The Chatter: C-J finds media appearances pay; Legislator to try again for term limits; and more

Legislative expense records show when some Kentucky lawmakers do interviews with the media they get paid for a day’s work. That’s what the Courier-Journal’s Tom Loftus reported today.

Leaders in the legislature such as House Speaker Greg Stumbo get paid $235 each day they work plus expenses. Rank-and-file lawmakers earn less than that.

Stumbo and 10 other lawmakers received reimbursements for media appearances — on programs like Pure Politics, KET’s Kentucky Tonight and Sue Wylie’s Lexington radio and even interviews with the Courier-Journal itself. They say they are representing the General Assembly in those interviews.

Louisville Representative pushes for term limits
Rep. Mike Nemes, R-Louisville, said he will again push for term limits in both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly if he’s re-elected to the 38th House District in November.

But Nemes said he would not put voluntary term limits on himself. Here’s what Nemes told political reporter Nick Storm about it:

Nemes has previously pushed term limit legislation, which Pure Politics reported on in February.

Nemes faces Democratic challenger Denny Butler in the Nov. 6 election.

Senator Rand Paul introduces new legislation dealing with Medicare
U.S. Senator Rand Paul is looking to prevent his fellow physicians from suffering pay cuts from the federal government.

He says looming cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates could deter doctors from serving Medicare patients, which he says could cause the quality of care for seniors to decrease. His Access to Physicians in Medicare Act, which he introduced Monday, would revamp the the reimbursement system to avoid Medicare cuts and the legislation would be paid for by blocking the expansion of Medicaid — which serves poor and disabled Kentuckians — in the Affordable Care Act.

This is not the first time Paul has spoken out against Medicare reimbursement cuts despite his calls for spending reductions in other parts of government. Paul has said since his 2010 run for U.S. Senate that too many cuts in doctors’ Medicare pay will prompt them to turn down Medicare patients.

Paul specifically cites Medicare cuts scheduled for 2013 as part of the Affordable Care Act also known as “Obamacare”.