Winter storm puts Kentucky General Assembly on hold

(The Center Square) – Kentucky’s lawmakers won’t return to Frankfort as scheduled Tuesday due to Winter Storm Uri.

Leaders from the General Assembly actually announced Sunday they would postpone the legislative session in order to keep members off highways Monday while snow, sleet and ice pelted most of the commonwealth.

For now, the session is set to resume Wednesday.

Tuesday was supposed to be the deadline for filing bills in the 30-day session. However, because of the weather, lawmakers now may post legislation until Thursday.

The postponement will not change when the session ends. That must happen by March 30 in odd-year sessions.

Gov. Andy Beshear closed executive branch state offices at 1 p.m. on Monday, with an exception for essential service workers. Early Tuesday morning, the governor announced state offices would remain closed Tuesday, and state employees able to work from home should report as directed by their agency officials.

Nearly 150,000 residents in central and eastern Kentucky remain without power as of early Tuesday.

“Transportation crews have been and will continue to aggressively treat roads as well as respond to downed trees while our emergency management teams and Kentucky National Guard soldiers continue to respond,” Beshear said in a statement Tuesday. “To help those on the front lines and to prevent incidents, we need every Kentuckian who can to stay home and off these hazardous roads.”

Few departing commercial flights out of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday morning. However, on Monday afternoon UPS announced Worldport, the company’s global air hub located at the airport, would suspend incoming domestic flights to the facility for the first time in its history.

Uri was the second winter storm to wreak havoc on the state in as many weeks, and according to forecasters, the state is likely to receive more by Wednesday evening.

Even as road crews work to clear roads, Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said travel will be hazardous.

“What we’re facing is three winter storms in eight days,” Gray said in a statement Monday. “This next round of winter weather will bring varying conditions across the state.”

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