Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) holds a Team Kentucky update briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, everybody. Happy Derby week and welcome to this week's team
00:05Kentucky update. I'm Andy and we have hopefully a short one for you today. But
00:10with some good news, I want to kick off today's economic development news by
00:15highlighting the trip to Germany and Switzerland that we as a team just
00:19returned from. During our trip, we had the opportunity to have conversations
00:24with leaders from over 100 different companies. Germany is one of the
00:29largest European investors in Kentucky, with over 90 companies operating in our
00:34state of the companies we visited. 10 have their North American headquarters
00:39right here in Kentucky. This trip allowed us to speak directly with the
00:44decision makers considering new investments in our state. We had the
00:47chance to talk with several prospects as well that are looking for a home in
00:52the United States. I want to highlight just a few of our stops. We had a great
00:57time visiting the leaders of Mubia at their headquarters in Germany. Uh, this
01:02I think is the only German company that has ever had a father and a son, both
01:06this governor visit their German headquarters. It was a valuable
01:11opportunity to show that there is no better place to do business in than
01:16right here in the Commonwealth. Um, they had the family representative who
01:21in that picture is to my right. If you're looking at it to your left there,
01:26North American head, which is on the other side of me now, certainly to if
01:34you're looking at it to the left, that's Travis, who heads our Kentucky
01:37facility, who was over there for training, and that just happened to be
01:40there. He lives in Grant County, but it was neat to see another Kentucky. And
01:45as we walked in a lot of employees in the Commonwealth, this was a very good
01:51visit. We also made a stop at Fruedenberg Filtration Technologies to
01:56learn more about their innovative solutions that pay good paying jobs in
02:01Hopkinsville. Let's see if we have that one.
02:06So, so we got, uh, really a firsthand look at all the different types of
02:11filtration systems that they have. This is a big company that does a lot of
02:18different things. This is their group that does the Hopkinsville facility. We
02:25also visited Hinkle, which is a an enormous company. It's got about 50,000
02:29employees worldwide. They employ 800 Kentucky ins in Bowling Green, where
02:35they make dial soap and snuggle fabric softener, among other things. Um, that
02:42one will come up in a minute. We were we were honored to not just get a tour of
02:46some of the newest technology and what they're doing in the E. V. Space, but
02:50also to really learn about the significant R. And D. That goes into
02:55how they do their products. And this is their international CEO who really
02:58spent a lot of time with us and I think is scheduling a trip to come down to
03:02Bowling Green. So a really good introduction gave us a lot of time,
03:08was very interested in what was going on in Kentucky. Next, we got to meet
03:14with Eber Spacker, which is a company that made an announcement. And then we
03:18cut the ribbon on a big facility in Louisville over over at the at the at
03:25the port at at the world port over there. Um, this is their testing
03:30facility. Uh, they do exhaust systems, test motors, a lot of very technical
03:37work. Uh, this was good to meet with them as we now have them up and running
03:43in Louisville and to get direct feedback. We also met with B. F. W.
03:48Enviro tech of Germany. This company is a global leader in industrial
03:52filtration and a fifth generation family owned business. The family
03:58representative again, if I'm standing there is to my right, if you're looking
04:02at the picture to the left, walked us around. This is a company that started
04:07as a felt maker and now makes these big industrial filtration systems for power
04:13plants and others. It was fascinating to see all of their machinery and to talk
04:19about their Kentucky operations. We also hosted three events sponsored by
04:25well regarded business organizations with almost 100 people in attendance.
