Records show firm with Beshear ties won last-day contract

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Records have revealed that on its last day in office, Kentucky’s Steve Beshear administration awarded a no-bid contract of about $3 million to a technology company that retains the husband of one of Beshear’s top officials as a consultant and employs one of Beshear’s former officials as a lobbyist.

Citing records it obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act, The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/1VEgFo3 ) reports that on Dec. 7 the administration awarded a contract to SAS Institute of Cary, North Carolina to extend work that SAS was doing in analyzing data to detect fraud in billings made to Medicaid and other state programs.

The husband of Beshear’s executive cabinet secretary, Mary Lassiter, has been a consultant for SAS Institute since 2012. Frank Lassiter says he didn’t make any additional fees because of the contract.

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Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.