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Updated April 16, 2008
Some releases have related photos available.
April 16, 2008
FRANKFORT -- State lawmakers have adjourned "sine die," bringing the Kentucky General Assembly's 2008 session to a close. Over the course of this year's 60-day legislative session, lawmakers considered more than 1,000 bills. More than 150 of those bills were approved and sent to the governor, including the budget bill that will guide state spending over the next two years. A sampling of some of the legislation approved during this year's session follows: Adventure Tourism. Senate Bill 196 will boost the
state's adventure tourism industry by allowing the state to enter into agreements with
private property owners for the use of their land for recreational activities. The
agreements would allow property owners to permit public use of the land without facing the
liability issues they otherwise would. Agriculture. SB 242 will establish a training fund
to improve, promote, protect and support Alcohol vaporizers. House Bill 202 will ban the
sale, purchase or use of alcohol vaporizing devices, which can be used to inhale
intoxicating fumes of alcohol. Alternative teacher certification. SB 64 will
create incentives to help train those with math and science degrees who want to become
certified to teach, as well as help teachers in other fields become re-certified in math
and science. Amusement park safety. SB 203 will require more
frequent inspections of amusement park rides and prevent anyone under 18 from operating
the rides. Animal cruelty. SB 58 will increase penalties for
those who torture dogs or cats. Causing physical injury to a dog or cat as a result of
torture would be a Class A misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail, while causing
serious physical injury or death would be a Class D felony punishable by 1-5 years in
prison. Currently, all torture cases involving a dog or cat are Class A misdemeanors for a first offense. Blood donations. HB 139 will allow 16-year-olds
who weigh at least 110 pounds to donate blood with written parental or legal guardian
consent. The bill was crafted to help address blood shortages. Booster Seats. SB 120 will require young children who are too big
for infant car seats to be placed in booster seats when riding in vehicles. The bill
states that children under 7 years old and between 40-50 inches tall must use the
boosters. Bullying. HB 91 will require the state Department of Education
to craft discipline guidelines. The bill will also require local school authorities to
alert law enforcement when school harassment involves a potential felony. Yearly reports
on school harassment will be made to the Department of Education and the Legislature. Cancer. SB 98 will provide Medicaid coverage for breast and
cervical cancer treatments for uninsured women. SB 96 will require insurers to cover
colorectal cancer screenings, in accordance with guidelines of the American Cancer
Society. Clean waterways. HB 717 will create watershed
authorities to restore and improve streams around the Commonwealth. The authorities will
select cleanup projects and will help leverage more money for these efforts through
various grants and programs. Criminal
justice. HB 683 allows the state Parole Board to review the cases of Class C felons
without a hearing, allows for GPS tracking technology for home incarceration cases, and
mandates DNA collection from all felons as well as violent juvenile offenders. Early voting. HB 479 will give citizens greater
access to the voting process by allowing them to request absentee ballot applications via
email. The bill also allows members of the military to return unused absentee ballots and
still be allowed to vote on Election Day. Elections. HB 370 will erase the requirement that runoff
elections be held in gubernatorial primary races if no candidate receives at least 40
percent of the vote. Energy consumption. HB 2 creates incentives for
homeowners to use solar and wind energy, and to use other energy-efficient lights,
windows, and insulation. The bill also requires state government and local schools to
build and lease energy-efficient buildings, and establishes a low-interest loan program to
help businesses and public agencies become more energy efficient. Gas
theft. SB 136 will give gas station operators a way to collect payments from people
who drive off without paying for fuel. The bill outlines specific civil liability and
related procedures for financial recovery after fuel theft without immediately going to
court. Holocaust education. House Joint Resolution 6 will
require the Department of Education to develop a curriculum guide for schools that may be
used to teach about the Holocaust as example of genocide. Math and science incentives. SB
2 will offer incentives to increase the number of students taking advanced math and
science courses in Merit
scholarships. SB 75 will allow students with 2.5 GPAs who are on track to graduate
from college to keep their full KEES scholarship money each semester. Currently, students
with GPAs above 2.5 but below 3.0 only receive half their award. Military. HB 168 will allow active duty military serving