04:29Not only is it important to say thank you to these german and swiss companies
04:34that employ a number of Kentucky ins, but it's important to see them at their
04:39home because they create jobs in our home. The feedback was overwhelmingly
04:46positive. We actually had one, uh, company leader come to the swiss event
04:50that we weren't aware was going to be there. And the things he said about
04:54Kentucky and about how we work with our businesses were so positive. Um, I know
05:00that we left this trip keeping jobs intact, uh, that a company or two may
05:05have thought about moving elsewhere. But I also know we're going to see
05:08expansions or new locations coming out of this. Just about every meeting went
05:12as well as we could have asked for a good trip. Thank you to jeff noel from
05:17economic development, from our two european heads that are located in
05:23Hamburg to latasha Buckner, my chief of staff for going with us on this really
05:28productive trip. Speaking of great companies doing businesses here, I want
05:33to congratulate a vital Kentucky automotive manufacturer on receiving a
05:372024 corporate investment and community impact award from trade and
05:42industry development magazine. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky received
05:47one of 16 corporate investment awards given out this year to honor its
05:52continued commitment to Georgetown Kentucky. This award is a huge honor
05:56and it's exciting to see Toyota continuing to work with scott County
06:00and the Georgetown community to secure a lasting prosperity. I want to
06:04congratulate Toyota on its 2024 cc award and I am proud to support the
06:11company's continued growth here in the commonwealth. All right. Last week we
06:15also highlighted the continued momentum in our state's red hot
06:19manufacturing sector. E. P. C. Columbia Inc. An industry leading plastic
06:24injection molding company announced its plans to expand the company's
06:28operations in Lebanon with a $3.6 million investment that's going to
06:33create 21 new full time jobs. Having companies choosing to expand and grow
06:38their operations is crucial to our continued economic success.
06:44E. P. C. Columbia is providing quality job opportunities in Marion County and
06:49the surrounding communities and I congratulate them. I hope we will
06:52convince them to expand again. I also want to congratulate Epic Flight
06:56Academy on cutting the ribbon for its new aircraft mechanic school at CVG
07:01Airport. Epic broke ground on the over 32,000 square foot building in April
07:072023 and completed construction last month. The Epic Flight Academy Aircraft
07:13Mechanic program welcomed its first class of students in 2020 and students
07:18began training at CVG in the past two weeks. Workforce development is one of
07:22the most important proactive steps we can take and this was absolutely
07:26crucial to this airport where we have built enormous new maintenance hangers
07:31that's gonna help the continued growth of Amazon that has its largest
07:36investment ever uh in its history and it's at that airport which remember is
07:41on our side of the river as well as D. H. L. Which has its north american
07:46headquarters at that airport. So an incredibly important facility that's
07:52training people for really good jobs. Last week we also approved state
07:57incentives for three projects totaling $35 million in planned investments in
08:03nearly 200 full time jobs. The first is uh K. O. E. Superior Walls K. O. I. K.
08:13I'm sorry it's K. O. I. Superior Walls, a newly formed company that will
08:18manufacture precast concrete foundation walls for residential and
08:23commercial construction. They're planning to locate a new facility in
08:26Boone County and they're going to create 73 new full time jobs. The new
08:30employment positions include manufacturing roles, sales, design,
08:34administrative and management. The company is expected to begin full
08:38operations in late 2025. This is a new and welcome addition to our
08:43manufacturing sector and their commitment to further growth will
08:46further strengthen Kentucky for generations to come. I want to thank
08:50K. O. I. S. Leadership and I look forward to their success here in the
08:54commonwealth. Two other projects also received approval through Kedpho. One
08:59is Omega Ophthalmic Enterprises which is looking at a $31.5 million
09:05investment that will create 75 full time jobs with an hourly wage of $40.39
09:12including benefits that would go to Jessamine County. The other central
09:16screen printing ink which is proposing a $1 million investment that would
09:20create 50 full time jobs in Muhlenberg County. With these investments in mind,
09:26we just continue a streak from the last several years. That is our biggest,
09:30best economic development win streak ever with well over 1000 new location
09:35and expansions, a record $30.6 billion of new private sector investment and
09:41over 52,700 jobs. It's gonna be pretty exciting this derby to welcome people
09:46to our new Kentucky home where every opportunity that a child could ever
09:51dream of. We're trying to create those jobs right here in Kentucky. One way
09:56we're working to keep that momentum going is to continue to invest in site
10:00development. Last week we announced three important projects across the
10:03state that have been approved for $2.6 million in funding. Those projects are
10:08in Fulton, Hickman and Hopkins counties which show that we're including
10:13everybody that no one's left out that every one of our counties here, two of
10:17our Mississippi River counties deserve the same types of jobs as everywhere
10:23else in the state. Fulton County was approved for $500,000 in state funding
10:28for a $4.1 million project. The funds will support replacement of a conveyor
10:33system and provide related upgrades to the Hickman Fulton County Riverport
10:38Remember, it's right along the Mississippi River. So a river port
10:41provides really significant economic development opportunity. Hickman will
10:47invest $182,000 in the development of a site at the Enterprise Park Clinton.
