Legislative update: House majority’s road budget is a work of fiction

By DAVID FLOYD
50th State Representative

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 – Wednesday, March 26, 2014 — This is the last full week of the 2014 regular session, and Senator Higdon and I will be at this year’s final Coffee with Dave at Culver’s “Country Kwik Mart” in Culvertown 9 a.m. this Saturday. Drive south on US31E until just before the intersection of KY 247, Monks Road. We hope to see you there.

It’s always fun to watch as the two-year State Highway funding plan develops. It’s almost like reading a good book. This year, we’re using HB 237. Just like the Big Budget (for all general fund spending) the Road Budget originates in the governor’s office.

So the governor comes out with the initial plan, allocating money for road and bridge projects all over the state. Almost all of these projects have been previously analyzed and are just waiting for money to get started.

I was real happy with the governor’s plan; but who wouldn’t be? Santa Claus granted everything on our wish-list! Alas, Santa doesn’t pay for it – taxpayers do. And the governor’s plan programmed $1.2 billion more than we had in our Christmas budget.

The House majority took his plan and scaled it back to within budget (although they also included a gas tax increase). Then they stripped almost all funding out of every district of every minority member and sent the bill to the House floor for a vote (they have a real plan sitting in their office, waiting for the fiction to end and reality to begin).

I’ve said that the House majority plan is fiction, and here is one example that perfectly illustrates this. Leaders in Bardstown and Nelson County have been trying to stay ahead of the traffic problems we have from the intersection of KY 245 and KY 62 on out to US 150, Springfield Road. We all worked together (with the governor) to get $15 million in FY 2014 funding to widen it to five lanes. On the day that the House majority “deleted” funding for that project, a contract for completion was sitting on the desk of a local contractor. And on the day HB 237 arrived in the state Senate, the Transportation Cabinet sent out a press release that the contract was awarded and construction would begin. Work started Monday.

Since the Democratic majority controls the House, HB 237 was approved. House majority leadership knows that, at the end of the session, we’ll have a realistic road plan that more closely matches the needs of the whole state. So why do they write this fiction, pulling most every project away from minority districts and giving it to majority districts? It’s partly for intimidation of minority members, but mostly it’s so that their members can boast over the weekend about how much road money is coming to their district. And then when the inevitable revision is in place, they can complain about how the Senate majority took money away from their constituents.

The Senate can’t play the same game, because time is so short. They’ll pass a pretty good road plan as soon as possible. Sure, they’ll play a few games too, but they don’t have the luxury of pure political fiction employed by the House majority.

After the Senate passes their version the House will “not concur,” and we go to a conference committee to iron-out the differences. The majority members of both chambers will work together and come up with something that more accurately reflects statewide priorities, and both chambers will vote to pass it into law.

We should be grateful for having such a competent advocate in the person of Sen. Jimmy Higdon. He works closely with local leaders to ensure that Nelson County priorities are as fully satisfied as possible. The team we have in place works, especially when we all come together for the common good.

Jimmy also takes time every Saturday during sessions to come to a Coffee with Dave somewhere in Nelson County. Since the best part of our jobs is hearing from you, please come this Saturday morning to Culvertown, even if you just want to say hi.

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