Government

Kentucky House and Senate negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on a massive road construction plan. Senate Democratic Floor Leader R.J. Palmer says lawmakers reached the agreement around 2AM today which is the final day of this year's legislative session. Legislators were scheduled to vote on the plan this afternoon. The plan includes $3.5 billion worth of construction projects over the next two years and more than $10 million worth over the next 6 years.

A Fort Campbell soldier credited with saving the lives of two fellow soldiers while wounded during an attack in Afghanistan will be presented with the nation's second highest military honor. Sergeant Felipe Pereira of the 101st Airborne Division will receive the Distinguished Service Cross today at the post. According to the citation, Pereira suffered shrapnel wounds to his spleen, lung and liver when his unit was attacked in November 2010 in Kandahar province. He refused medical treatment and helped evacuate two other wounded soldiers. 

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam's effort to close off public access to company information used to decide economic development grants has been withdrawn for the year. Republican Senator Bo Watson says the decision followed a failure to reach a compromise. The Haslam administration argues the measure allows the state to ask for more details about businesses seeking cash grants while assuring companies’ proprietary information would not become public. Open government advocates argue that information is already exempt from public records laws.

The Tennessee House has delayed a vote on a bill giving the state's education commissioner the power to waive state laws to grant public schools more flexibility. Republican Representative Art Swann says his bill is designed to emulate the leeway granted to charter schools, but he agreed to put the measure on hold after members of both parties raised concerns over a provision giving an unelected official the ability to ignore statutes enacted by the Legislature.

Kentucky lawmakers have one more legislative day in their calendar this year, but they likely won’t spend it overriding vetoed bills. Governor Steve Beshear spent most of yesterday signing bills into law. And outside of the almost mandatory line item vetoes every governor has in budget bills, Beshear says he doesn’t expect to use his veto pen. That means dozens of bills passed this session will go onto the books. This includes bills allowing new districts of innovation for local school districts, the elimination of confederate pensions and new restrictions on pseudoephedrine purchases.