10:53The project was approved for $91,000 in state support and Hopkins County was
10:59approved for $2 million in state support for a $4 million project. This
11:04is a project in Dawson Springs building a spec building where the tornado
11:08destroyed uh the last spec building that they were trying to get new jobs
11:13into. This is going to be an opportunity for that town again, not
11:17just to rebuild and not just to survive but to truly thrive. I want to
11:22congratulate the three communities that received approval and I look forward to
11:26these investments ultimately resulting in great jobs for our people
11:32along with that. It is small business week here in the commonwealth and I
11:37want to take time to recognize all the small businesses across our state which
11:41are truly the backbone of our economy. We are home to more than 363,000 small
11:48businesses and they make up more than 99% of companies in Kentucky and
11:52employ well over 700,000 of our residents. We simply could not have
11:57achieved our incredible record of economic success without our small
12:01businesses, without new businesses starting, without businesses expanding
12:05and without our businesses continuing to employ people and ultimately push
12:10our families ahead. That's why it's so important that we support these
12:14businesses with cornerstone programs like the Kentucky small business tax
12:18credit, the state trade expansion program and the Kentucky small business
12:23credit initiative. Those are just a few ways that we're helping companies here
12:27in Kentucky to thrive. So to all of our small business leaders and families out
12:32there, thank you. I know you're working hard to provide for your family and
12:37help out other Kentucky families. So Brittany and I always like to support
12:41our small businesses and I think we got a couple photos here. So first this is
12:45cranking boom in Lexington. The ice cream is delicious. The next one is
12:50etcetera coffee house in Paducah that I've been going to for years. Uh Rudy's
12:56on the square in murray is next McKinley's cafe in Shelbyville.
13:05Yes, that's it. We actually went there with the uh deputy secretary of the
13:10Department of Energy, the federal Department of Energy. They make great
13:15sandwiches. Uh mom's kitchen and bakery in cordon
13:19Yeah.
13:21That's a neat lady. It's also a uh it's uh an event space for for for the area
13:28uh making good sense in Bardstown
13:33off the ground coffee house in Lawrenceburg
13:38mulberry and lime in Lexington.
13:41Yeah.
13:48The whistle stop in Glendale
13:54and serendipity candy kitchen in Shelbyville.
14:03And of course a few of our favorites in Frankfort, some pictures and I'm gonna
14:09read another list and I'm gonna be in trouble because I know I will leave
14:12some out and I love all of our businesses here. Andy's artisan bread
14:18because of the great first name uh engine house coffee which is uh pretty
14:22new uh here in Frankfort. That's also how bad I am at selfies.
14:29Uh hoggies ice cream.
14:33That's the kids favorite.
14:35And if you zoom out, yeah, that's that's winning with the pup cup and
14:39Kentucky coffee tree cafe.
14:43Of course, others that we love include beast bakery, poppies, local's pizza,
14:48bourbon on main and so many more. Our small business owners are amazing and
14:53we appreciate them this week and every week. And remember Kentucky small
14:57businesses are the first to hire the last to fire. They care about our
15:03community. They are our friends and our neighbors. So help them out. Make sure
15:07you shop just as much at our small businesses as you do anywhere else.
15:13On monday we also got to take part in a really special event breaking ground on
15:18a new recycling convenient center and transfer station in paris. This is a
15:23special event because it's replacing a trash transfer center in the west side
15:30neighborhood of paris, which is a traditionally african american
15:33neighborhood. For decades, trash trucks have driven down the streets and for a
15:37long time an incinerator would burn anything brought there while kids played
15:42just blocks away. This was an injustice, one that needed to be righted and the
15:49whole town of paris, the whole county bourbon county really came together to
15:56make this happen. I mean this was breaking ground on on a new recycling
16:00center and there were hundreds of people there because it was so much
16:04bigger than just the facility. The goal here in the EPA is working with us to
16:09make the old facility apart. Think about it to go from trash being hauled
16:13through your neighborhood to having that green space, a lot of dignity. I
16:18selected this project to receive over $2 million in funding a year and a half
16:22ago. I presented it, the legislature came along with another 1.5 million in
16:27the current budget. But the moment that I presented that first check, I knew
16:32how important this was because there were three veterans that were there
16:37that accepted it. Albert West, David Downey and William Woodford. I handed
16:42the check to all three and came back monday and they were all there ready to
16:47break ground. Albert West is 101 years old. He served in World War Two and as
16:52a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. He even grabbed a shovel and helped break
16:57ground with us. I talked to each of them for a little while. I told him I wanted
17:01his genetics and he said I couldn't have them because he needed them. Uh but he
17:05told me about his time serving the country and how he lost his parents when
17:09he was nine. And so when he joined the military, it was truly for the three
17:13hots and a cot. As he said, I told them that with their service, we were
17:18working to serve them in return. This was really meaningful to these three.