outside the state up to 90 days to renew their driver's licenses after returning to Penal code. Senate Joint Resolution 80 calls for a legislative
subcommittee to undertake a review of the state penal code. The legislation would require
the Legislature's Judiciary Committee to appoint a Penal Code Study Subcommittee, upon
approval of General Assembly leadership. The subcommittee would be responsible for
thoroughly reviewing the state's penal code and finding ways to redraft and modernize it. Sex offenders. HB 211 will broaden Trauma
care. HB 371 seeks to create a statewide trauma care program in the Department of
public health. The bill also establishes an advisory commission and registry of trauma
incidents. Water
and sewer projects. HB 608 contains line-item water and sewer projects for coal and
non-coal counties in
This week in
FRANKFORT
-- Short on days but long on hours and drama, this legislative week saw final passage late
Wednesday of a two-year state budget that ameliorated some of the deepest cuts proposed by
Gov. Steve Beshear, but did so without the Legislature passing either a tobacco-tax
increase or approving a constitutional referendum on casino gambling in Kentucky -- two
revenue-generating proposals floated this session to deal with shortfalls estimated at
$900 million. HB 406,
which passed the House Wednesday night at 11:15 as the clock ticked toward a midnight
deadline, is the budget for the biennium beginning this July 1 and running through June
30, 2010. It had passed the Senate some hours earlier. It was the product of a marathon
conference committee of House and Senate members, who worked into an eighth day --
including one last 21-hour, all-night push -- to arrive at a compromise version of the
budget agreeable to both chambers. The two
chambers came to those discussions with different revenue assumptions built into their
proposals. The Senate in the version it passed last week turned down a House plan to raise
the state cigarette tax from 30 cents to 55 cents a pack and to apply the state’s 6
percent sales tax to a few selected services, such as chartered air flights, security
services and armored cars. That no-tax view prevailed in the conference committee. Conferees
were under the gun to get the bill passed ahead of the Legislature's 10-day veto recess,
which is designed to give lawmakers a chance to override gubernatorial vetoes. The
governor has 10 days, excluding Sundays, in which to veto a bill sent to him. That
includes individual line-items in the budget bill. By passing the budget Wednesday --
before recessing until the final days of the session on April 14-15 -- lawmakers preserved
their ability to override any vetoes the governor imposes. At this
writing Beshear has said he does not intend to veto the entire document, but was reviewing
individual line-items as possible targets for his veto pen. In
conjunction with the budget bill, the House and Senate also approved Wednesday a separate
but companion measure to provide $150 million for water and sewer projects, and small
community projects in coal counties paid for with coal severance-tax receipts. As part of
that agreement, some $230 million in state transportation money was freed up for road
projects. The budget
bill itself -- which covers some $19 billion in Executive Branch spending for the coming
biennium -- passed the Senate 35-3, and the House 74-21. The budget
lawmakers passed restores all or portions of many of the most controversial cuts Beshear
had proposed, especially in education. Instead of the 12-percent cuts in higher education
he envisioned, this budget imposed only a 3-percent reduction. Base funding for public
schools -- including 1-percent raises for teachers and school employees in each of the
next two years -- is $43.5 million more in 2008-09 and $85.6 million more in 2009-10 than
the administration proposed. State
employees would also get 1-percent annual raises. The budget
also appropriates $60 million in bond funds for the Bucks for Brains program aimed at
luring top researchers to state universities, and fully funds the Kentucky Education
Excellence Scholarships program (KEEP) for the biennium. It provides
money for new infrastructure at Fort Knox, which is expecting an influx of new troops in
the next few years, and for two worldwide events scheduled for Kentucky — the 2008
Ryder Cup golf tournament in Louisville and the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in
Lexington. There is a mechanism in the budget agreement for the Although
taxes aren't raised, the budget finds additional money by replacing fewer state employees
when they retire, by refinancing some state debt, by requiring the Kentucky Lottery to
contribute more of its profits to the state, and through other efficiency measures. With
passage of the budget, most of the work of this year's session is concluded, although
several bills remain in conference committee and could yet be voted on during the two veto
days in April. Among those is the state-employees pension-rescue bill, which has yet to be
agreed upon in final form by conferees, and would need to be voted on by both chambers.
