYPigLgdqZ9F~yRdyAM433nB1v1zw8XyTFPUifMFTdNjXLZF5SDBsyPpzFi-ESxoqYgffY4a81~elz8sWCYox8g29vtXx23BwvN~bxkJrpjlebmDoQ8iipr8De-Esfw363abUTtIik~HhFPV73jybIP8vWJDwkWUhjZCLUFHDQo7S8gJ72~PP1Yu~QnJG4JzEl6qJfnC-7Fsi6jdvJSrYRMDmgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Greg Elkins, District 28, told the Senate standing committee on Economic Development, Tourism & Labor that he was presenting a bill to amend state law so higher-value construction contracts trigger retained-escrow protections. \"We're here to ask, or to present bill that would amend KRS 371.160,\" Elkins said, explaining the proposal raises the minimum contract price that requires escrowed retainage from $500,000 to $2,000,000.

The measure also would amend KRS 371.405 to make contract provisions that attempt to waive or extinguish the escrow requirement void and unenforceable, Elkins said. \"This section will ensure that the monies withheld from and rightfully owed to the contractor exist in a secure escrow account,\" he said. Richard Vincent, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Kentucky, and Kevin Doyle, a chief financial officer who accompanied Elkins, were introduced as guests who could answer committee questions.

Supporters framed the change as an inflation adjustment to a statute enacted in 1990. Elkins said the amendment responds to \"construction cost inflation that we've seen over the past 35 years,\" and noted the current statute does not apply to contracts with cities, counties, school boards or other government entities.

Committee members moved and seconded the measure and voted to report it favorably to the full Senate. The clerk recorded the motion passing by voice and roll call; the chair announced the vote as \"9 to 0.\" The bill will proceed to the floor for further consideration.

No amendments or substantive conditions were recorded in committee testimony. The bill’s text and any floor amendments will determine the final scope of changes to KRS 371.160 and KRS 371.405.","The Senate standing committee on Economic Development, Tourism & Labor advanced legislation to increase the contract price threshold that triggers retained-escrow protections for property-improvement contracts and to bar contract provisions that waive those escrow requirements.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves bill to designate June as Kentucky History Month

Committee advances bill allowing churches to develop affordable housing on existing property amid tax and discrimination concerns

Senate committee raises retained-escrow threshold from $500,000 to $2 million