17:24It's our job to make life better for them. This is true sacrifice. I mean we
17:29have veterans from World War Two, Korea, Vietnam uh and and I mean three
17:35incredible individuals that should have never had to have a trash transfer
17:40station in their neighborhood.
17:43All right. Next we're also recognizing that may is mental health awareness
17:46month and that's that important concept that in Kentucky we recognize that it's
17:51okay to not be okay. We all endure trauma that our minds are not meant to
17:57handle and thankfully now we have more tools to help people when they need it.
18:02One of those that has been incredibly successful is the 988 cross crisis
18:07hotline which offers that number to call as well as text options and an
18:12online chat. This basically means when you are in crisis, you can talk to
18:16someone specifically trained that can help you with what you're facing. You
18:21are not alone there. There are 24 hours a day, 365 days a year or 366 this year
18:28since it is a leap year since launching the service back in july of 2022 988 is
18:34received more than 67,500 calls, 18,500 text messages and over 13,000 online
18:42chats from Kentuckians. Currently calls are being answered within an average of
18:4624 seconds. That is eight seconds less than the national average. What this
18:51means is there are a lot of Kentuckians working really hard along with the
18:57hotline. We passed a number of pieces of legislation. We've we've uh done a
19:02lot from from just the administrative side on on different things we can do
19:06and we've been seeing positive results. Last year mental health America ranked
19:10Kentucky number one in the area of adult mental health and we're seeing
19:15positive outcomes when it helps when when it comes to helping our people
19:19with addiction. We just saw a study this year that showed that we were
19:23number one in the country per capita in drug treatment beds by far. You put all
19:28that together with so much more and it's one of the reasons that in 2022 we
19:33were one of only eight states in the entire country to have a significant
19:37decrease in overdose deaths. We know that this is all tied together and in
19:42the end what we can do is provide every resource possible to help our people
19:47when they're struggling and to be there for them to recognize the golden rule
19:51says we love our neighbor and the parable of good samaritan says everyone
19:56is our neighbor. Even if they're going through active addiction, even if
20:00they said no to help a number of times before, it is our job based on our faith
20:06and values to do everything we can to help our fellow human being. And that's
20:10exactly what the people who are answering the 988 hotline and so many
20:15more are doing. So remember, let's continue to be kind to each other. Let's
20:19do good things and let's recognize that mental health is a real challenge out
20:24there, not just to some people to everyone at some point in time. It is
20:29okay to not be okay. There are people that love and care about you. There's
20:32somebody on the other end of that 988 hotline. Call it if you need it.
20:38All right. And finally, Derby week is in full swing across Kentucky. We're now
20:43just two days away from the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. This
20:48weekend will welcome 150,000 people just on saturday to derby and 18 to 19
20:55million people are normally watching around the world. Truly, the eyes of
20:59the world are on Kentucky. So we have had a pretty big ramp up and want to
21:05recap some of the events leading up to where we are. So the derby season
21:09festivities started at least in frankfort on saturday with our derby
21:13week kickoff. We have thousands of folks visit the capital grounds to
21:18enjoy live music, food crafts and what I believe is the best kazoo parade in
21:23our state's history. Artists and vendors from across Kentucky had their
21:28work on display and people of all ages and were able to enjoy the taste, sound
21:34and art that Kentucky has to offer in Louisville. There have already been a
21:39number of great events. That derby festival is something special. It has
21:43grown over time and the effort that's put in and the tourism dollars that it
21:48brings in are amazing. Uh, the annual balloon race and balloon glow is one of
21:54the big events of the derby festival. And this year we had the new Kentucky
22:00State Parks 100th anniversary hot air balloon in the glow and in the in the
22:06race. It will also be making special appearances at state parks across
22:11Kentucky as we celebrate the 100th birthday of our Kentucky State Parks.
