Kentucky News – Friday December 20, 2013 – Right Now!

Auditor issues report on threats to cybersecurity

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's auditor has released a report outlining the threats of cybersecurity breaches to state and local governments.

In his report, Auditor Adam Edelen emphasizes the need for a breach notification law. He says Kentucky is one of four states that don't require government agencies to notify people if their sensitive data has been compromised.

State and local governments collect and store massive amounts of private and sensitive data.

Edelen says he plans to work with state lawmakers in hopes of getting a breach notification bill passed next year.

The auditor's office has a role in monitoring the ability of state and local governments to protect sensitive information. The office has a team of IT auditors that test security controls when the auditor's office is conducting state and local government audits.

MOTOR FUELS TAX

Ky. motor fuels tax rate to drop on New Year's Day

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's tax on the sales of gasoline, diesel and ethanol fuels will drop by 1.5 cents per gallon on New Year's Day.

State officials say the reduction reflects a drop in the calculated average wholesale fuel price.

The decrease would result in the loss of about $45 million to the Kentucky Road Fund on an annualized basis.

Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said Thursday that any loss of revenue is concerning.

The Road Fund supplies revenue to build, improve and maintain the state's roads and bridges.

The tax on motor fuels is paid by those who use public highways and bridges. It has three components — the variable excise tax, a supplemental user fee of 5 cents per gallon and an underground storage tank cleanup fee of 1.4 cents per gallon.

KENTUCKY BUDGET

Modest economic growth strengthening Ky. budget

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Some of the state's top economists are forecasting that modest growth in Kentucky's economy will add nearly $500 million in revenue to the state's General Fund budget by 2016.

Revenue will swell from more than $9.5 billion in the 2014 fiscal year to nearly $9.8 billion in 2015 before hitting $10 billion for the first time in 2016.

The economists, serving on a government advisory panel known as the Consensus Forecasting Group, reviewed the latest economic trends during a four-hour meeting Thursday, concluding that Kentucky will continue on a path of recovery.

The panel's chairman, Eastern Kentucky University professor Frank O'Connor, described the predicted growth as "just modest, not robust."

O'Connor said he expects more spending on big-ticket items like automobiles as the economy continues to improve.

FIGHTING HEROIN

Proposal seeks to curb heroin abuse in Ky.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A surge in heroin-related deaths is spurring a response from Kentucky lawmakers, who are proposing tougher punishment for high-level traffickers.

Legislation to be introduced in the 2014 General Assembly session would require high-volume traffickers to serve more of their sentences before being eligible for parole. It also would make it easier for prosecutors to get homicide convictions for trafficking heroin to someone who died from an overdose.

Promoting the legislation on Thursday were Attorney General Jack Conway, Republican state Sen. Katie Stine and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Tilley, a Democrat. Conway said the legislation has the potential to save lives.

State officials say heroin overdose deaths increased 650 percent in 2012 and say the trend is continuing.

The bill also would require the state's Medicaid program to cover substance abuse treatment.

MORPHINE OVERDOSE-SLAYING

Ky court upholds conviction in morphine overdose

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Supreme Court has upheld the intentional murder conviction of a Taylor County woman sentenced to life in prison for killing her husband with an overdose of morphine.

The justices found that statements 63-year-old Kathleen Hibbard Wise made to detectives after taking a polygraph test in 2011 were admissible because she waived her right to remain silent. Justice Mary Noble concluded that Wise chose to take the polygraph after quickly reviewing a form explaining her legal rights.

Wise is serving life in prison for the death of her 71-year-old husband Kenneth Wise. A coroner initially ruled his death a heart attack, but subsequent blood tests showed high levels of morphine in his system.

Police later questioned Kathleen Wise, who acknowledged putting the drug in her husband's water.

BID-RIGGING STATEMENT

Ky court orders bid-rigging statement released

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that a bid-rigging statement made by a highway contractor almost 30 years ago can be released to the news media.

The justices on Thursday turned away an argument by contractor Leonard Lawson that his privacy would be invaded if the statement was released. The decision upholds a prior ruling by the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

Justice Lisbeth Hughes Abramson wrote for the court that the public has a right to know what the government was up to. Justices Will T. Scott and Michelle Keller dissented, saying the statement is likely not of great public interest.

Media including The Courier-Journal, the Lexington Herald-Leader and The Associated Press asked for the statement after it was mentioned in a 2008 federal bribery case against Lawson.