House update: General Assembly OKs compromise state budget

Wednesday, April 2, 2014 – This past weekend was a great one for Kentucky, with two of our teams in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, one advancing to the Final Four. Oh, and we have a budget agreement. The budget was finalized after a Saturday all-nighter that didn’t end until around 5:30 on Sunday morning.

On Monday night we passed the final budget bills and sent them to Governor Beshear. We recessed until April 14th, when we reconvene to consider any gubernatorial vetoes of all or portions of the budget (or any other bill.)

By next week, I should also have full details of the road plan for projects in Nelson County for the next two years.

While there were several differences between the Senate and House on these bills, the most glaring were raising taxes and increasing debt. The Senate budget and road plans removed the gas tax increase that the House majority pushed through. The Senate also reduced the amount of debt in the proposed budget, bringing our debt ratio to around the current level.

In our original bill the House majority leadership wanted to put another billion in new debt in the budget bill, and I voted ‘no’ because I didn’t want to put this additional burden on generations of Kentuckians to come.

But Monday night in the compromise budget bill, I voted yes. First, we cut the debt ratio to roughly the current level. We included more funding for K-12 education, raises for teachers and state employees, and we fully funded the pensions for state employees and the teacher’s retirement fund. As a bonus, we also agreed to sweep any excess funds from SEEK into the KTRS (teacher’s retirement fund.)

Last week, while discussions continued on the budget bill and road plan, the House was busy passing several bills and sending them on to Governor Beshear’s desk as we approach the end of the session. The most puzzling (and frustrating) issue was how to deal with granting local schools relief from the number of snow days missed this year. We finally reached a compromise and passed House Bill 211, which allows most school systems to dismiss on June 6th based in part on the number of days missed due to winter weather.

I’ve thought that I no longer had to carry an auto insurance card because the information was available electronically to any police officer who might pull me over. One bill the Governor signed into law last week was House Bill 218, which provided clarification on how this should work. I’m still going to carry mine in my truck.

The House gave final passage last week on a bill designed to help those who deal with Epileptic seizures. Senate Bill 124 grants approval for a trial study on the use of cannabis oil to treat patients with seizures and related ailments. This is not “medical marijuana.” There is no pot in there, no “high” to be had by using cannabis oil. It’s a prescribed medical treatment, and now it will be available in Kentucky.

We still have several Korean War veterans in Nelson County, and legislation designed to honor and remember those who fought during ‘The Forgotten War’ was sent to the governor for his signature. HB 234 designates July 27th as Korean War Armistice Day annually in Kentucky.

As the final days wind down more bills will go back and forth between the House and Senate. We will also pass a provision that gives relief to distilleries for the ad valorem tax on stored whiskey barrels, but we don’t touch the funding relied upon by local schools and local governments.

The best part of my job is hearing from you, even when we aren’t in session. Call me at home, or leave a message in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181.

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