22:17And then yesterday I was able to get back to Churchill Downs to see and
22:20greet so many incredible people from the jockeys, trainers and grooms to the
22:25Churchill Downs staff. These folks are working tirelessly behind the scenes to
22:29make this an incredible derby season. You could feel the excitement while I
22:34was there and getting a chance to see some of the racehorses train was very
22:39special. We were also able to celebrate some historic figures who helped pave
22:43the way for the horse racing industry as we know it. I joined leaders of
22:48Churchill Downs in the Ed Brown Society to sign a proclamation naming April
22:5329th to May 3rd as Ansel Williamson Week in the Commonwealth to recognize
22:59the contributions of black horsemen and thoroughbred racing. The stories of
23:04black horsemen and jockeys have often gone untold. They were the true
23:07pioneers. Most of the early jockeys who won the Kentucky Derby were
23:13african american. Many of the early trainers who won the Kentucky Derby
23:18were african american. But over the years they were pushed out and their
23:22stories have not been told. I'm proud of the Ed Brown Society, the work that
23:26Churchill is putting in and what we are doing to write this historic wrong and
23:31make sure that we bring the right type of acclaim to these individuals, that
23:37we give them their due because it hasn't been given to them in too long
23:40and that we be honest about our history both in who made those initial
23:45contributions and then what happened for far too long in the industry. But
23:49the change that we are now seeing with people committed to doing the right
23:54thing, black horsemen and trainers have been an integral part of the Kentucky
23:58Derby since its inception and their achievements have helped shape the
24:01event into a renowned competition that it is today. And Ansel Williamson is a
24:07great example of this. So Ansel Williamson was born into slavery in
24:10Virginia in 1810. He became a sought after horse trainer and was
24:14instrumental in training african american jockey and then later trainer
24:19Edward Dudley Brown, who the society is named after. Williamson secured his
24:23place in history because he was the trainer of the first Kentucky Derby
24:28winner. Churchill Downs announced that it is honoring Williamson's legacy with
24:34the creation of a new award, the Ansel Williamson leading trainer of the Year
24:38Award. That's going to go to the trainer that wins the most races in any full
24:44meet at Churchill Downs and they're gonna announce it every year at
24:48Champions Day leading up to the Derby. That's that Wednesday. This is going to
24:52be a special moment where um the best trainer from that previous year
24:58receives this award named after that champion trainer that won the first
25:03Derby. Churchill Downs also announced two other new awards, the Oliver Lewis
25:08leading jockey of the Year Award and the H. P. McGrath leading owner of the Year
25:13Award. This again is making sure that every year, not just this year, we
25:18recognize the contributions that african americans made, especially in
25:22our early derbies. The first Derby, the first place, second place and third
25:27place jockeys were all black jockeys. And so now with these awards given each
25:33year, we'll make sure we're telling our history accurately and telling the
25:37story of those that haven't had their stories told in far too long.
25:42And then just when we thought the Derby Day couldn't get any better, we had
25:46possibly the most exciting announcement of this Derby season. And
25:49that's when Winnie picked her Derby horse armed with nothing but a go pro
25:55and her canine instinct when he surveyed the field and made her pick. Let's take
26:01a moment to show behind the scenes footage of Winnie Beshear making her
26:06choice.
26:07Mhm.
26:09Mhm.
26:11Mhm.
26:13Mhm.
26:16Hey everybody, it's Kentucky Derby 1 50. And this year, Brittany and I are
26:22convinced we're going to pick the winner. We've got the most scientific
26:26method that we have ever followed. We're going to let Winnie pick Winnie.
26:32Which one?
26:34Which one? Oh, we're thinking about it. We're thinking if we need more time to
26:38decide over here, keep handicapping.
26:40Okay, keep handicapping. If we choose epic ride, I think we did. When he's
26:47picked for the Kentucky Derby,
26:50epic ride.
