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Kentucky Senate sends bill weakening miner safety protection to governor’s desk

Published

3 months ago

March 12, 2025

Staff Editor

kentuckylantern.com – Liam Niemeyer – 2025-03-12 22:08:00

Kentucky Senate sends bill weakening miner safety protection to governor’s desk

by Liam Niemeyer, Kentucky Lantern
March 12, 2025

The GOP-controlled Kentucky Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to give final passage to a bill weakening a safety protection for coal miners put in place after the death of a Harlan County miner.

House Bill 196, sponsored by Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, would reduce the required number of trained and certified coal miners able to respond to medical emergencies, known as mine emergency technicians (METs), depending on how many miners were working a shift.

Under Blanton’s bill, a shift with 10 or fewer miners would be required to have only one MET, down from the current requirement of two. METs are trained to provide emergency medical care and stabilize a miner’s condition. The free training required to receive a state certification to become a MET takes at least 40 hours and includes learning about cardiac emergencies, muscular and skeletal injuries and bleeding and shock.

Blanton and other Republican proponents of the legislation say small coal-mining operators are being burdened by the requirement to have two METs on site for every shift, in some cases temporarily shutting down when only one MET is available.

A father died mining coal. His son warns KY bill would endanger other miners.

“This really gives our small operators some room to breathe in this depressed environment,” said Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, mentioning the coal industry’s downturn in Eastern Kentucky. “It’s just about keeping these people who want jobs working.”

Opponents of the legislation have warned that ending the protection afforded by requiring two METs — essentially having a backup if the other MET is unable to provide aid — would endanger miner safety.

Tony Oppegard, an attorney and former mine safety inspector who helped write a 2007 mine safety law that required two METs, has said the requirement was spurred by the 2005 death of a Harlan County miner, David “Bud” Morris. The then 29-year-old didn’t receive proper first aid to stop bleeding after a loaded coal hauler nearly amputated both of his legs. The lone MET on site failed to give Morris necessary medical care.

The Senate gave HB 196 final passage by a 30-7 vote after two Republicans had voted against the bill in committee and expressed concerns about how the bill could impact miner safety. Senate Majority Floor Leader Max Wise had suggested in the committee the bill could be changed. The widow of David, Stella Morris, testified against the bill in that committee. Morris’ son, who was a baby when Morris died, has also spoken out against the legislation.

One of the two Republicans who voted against the bill in committee, Sen. Scott Maden, R-Pineville, voted for the bill on the floor. The minority of Democrats opposed the legislation.

Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, who voted against the bill in the legislative committee, said he thought the bill was going to be improved after hearing some Republican concerns about it.

“Are we doing something that benefits the industry, the corporation literally at the expense, health and wellness of the individual — or we back the coal miners, the individuals, to make sure that they are safe?” Yates said.

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, called the death of Morris a “horrific accident” and said it would have been “extremely hard, whether one person was there or three or four people were there” to save Morris considering the seriousness of his injuries.

“This is cost prohibitive in some small operations, but there are still medically trained personnel on site, and this bill should pass to aid and assist the small coal mines without putting people at risk,” Stivers said.

Stella and Bud Morris in 2004, the Christmas before their son Landen was born. Bud bled to death in 2005 from injuries sustained while working in a Harlan County mine. (Morris family photo)

Stella Morris, Bud Morris’ widow, dismissed any suggestion that her late husband’s death wasn’t preventable, pointing to a federal report after his death that quoted a paramedic as saying there would have been “a very different outcome” if Bud had received basic first aid.

She said she supports the coal mining industry in her Eastern Kentucky community but ultimately does not want another family to go through the loss of a loved one like her family did.

“I don’t feel like they care about the miners,” Morris told the Lantern. “I feel like all they cared about today when they voted was the coal industry, but without the miners, you don’t have a coal industry.”

Oppegard, the mine safety inspector who helped create the requirement for two METs, opposed HB 196 from its introduction. He said Republican lawmakers by lowering the requirement will risk the death of a coal miner while saving “one of their coal operator buddies,” according to his estimate, roughly $40 to $50 a week to pay a second MET on site.

“Let’s be clear: Republican legislators don’t care about the safety and health of miners,” Oppegard said. “Only the most callous people on the face of the earth think that way.

We hope that Gov. Beshear vetoes this wrong-headed legislation. If the General Assembly overrides his veto, then they will have blood on their hands if the legislation ends up costing a miner his life.”

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear will now consider whether to sign the bill into law, let the bill become law without his signature or veto the legislation. The GOP supermajority in each legislative chamber can easily override any veto from Beshear.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

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News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Kentucky State Police arrests Somerset man after standoff

Published

15 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wnky.com – WNKY Staff – 2025-06-16 08:48:00

SUMMARY: In Somerset, Kentucky, 69-year-old John Woody barricaded himself in his home after shooting into neighboring residences. Authorities were alerted Sunday evening, and after unsuccessful negotiations, the Kentucky State Police Special Response Team was called in. Woody then fired at troopers, prompting the use of less-lethal force to apprehend him. He faces charges including first-degree wanton endangerment for discharging a firearm and attempted murder of a peace officer. Additional charges were filed by the Somerset Police Department. The investigation, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, is ongoing.

