Kentucky lawmaker punished for pension opposition, she says

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – A Republican state senator in Kentucky says GOP leaders are punishing her for her opposition to a proposal that would overhaul the state’s woefully underfunded pension system.

Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr sponsored a bill that would require pharmacists to tell patients the importance of destroying unused prescription opioids. The bill was headed for a vote Tuesday, but GOP leaders pulled it from the schedule. Kerr wrote on Facebook it was in retaliation for her opposition to a bill that would temporarily cut benefits for retired teachers while pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the system.

Senate Republican leadership spokesman John Cox said the bill had a technical issue and was sent back to committee. He said it could be voted on next week.