LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Several bills hang in the balance as Kentucky lawmakers push to get them passed before the legislative session ends.
One of those bills would legalize medical marijuana, and the other would legalize sports wagering in the state.
In Indiana, and other states surrounding Kentucky, it's legal to place a bet on a sports game or race, leaving some to travel across the Ohio River to place theirs.
Supporters of legalizing sports betting in Kentucky say that's why the bill needs to pass — to keep some of the revenue that comes from placing bets in the commonwealth.
House Bill 551 has passed the House and this week, a Senate committee. It's next big hurdle: the Senate.
"We're taking something out of the illegal unregulated space and creating a regulated marketplace for this," said Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland.
Despite opposition fearing the consequences of legalization.
"They're opposed to it because they see the dangers they recognize that expanded gambling preys on poor people," Todd Gray, director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, said.
The bill could be voted on by the full Senate at the end of March.
Thursday, the Senate voted 26-11 for the first time to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Now, the fate of the bill rests in the House, which has passed the legislation in recent years.
Rep. Jason Nemes, R-District 33, has expressed optimism it will pass this session too.
If the House passes the bill, it will head to Gov. Andy Beshear's desk for a signature. If it does become law, it wouldn't take effect until the start of 2025 to allow state health officials time to craft regulations to oversee the program.
The House and Senate both had heated debates over SB 150 this week, would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. It includes the ban of instruction on human sexuality before sixth grade and, even after that, a student must have parental consent. It also outlaws children from using bathrooms that are reserved for students of a different biological sex, a ban on gender-transition procedures and puberty blockers for minors, with very few exceptions.
"There is evidence that this is harmful to children and that's our job to protect children, and that's what we're doing here," said Rep. David Meade, R-House Speaker Pro Tem.
But there was fierce opposition to the legislation among the LGBTQ+ community and critics, who say the bill is an attack on transgender youth.
"This is the most pressing issue in our commonwealth right now?" Chris Hartman, with the Fairness Campaign, asked lawmakers. "Denying parents rights to obtain medical care for a population that's less than 1% of this commonwealth's entire population? How dare you."
Despite pushback, SB 150 passed both chambers and now sits on Beshear's desk. He is expected to veto the bill, but the Republican supermajority can override his veto.
Thursday, Beshear signed House Bill 594, which outlaws what proponents call "skill games" and critics call "gray games." Machines with names like "Burning Barrel" and "Wildcat" have become popular and can generate thousands of dollars in income per month for establishments.
The machines with cash payouts have popped up in bars, restaurants and truck stops across Kentucky in recent years. On July 1, they will become illegal.
The signing of the bill means a court challenge is the only route left for proponents to preserve the games.
Also this week, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 9, also known as "Lofton's Law."
The legislation is named after Lofton Hazelwood, who died of alcohol poisoning in 2021 while pledging at the Farmhouse Fraternity at the University of Kentucky. Students told investigators Lofton had 18 shots of bourbon within 45 minutes.
Lofton's Law increases the penalty for hazing that results in injury or death to a felony.
It now sits on Beshear's desk for a signature.
The legislative session picks back up in two weeks for the final two days of the year's session, March 29-30.
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