During the final hours of the legislative session, lawmakers voted to allow Gov. Matt Bevin to issue $15 million in bonds to attract an economic development project to the state. But officials won’t say what the project is or where it would be.
Terry Gill, secretary of the Economic Development Cabinet, said he couldn’t provide details about the project, but that it would have “a significant economic upside” for the state. “We’re under a pretty tight non-disclosure, so we’re trying to just provide us with the greatest latitude we have in competing for it.”
Gill said an announcement about the project would come sometime within the coming six months.
House Floor Leader Johnathan Shell revealed on the House floor that the initiative would be in Eastern Kentucky and create 1,000 construction jobs. He also said once completed, the mystery project would create 500 permanent jobs, paying an average of $75,000 per year.
In other action, doctors will only be able to prescribe Kentuckians a three-day supply of opioid painkillers under House Bill 333, which now awaits the governor’s signature.
State Sen. Whitney Westerfield, a Republican from Hopkinsville, said the bill will help attack the state’ s opioid addiction crisis. "I think this is a good first step towards cracking down on too much medicine getting out there in our communities,” he said.
The legislation creates several exemptions for doctors to write opioid prescriptions that last longer than three days, including people suffering from chronic pain or in cancer and end-of-life situations.
The legislation would also increase the penalties for trafficking synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which has been blamed for recent spikes in drug overdoses in several Kentucky communities.
Those caught trafficking even the smallest amount of fentanyl could be charged with a Class C felony under the legislation.
