FRANKFORT, Ky. — While the exact details of a special session are still being worked out — Gov. Andy Beshear expects a special session to possibly start as soon as Tuesday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Andy Beshear says a special session will be called as early as Tuesday

  • Exact details are being negotiated, but Beshear says the session will deal with COVID-19

  • Beshear wants lawmakers to pursue mask mandates, although Republican leaders have said they don't want statewide mandates

  • Lawmakers have been holding committee meetings this week on issues related to COVID-19

 

“We have been meeting around the clock with legislative leaders to try and come to common ground,” Beshear said Thursday. “And I think we certainly have a lot of common ground.”

Beshear has been talking with lawmakers since the Kentucky Supreme Court effectively allowed new limits on his power to take effect. Now the legislature has to sign off on COVID policies.    

“There are some tools that I believe we need that they’re going to have to decide whether we get,” Beshear said. “That certainly involves masking, general masking.”

Lawmakers have been holding committee meetings this week about potential COVID regulations, including a discussion on child care centers Thursday.

Sen. Danny Carroll (R-Benton) says he’s working on a bill to ease restrictions on them.

“We have made an effort to put together a bill that will allow the centers to continue to operate in a safe manner, in an efficient manner,” he said. “And a manner that will help to allow the development of our kids, which sometimes during this entire ordeal seems to have been overlooked.”

Carroll’s bill, which is still being drafted, could ease mask mandates on young kids.

Jennifer Washburn owns Kids Childhood Enrichment Center, a child care center in Marshall County, and she says keeping masks on two- and three-year-old kids has been hard.

“I compare my daily experience of masking two-year-olds to trying to keep a mask on a cat,” she told lawmakers. “If you have a cat, go put a mask on it and good luck.”

Beshear says he wants lawmakers to be careful when it comes to child care centers and schools, but everyone seems to agree on the larger idea of keeping kids safe in school.

“I really don’t think there’s as much disagreement on that as we hear as opposed to people trying to get to the same place in slightly different ways,” he said. “All I care about is that it works; that a school that has a big COVID outbreak, that the kids are still learning the next day.”

Lawmakers have also discussed a “test and stay” policy where students can stay in the classroom if they test negative even after exposure to COVID-19. Beshear says he’s open to the idea, but wants to see more specifics.

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