Read the full article

The post Kentucky State Police arrests Somerset man after standoff appeared first on www.wnky.com

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Report: Childhood trauma costs Kentucky nearly $300 million every year

Published

17 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Staff Editor

kentuckylantern.com – Sarah Ladd – 2025-06-16 07:00:00

by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
June 16, 2025

Adverse experiences in childhood and their lasting consequences cost Kentucky nearly $300 million a year, a new report says.

Kentucky Youth Advocates and Bloom Kentucky, a KYA initiative focused on reducing childhood adversity, on Monday released an analysis, called “The Economic Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Kentucky” that shows health care costs and loss of workforce participation as a result of childhood trauma comes with a $295 million annual price tag.

Dr. Shannon Moody, Kentucky Youth Advocates’ Chief Officer of Strategic Initiatives.

The analysis is based on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data from 2015–20. At that time, 62% of Kentucky adults said they’d had at least one adverse childhood experience or ACE and 19% reported four or more.

ACEs are traumas or stressors in a person’s life before their 18th birthday. They include, but are not limited to, parental divorce, abuse, parental incarceration, substance use issues in the home and more. The more ACEs a person has, the more likely they are to have poor health, lower education and economic hardships.

When these stressors become chronic, it “has an impact on our physiology,” explained Shannon Moody, Kentucky Youth Advocates’ chief officer of strategic initiatives.

The more ACEs a person has, the more likely they are to turn to unhealthy practices like smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ACEs survivors also tend to report poorer mental health, may be unemployed and are more likely to have chronic health issues like diabetes and cancer, according to the CDC.

“The ways that our body absorbs stress or deals with stress has an impact on our physiology as well as on our mental health,” Moody said. “When that stress goes unaddressed in our bodies, it starts to take a toll on how our bodies’ function.”

The result is sicker people who may not be able to work and contribute to the economy.

“If we don’t invest in making sure that kids can overcome the adversity that they are (facing) — or maybe prevent it if it is preventable — we’re going to end up absorbing the costs through our state budget,” Moody said.

People with at least one ACE are more likely to be unable to work or be out of work. (Screenshot)

What’s in the report?

According to Monday’s analysis:

The most common type of ACEs in Kentucky is divorce with 32% of adults reporting they lived through their parents splitting when they were children. A close second, 31% of adults reported there were substance abuse issues in their childhood home.
ACEs cost Kentucky — both in medical spending and in lost income when people cannot work — nearly $300 million each year. Among these, smoking costs more than $107 million each year in lost wages.
Depression costs the state the most in treatment expenses at $728,000 annually.
Kentucky has higher expenses per person in treating ACEs than most of its neighboring states.
People with at least one ACE are more likely to be unable to work or be out of work.
Non-white Kentuckians are more likely to have experienced ACEs than their white counterparts. Multiracial Kentuckians have the highest rates of ACEs.

ACEs cost Kentucky — both in medical spending and in lost income when people cannot work — nearly $300 million each year. Among these, smoking costs more than $107 million each year in lost wages. (Screenshot)

“Given how common ACEs are in Kentucky, organizations, agencies and decisionmakers must take trauma into account when working to strengthen communities,” the report says. “Understanding the widespread impact of trauma begins with learning both its effects and the potential pathways to healing.”

That includes creating better access to quality child care, Moody said, and creating a state child tax credit. Combating poverty, which affects 20% of Kentucky’s children and for many means they don’t have reliable sources of nutritious food, is key as well.

She also stressed the importance of positive childhood experiences (PCEs), which can balance children’s adverse experiences. PCEs can include feeling supported by friends, having adults who care, the ability to talk with family members about feelings and more.

“Even if a child is experiencing adversity, even if they have an ACE score of 7, or they have had just a really tough environment in which they were raised, we can counterbalance those adversities with positive childhood experiences,” Moody said.

Kentucky has higher expenses per person in treating ACEs than most of its neighboring states. (Screenshot)

Why now?

The report is coming out now, Moody said, because work on the 2026 state budget is beginning and because proposed federal funding cuts to safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP put people at risk of more instability and more adverse childhood experiences.

The report is a call to action, she said, to invest in child wellbeing and prevent ACEs.

“We need to get an understanding among all of our decision makers as far as what the implications of childhood adversity mean for our bottom line,” Moody said, “and for the investments that they’re making right now on behalf of kids.”

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content focuses on the social and economic impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), highlighting public health, economic costs, and advocating for government investment in child wellbeing and social safety nets. The emphasis on expanding access to childcare, creating a state child tax credit, and protecting safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP from federal cuts are policy positions commonly associated with center-left perspectives that prioritize social welfare and preventative care. However, the article maintains a data-driven, policy-oriented tone without heavy ideological language, suggesting a moderate rather than overtly partisan approach.

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Evening Forecast 6/16/2025

Published

1 day ago

June 15, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – FOX 56 News – 2025-06-15 23:12:28

SUMMARY: Scattered showers and humid conditions continued across central Kentucky on June 16, with localized flooding in Mercer and Boyle counties prompting a flash flood warning set to expire by 12:30 a.m. Showers will taper overnight, with patchy fog developing by morning. Monday starts mostly dry but humid, with afternoon highs in the mid-80s and renewed scattered downpours expected. The pattern repeats through Tuesday and Wednesday. Humidity remains oppressive most of the week, with a slight dip Friday. By the weekend, a high-pressure system will bring hotter conditions, with highs near 90°F and heat indices possibly reaching 100°F across the eastern U.S.