Lack of agreement on budget

precedes 10 day veto adjournment

The past week of the General Assembly was fast-paced on the days we met as the time of the 2016 Regular Session rapidly drew to a close. Many bills found approval as they made their way through the process at the last minute. Unfortunately, and much to my displeasure, the executive branch budget was not one of those.

After the House and Senate passed different versions of the executive branch budget bill, a conference committee was appointed to attempt to come to an agreement.

As the House Republican Floor Leader, I served on that committee, as well as other members of House and Senate leadership and the chairmen of the Appropriations and Revenue committees in the respective chambers. The conference committee met for many hours over the course of several days. There was much discussion and the session calendar was even adjusted to give us more time to work towards a bill that could pass both chambers.

Unfortunately, on Thursday it was determined that we were at an impasse and negotiations were suspended.

I am frustrated that an agreement on the budget was not reached. This is the sole responsibility assigned to the General Assembly. The majority of the conference committee came to the table willing to fulfill our duty, yet House Democrat leadership drew lines in the sand which made reaching an agreement all but impossible.

As I’ve said in this space before, I believe Governor Bevin submitted a very good budget proposal back in January. There were some difficult decisions related to spending cuts that he had to make, but they were appropriate given our current and projected levels of revenue. I, along with other House Republicans, did make some suggested additions to that budget, including fiscally responsible ways to make our public pension systems solvent. Unfortunately, House Democrat leadership would not let those proposals be considered.

It is bothersome to see political games being played with the budget, when it affects the lives of so many Kentuckians. Nearly all state agencies, including the Kentucky State Police, public schools and Medicaid depend upon the executive branch budget for their funding. To put these and other vital government services in a state of limbo as they try to determine their funding solely for political talking points is nothing more than repugnant.

As you read this, the General Assembly is adjourned for a ten day veto period and we will reconvene on Tuesday, April 12th for the 60th and final day of this year’s session. While I am not optimistic, I still hope that we might be able to reach a compromise and enact a budget.

While the budget dominated this past week, several other important bills did pass both chambers and have been sent to Governor Bevin for his signature. Among those were:

House Bill 309 is commonly referred to as the P3 bill. This legislation authorizes public-private partnerships for major infrastructure projects in Kentucky. The legislation will provide a framework for the use of these partnerships as an alternative financing method for major state and local public projects, as well as transportation projects. P3s have been successful in other states and I look forward to seeing them utilized here as well.

House Bill 100, which I sponsored, will provide assistance to parents of children with autism. The bill requires health benefit plans that cover benefits for autism treatment to provide a liaison to the insured to facilitate communication between the insured and the insurer.

House Bill 428 provides law enforcement more tools to combat dog-fighting within our borders. The bill would make it a Class D felony to intentionally possess, breed, or sell dogs for the purpose of fighting. The language was carefully crafted as to not apply to activities involving dogs that guard livestock, or are hunting or service dogs.

As the session ends, I will update you on other bills that have made it through the process. I continue to be honored to serve the people of Clinton, Cumberland, Russell, and Pulaski counties and greatly appreciate all the messages I have received from you over the course of this session.

If you would like to stay up-to-date on all legislative action of interest to you during this session of the Kentucky General Assembly, you can visit www.lrc.ky.gov or call the LRC toll-free Bill Status Line at (866) 840-2835. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments. You can send me a message either at jeff.hoover@lrc.ky.gov or by calling (800) 372-7181.