26:58So Winnie is not going with the safe pick with a horse that was just added
27:02to the Kentucky Derby. She must think this is the return of rich strike from
27:062022. Um, and so, uh, we're gonna see how Winnie's picks do. Uh, if, if, if,
27:13if epic ride somehow comes in first this year, we may charge for Winnie's
27:17picks next year. So, as I mentioned, we're now just officially two days away
27:21from the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. And we know it's so much more
27:26than just a two minute race beyond the big races, the thoroughbreds and the
27:31bets, the fancy dresses, the hats, the bourbon. We know it's the kindness of
27:35our people that set us apart. So to everyone who is in any part of the
27:42hospitality that is the Kentucky Derby from anybody taking bets at Churchill
27:46Downs to anybody trying to keep it clean during the Derby to to those
27:51working in our hotels that are welcoming so many people to the servers
27:55in our restaurants. Thank you. Thank you for making this one of the most
28:00sought after destinations and events in the world and helping us do it year
28:05after year. What you do this weekend that we put on helps Kentucky in so
28:11many ways. It helps everyone know about us and it helps us tell our special
28:16story now where people are picking us first for the jobs of the future.
28:21You're gonna help continue that story in many ways. We're introducing people
28:26to our new Kentucky home this year, one that is a leader in economic
28:30development, one that has broken every record for private sector investment
28:33for exports, for tourism, one that is setting record lows for things like
28:38unemployment and recidivism. It is a special time to be a Kentucky. So we're
28:43gonna name everybody who's helping out in any way to make the Kentucky Derby
28:47special and to welcome the world in. You are our team Kentucky all stars, not
28:52just today, but through the weekend. And let me just end by saying, I hope
28:57that whether you're going to the track or not, you'll have some fun this
29:01weekend. You deserve it. I mean, we've been through a lot of difficult times
29:05over the past four years and now we're seeing some really good times. But I
29:09get that there's a level of pessimism and sometimes even toxicity that seems
29:14to hover over us and in the country, whether that's social media or or
29:19others, this is a time to enjoy. Do it responsibly, but have fun with your
29:26family. Make a great memory around the Kentucky Derby. I'll put the news aside
29:32for a day or so and just enjoy. I you deserve it. So with that, we'll open it
29:40up for questions because I'm trying to get through this thing in record time.
29:44First, we'll start with our journalist in person. Tom Latek.
29:51I got to the first one is
29:54given what happened and I believe this was your first economic development
29:57trip. Yes. Uh, do you have any more planned here in the near future? That's
30:02number one. And second, we don't have winnings tickets. So we're very
30:07successful economic development trip to Germany and Switzerland. It was my
30:11first. We would have been on more, but we've had pandemics, tornadoes, floods,
30:16more tornadoes, ice storms, polar plunges. Um, we do have another one we
30:21are working on, and that is to Japan and South Korea. Japan is one where
30:27Kentucky governors routinely and do need to routinely go. They are our
30:31largest foreign direct investor, and I look forward to thanking the companies
30:37that have invested in us. Of course, Korea is is really growing in the
30:41investments they've made. S. K. On being half of the biggest investment that
30:45we've ever seen in the Blue Oval S. K. Park, as well as in fact, for instance,
30:49that's expanding and in Campbellsville. Winnie has picked epic ride for for her
30:55derby choice. I'm leaning right now towards Sierra Leone. Uh, that's a
31:00Coolmore horse. Um, Charlie O'Connor, who runs that farm and is on our horse
31:04racing commission, uh, is a good friend. But I'm also really excited
31:07about Wayne Lucas having a horse back in the field. I've told this story a
31:11couple times, but when I was 38 years old running for attorney general, um,
31:16he was cinching up a derby horse right before the race. He's talking toe to my
31:20parents. They've known each other for a long time and about to run the derby
31:25turns to me and says, Good luck with your race. I just thought that was
31:28really kind thing to do before a big moment that he didn't have to do. So
31:32I'm a big fan of of of his. Okay. Uh, three journalists on the line. We'll
31:38start with Karen czar.
