Members of the Kentucky House and Senate met in Frankfort this week to
finalize work on several budget bills, including a one-year budget that
guides the state’s spending for the fiscal year beginning on July 1.
To conduct legislative business while following recommendations from
public health officials to slow the spread of the coronavirus and
COVID-19, the House made additional changes to the steps taken in early
March. This week, we implemented a new procedure that allows us to vote
from anywhere on the Capitol grounds. Doing so limited the number of
individuals on the House Floor while still ensuring that we could cast
votes on behalf of our constituents. While a legislative first, these
actions reflect House Majority Leadership’s intent to preserve each
district’s right to participate in the budget process.
In addition to how we voted, this pandemic also affected what we voted
on. Under normal circumstances, our state budget is crafted to cover two
fiscal years. But with the uncertainties of the state's economy, we
opted for a one-year budget that will allow us to take another look next
session when we have more information about how COVID-19 impacts both
our revenue and our needs. The approved budget plan includes $11.4
billion in funding for state agencies and programs, including public
education, Medicaid, and programs aimed at lessening the spread of
COVID-19 throughout this commonwealth.
Much like our daily lives, the budget we sent to the Governor is a
departure from the version approved by the House before the COVID-19
pandemic. At that time, we were able to make great strides in funding
for education, additional social worker positions, and raises for
educators, school and state employees.The version of HB 352 we passed
this week is much more austere and based on a pessimistic expectation of
our revenue forecast. While always important, it became even more
critical that we invest every dollar of our budget in areas that move
this state forward.
The approved version of HB 352 keeps funding flat for many areas of
state government, including the SEEK, or per-pupil,allocation for
Kentucky’s public schools, which is the state’s main funding formula
for K-12 schools. The version passed by the House had increased that
SEEK spending to record levels for the second budget in a row. It also
does not include an allocation for any public employee pay raises.
It was a fight to be able to accomplish what we did, including funding
the first phase of the School Safety Act and fully funding the
actuarially required contributions to the Kentucky Retirement System and
the Kentucky Teacher’s Retirement System, as well as fully funding the
teacher’s health insurance commitment. It also continues the freeze on
pension contribution rates for quasi-governmental agencies, which
include regional universities, local health departments, and domestic
violence shelters across the state.
In addition to the executive branch budget, legislators also approved
an updated version of the judicial branch budget, transportation road
plan, and transportation cabinet budget. All bills have been sent to
Governor Beshear for his consideration. The Governor has ten days to
issue any vetoes he may wish to make, and we are scheduled to return on
April 13 to consider overriding vetoes he might issue.
We’re going to work with what we have and do what needs to be done as
we face COVID-19. But make no mistake, while our short term priorities
have changed, our long term commitment to Kentucky and its people
remains the same.
As we finished session for the week, I am reflecting on all the work
done by the General Assembly to fulfill our constitutional
responsibility and moral obligation to our state. We worked through
trying times to negotiate a budget that serves the state’s needs while
being accountable to taxpayers. Now, we begin preparing for next session
and how we can help our people and our state recover from COVID-19.
The General Assembly will continue working to help move Kentucky
forward through this crisis. I can be reached through the toll-free
message line if you have any comments or questions, call 1-800-372-7181.
You can also contact me via e-mail at Chris.Freeland@lrc.ky.gov. You can
also keep track through the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at
legislature.ky.gov.
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