Kentucky lawmakers return to Frankfort later this morning to act on remaining bills including a possible vote on a two year spending plan. Legislators from the House and Senate have been trying to reach consensus on the biennial budget.
When this discussion between House and Senate conferees began over a week ago there were some significant differences. The House plan included calls for a 50 cent cigarette tax and a 25 cent levy on prescription opioids at the distribution level. The senate backed plan didn’t include any tax increases.
The dynamics have changed with a legislatively approved pension measure. Senate President Robert Stivers says the need for additional revenue is real. “There is no way that we can complete this task and look into future year budgets without doing something to increase our revenues,” said Stivers.
Stivers says some members had proposed expanding the tax base or changing the tax code to encourage business growth.