31:42Good afternoon. Thank you, Governor. Governor. We often see an uptick in
31:46human trafficking during derby week. It's something that you have taken, uh,
31:51into focus since before you were governor. Can you talk about concerns,
31:56improvements we've seen over the years and what people need to be aware of
31:59then? On a lighter note, can you guarantee that no treats were added to
32:04any of the tennis balls when he selected? Want to make sure it was a
32:08fair draw.
32:10It was a fair draw for for winning. Uh, no treats, peanut butter, cookies or
32:16anything were added to the choices. Now we did use cookies to get her outside,
32:21but then it was it was all on on her. Uh, and on the serious note, any large
32:28sporting event sadly draws human trafficking from the Superbowl to to a
32:35big car race to the Kentucky Derby. Thankfully, we have worked now for years,
32:41certainly in my four years as attorney general, continuing as governor for
32:45continued education, especially in our airports and our hospitality sector.
32:51I've told the story before about how the first human trafficking survivor
32:57that we rescued when I was attorney general was because a hotel clerk
33:00noticed something strange and made a call. You know, in the past, they've put
33:04out here some signs to look for. Now they're the experts are saying there
33:09isn't any one specific sign. But here's what you need to do. If you see
33:13something that is off and you can feel that it's off and when you're looking
33:18at it, you know that something's wrong. Make a call. Now, if everything's okay,
33:24then no worries. But not making the call might be the difference and
33:31someone continuing to be abused on a daily basis and them finding safety.
33:38Remember, especially with Children, it is not just our moral obligation, but
33:43you have a legal obligation to report child abuse, which certainly human
33:46trafficking is. And so be on the lookout. We don't want what is our big
33:51weekend to show everything great about us to the world marred by people
33:56being hurt and taken advantage of and abused in terrible ways. So let's show
34:02our team Kentucky values, our faith and our values by making sure we're
34:07protecting folks out there. And on a somewhat lighter note, just watch out
34:12for people that are celebrating a whole lot during Derby. It's not too hard to
34:16call, uh, a cab or an uber or a lift for someone that needs it. Let's just
34:22all watch out for each other this weekend. Make sure everybody gets home
34:26safely. Uh, Sarah Michaels.
34:31Good afternoon, Governor. Uh, two questions. First of all, Attorney
34:35General Russell Coleman is leading a multi state lawsuit against the
34:39Department of Education over updated Title nine rules that would add gender
34:45identity to the definition of sex discrimination. What are your thoughts
34:49on that? And another thing? Um, the Supreme Court is deciding on grants
34:53pass the Johnson, which could have impacts on the safer Kentucky Act. What
34:59are your thoughts on that as well?
35:01Here. Ask me that second question again, if you will, Sarah.
35:05Yes. The Supreme Court is deciding in the Oregon case about homelessness,
35:10and that could have an impact on Kentucky's safe Kentucky Act. So what
35:14are your thoughts on that? Well, I appreciate that. I need I need to read
35:18about it. Um, I need to see what that case is and what the arguments are. Let
35:23me I'll again say, though, the safer Kentucky Act had some pieces in it that
35:28I was very supportive of that should have been their own bills. Um, because
35:33of that act,
35:36families, friends of people that are murdered won't have to watch the weapon
35:41that murdered their friend or family member be auctioned off to the highest
35:45bidder ever again. And that's a really good change. But as I looked at the
35:51safer Kentucky Act, I heard my minister in my ear and so many others that talked
35:55to me and what they said. And it was right is, you know, if our savior
36:00returned, where do we think he would be? Who do we think he'd be helping? And
36:04should we criminalize the folks that are homeless right now? I just want to
36:10make sure we never treat an abandoned car better than we treat a car with a
36:15person living in it. That doesn't mean that there aren't some things we ought
36:19to do better. And it doesn't mean I have a solution to homelessness. It is way
36:23too complicated for that. But the idea that we would throw homeless
36:29individuals that are not being aggressive or breaking the law into
36:32jail simply
36:33for being there in that place in their life is not the answer. It's it's it's
36:41it's not. And it's wrong. Uh, and now now I forgot the first question. Can
36:48you can you do that one again, Sarah? Sorry. Oh, yes. It was on Attorney
36:53General Coleman's lawsuit against the Department of Education being being a
36:58former attorney general and a lawyer. I do want to read the lawsuit. But but
37:03let me just say we're spending a lot of time with nasty rhetoric towards other
37:10Children of God, right? Our lgbtq plus population are our kids and our friends
37:17and our neighbors. They deserve dignity and inclusion. And while I don't know
37:23exactly what the change in the laws being challenged are, I hope the way
37:30that General Coleman or anybody else will go about this is not fear
37:34mongering and isn't attacking
37:38our people. He's lgbtq. Kentuckians are Kentuckians, just like every other one
37:45of us. And they deserve the same dignity and respect. They deserve to be
37:49seen for who they are. And and I again, I just want individuals who feel
37:55attacked by this to know that somebody here in Frankfurt cares about you on
38:01and we will do our best to make sure that this commonwealth is accepting for
38:06everyone. And you certainly have a place in it, and we care about you
38:11with that Austin Horn.
