The Kentucky Senate voted 24 to seven Thursday in favor of its version of a two year budget. Now leaders from both the House and Senate will work to forge a spending plan to send to the Governor.
The general assembly adjourned until next Thursday. Senate President Robert Stivers told members the plan is for all to return April first for a final budget vote. The Clay County lawmaker has rejected the idea of postponing action for months because of coronavirus activity. “We’re doing what we were constitutionally mandated to in the time frames we are given by the constitution,” said Stivers.
Stivers said the president and congress are carrying on with work. Senate Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey said Washington officials are meeting with a primary focus on the new disease, and he believes Kentucky’s budget should reflect that. “This budget needs to be about health. It needs to be about healthcare. It’s needs to be about people being safe, especially in the short term,” noted McGarvey.
Senate Budget Committee Chair Chris McDaniel said the Senate budget contains more funding for public schools and higher education than the governor’s plan. The budget language allows for reducing funding to the teachers retirement fund by more than a billion dollars if structural changes to the pension plan for new hires are not made. Senators voting against the budget cited that provision and what they feel is insufficient funding of health departments as primary concerns. Now leaders from both chambers will meet to work out a compromise plan before a final budget vote.?
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle agreed there’s a good chance legislators will likely need to meet in special session to make budget adjustments, due to an expected drop in tax revenues.
