Kenny Colston

A Louisville businessman exploring a Republican primary against U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is setting up meetings with Tea Party groups in Central Kentucky.

David Adams, a tea party activist from central Kentucky, said he's planning to meet with Bevin next week in Lexington with other activists to familiarize themselves with Matt Bevin, the possible Republican Senate candidate and a Louisvillian who runs the Connecticut-based Bevin Brothers Manufacturing.

"We're looking for general agreement on issues and then as time permits, try to get more specific on that agreement or disagreement, judging how viable a candidacy might be," Adams said.

Bevin's supporters  reached out to Adams for the meeting.

State leaders are still working to find solutions to the Kentucky's troubled pension system —but he's not promising a deal the time the General Assembly regular session ends next week, Gov. Steve Beshear said on Monday.

Beshear has mediated sessions between House and Senate leadership on reforming the pension systems and how to fund them, after the chambers came to an impasse on the issue.

Those conversations have continued since the General Assembly adjourned last week for the veto period, but Beshear said he can't predict whether legislators will strike a deal before the 2013 session ends.

"One can never predict what will happen in the end, particularly in a legislative session but I feel good about where we are right now," Beshear said.

If lawmakers can't reach a deal, a special session to deal with the issue is likely.

After five years of advocacy, supporters of raising Kentucky's dropout age to 18  celebrated Monday as Gov. Steve Beshear signed the bill into law.

Flanked by House and Senate lawmakers—as well as First Lady Jane Beshear—the governor officially signed the law in a ceremony in his conference room. The bill would make raising the dropout age voluntarily for school districts until 55 percent of all districts made the change. Then it would become mandatory statewide. The legislation is a compromise reached by lawmakers  in the 2013 General Assembly session.

Jane Beshear says the fact the five year fight on the issue is over is monumental for education in the Commonwealth.

"And I can't say it's a small step, it's a huge step," she said.

Governor Steve Beshear has one week to veto a controversial law protecting religious freedom or else it will become law.

On the federal level, if a bill isn't signed by the President within a certain period of time, it's thrown out in a process called the pocket veto.

But in Kentucky, the process is reversed. The governor has 10 days to sign a bill into law. But if he doesn't sign or veto in that time, it becomes law anyway.

Consider it a pocket law. The legislation in question is the so-called Religious Freedom bill, which allows Kentuckians to bypass laws they saw interfere with their religious beliefs. Opponents say it would overturn Fairness laws in cities across the commonwealth, and have lobbied the governor to act.

But the governor hasn't hinted at what he'll do with the bill.

With only two days left in the legislative session, Tea Party activists are encouraging Kentucky Senators to not confirm Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark. 

So far, the Senate has approved all of Governor Steve Beshear's appointments except Clark. Many activists are upset with her role in implementing the Affordable Care Act in Kentucky and they hope to send a message to the governor by blocking her nomination.

A Senate spokeswoman says whether lawmakers will consider the nomination when they return from recess later this month is still “to be determined.” David Adams is the lead activist calling for the rejection of  Clark.

"We have to send a signal that this is a problem, this is unacceptable and must be dealt with swiftly and surely," says Adams.

Both the Department of Insurance and the Governor's Office declined to comment.