38:12Thank you, Governor. I've got a couple environment related questions. I was
38:23wondering how you feel about the $3 million I believe allocated to the A. G.
38:29S. Office to fight EPA rules. And then on that note, last week, you probably
38:36saw there was a series of regulations from the EPA intended to camp down on
38:43climate pollution, particularly as it relates to coal and new natural gas
38:49powered plants. Eso is wondering your kind of position on those regulations.
38:56Well, on on the first piece, the dollars going to the A. G. S. Office
39:00would have gone there one way or another. Having served in that position,
39:05what that will do is that will cover their expert witnesses where they
39:09could have applied for a necessary governmental expense without, uh, the
39:13specific appropriation. And so I don't mean to lessen the fact that the that
39:19the Legislature made that appropriation, but but it would have turned out, uh,
39:24the same in the way that their office operates. And the fact that whether it's
39:28this or other things, there's never even close to the dollars required for
39:33expert witnesses allocated to that office. Now, what matters is how the
39:40attorney general goes about it. You know, there there are my belief, and it
39:46puts both of these questions together is that we have to balance meeting our
39:53current and our future, uh, power needs with with ultimately getting to a
40:00cleaner planet. Uh, certainly right now we have so many power needs, and
40:09we're about to have huge facilities come online. And while they want as
40:12much green energy as they can, the number one thing is the lights can't
40:16go off. And so we face a math equation right now where where we need every
40:23existing, uh, means of production to meet the needs that are coming online
40:29right now. That doesn't mean we can't look at future production because we're
40:32gonna need more and ultimately, uh, broadening our energy portfolio. We need
40:38more green energy production in Kentucky. There's no question. And I
40:44say that because the private sector is demanding. Every company I talked to
40:48says we want X percent of our energy portfolio to be green by this certain
40:53upcoming date need to be renewable or or other. And it's actually there's
40:58some interesting nuance on how nuclear does or does not fall into that, given
41:02some federal definitions and and some rules. Um, so, you know, this this can't
41:08just be, um, uh, A. G. S being pro or anti Biden or or pro or anti EPA. Our
41:17policy has to work, and both sides should should see that our policy has
41:22to keep the lights on and support all these great new jobs that are coming in,
41:27but also recognize that climate change is real. And as we create new, um,
41:33energy means of production, we ought to want as many types as we can. And let
41:39me just say this. Uh, I talk with other governors regularly, uh, and and other
41:45republic and and and Republican governors regularly, and they are seeing
41:49huge investments in green energy in their states, and they're not fighting
41:54it. Yes, they're trying to keep their current means of production on, but
41:58they're welcoming solar and wind and so many others to be and to stay
42:03competitive. We've got to make sure that we expand our renewables in
42:08Kentucky. Um, but I'll end the way I started. We have to make sure in the
42:13next couple of years, especially that we can meet the needs that are coming
42:18here right now. All right. Happy Derby, everyone. Oaks is tomorrow. Derby is the
42:26next day. And like I said a little bit before, have fun. Enjoy yourself this
42:31weekend. Do it responsibly. But you deserve to have some good memories with
42:36your family. My kids are coming with Brittany and I to Derby again this year.
42:40I am really excited about it. If you see pictures and will looks taller than
42:45me, it is an optical illusion that cannot be true. Eso we look forward to
42:50seeing all the Kentucky ins out of the track. I'll do my best when presenting
42:55that trophy to talk Kentucky up, and I promise not to drop that trophy. Thank
43:01you all.