Government

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam says it will probably be close to the deadline before he decides whether to sign a proposal protecting teachers who allow students to criticize evolution and other scientific theories, such as global warming.  The deadline is today.

Tennessee House Democrats say the Republican majority is moving too quickly through the legislative process.  Toward the end of the House floor session Monday, Democratic Representative Jimmy Naifeh took exception to a Republican move to end debate on overhauling a judicial disciplinary panel.  Naifeh says the measure is a complex change, and lawmakers were unable to receive any details before the vote took place.  Republican Representative Curry Todd made the motion to head straight for a vote.  He says the final vote of 86-7 in favor of the bill showed no debate was necessary.  House Demo

Governor Steve Beshear has signed more bills that passed the General Assembly this session.

Lawmakers will return to Frankfort Thursday to try and override any potential vetoes, but so far, the governor hasn’t vetoed anything. He has, however, approved more than a dozen bills since lawmakers left Frankfort late last month.

When the current Kentucky legislative session ends this week, many issues will be left on the table for future years.

One of those issues is charter schools. Kentucky is among nine states without charters, and the push to change that has been polarizing in Frankfort. A compromise to create a pilot charter project was close to passage last month, but it fell apart.

Kentucky voters have watched from the sidelines as the Republican presidential primaries unfolded in other states.  And when they finally get their say a little more than a month from now, it may not matter.  Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney appears on course to collect the one thousand, one hundred and forty-four delegates he needs to wrap up the Republican nomination, despite the best efforts of top challenger Rick Santorum.  Santorum is also facing pressure to drop out of the race.  The candidates still have primaries in eleven other states, including Pennsylvania, New York, and

Top Kentucky health leaders and lawmakers trying to end multistate prescription drug trafficking and abuse are meeting in Florida this week.  The National R-X Drug Abuse Summit runs from tomorrow until Thursday in Orlando.  The event is organized by the eastern Kentucky anti-drug group Operation UNITE.  It will feature remarks by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin and U.S. “Drug Czar” R.