It’s been a decade since the Southern Legislative Conference was held in Kentucky, but the annual meeting of state legislators, lobbyists, and policy experts is in Lexington this week.
Sessions on education, agriculture, economic development, and other topics fill the schedule, which runs through Wednesday. Kentucky House Speaker Pro Tem Jody Richards – a member of the only remaining Democratically-controlled chamber in the south – said the event was a chance to hear new ideas for dealing with the state’s overburdened pension system.
"A lot of the states are having the same pension challenges that we are and it's a terrific learning experience where you are able to talk with others from other states and kind of figure out how they've done things better," Richards says.
Conference chair, GOP Senate President Robert Stivers, said several federal initiatives could come out of the meeting - including stances on energy production and the 10th Amendment.
Sunday, lawmakers packed meals for the hungry, which will be distributed to 50 Kentucky counties through God’s Pantry Food Bank.
Big name speakers include UK basketball coach John Calipari along with Democratic strategist and commentator James Carville and his wife, political consultant and recent Libertarian convert Mary Matalin.