Also still in conference committee is the executive branch ethics-reform bill. The General
Assembly offers citizens a variety of ways to follow and participate in the legislative
process. The
Kentucky Legislature Home Page (www.lrc.ky.gov) provides information on each of By going to
the LRC Public Information Office's eNews page (www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/listserv.htm)
citizens can subscribe to frequent e-mail dispatches on what's happening at the Capitol.
The office also maintains a web log, Capitol Notes
(www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/capitol_notes.htm), with timely updates on legislative activity. There are
also several toll-free numbers for citizen use. A taped message containing information on
legislative committee meetings is available by calling (800) 633-9650. To leave a message
for a legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at (800)
372-7181. People with hearing difficulties may leave messages for lawmakers by calling the
TTY Message Line at (808) 896-0305. Citizens
can write any legislator by sending a letter with the lawmaker’s name to: Capitol
Annex,
April 3, 2008 March 28, 2008
Under
discussion was -- and remains -- House Bill 406, the two-year, $19 billion spending
blueprint for fiscal 2008-2010 that will take effect July 1. Since Tuesday, conferees from
the two chambers have been working through a 122-page laundry list of differences between
versions passed by the House and Senate. At this writing, that work continues. One
fundamental difference between the two budgets is the House version assumes a
25-cent-a-pack increase in the state cigarette tax, as well as an extension of the state
sales tax to cover five specified services. That means the House budget includes about
$200 million more yearly in anticipated spending, largely reflecting those additional
revenues. The Senate version raises no taxes. In fact, it proposes giving active-duty
military personnel a rebate of their state income taxes. If the
work of reconciling the two chambers' budget bills is the legislative equivalent of hard
labor, the strain is compounded by the ticking clock. Friday was the 60-day session's 56th
day. Leaders say agreement must almost certainly be reached by Saturday (not an official
legislative day because the full chambers won't convene) if the lengthy and highly
detailed budget bill is to be printed, proofread and distributed to the members for a vote
by Tuesday -- the last day the calendar calls for the Legislature to meet before its
10-day veto recess. The veto
recess is designed to give lawmakers an opportunity to override any gubernatorial vetoes
when they return for two final days, now scheduled for April 14-15. Passing the budget
bill next week would allow for such an override opportunity if the governor line-item
vetoes any part of the document. Although a vote on the budget bill -- or any bill, for
that matter -- could be delayed until the mid-April return, the Constitutional mandate
that the Legislature adjourn by April 15 means the governor could issue vetoes on such
late-passing legislation without the Legislature subsequently being in session to vote on
overrides. (The governor has 10 days to veto a bill -- hence the 10-day length of the veto
recess.) Of
course, the budget bill isn't the only piece of legislation on which the chambers must
meet to hammer out differences. Conference committee were appointed and met throughout the
week on a number of bills -- including House Bill 600, the much-discussed overhaul of the
beleaguered state-employees pension system, and House Bill 250, the executive branch
ethics-reform bill. Both those bills were still under discussion at this writing. Also in
conference committee is the so-called bully bill, House Bill 91, designed to address
what's been called a growing problem in Meanwhile,
this week also saw the apparent final demise, for this session at least, of one of this
year's most dramatic initiatives -- a Constitutional amendment to allow for casino
gambling in The
General Assembly offers citizens a variety of ways to follow and participate in the
legislative process. The
Kentucky Legislature Home Page (www.lrc.ky.gov) provides information on each of By going
to the LRC Public Information Office's eNews page (www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/listserv.htm)
citizens can subscribe to frequent e-mail dispatches on what's happening at the Capitol.
The office also maintains a Web log, Capitol Notes
(www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/capitol_notes.htm), with timely updates on legislative activity. There are
also several toll-free numbers for citizen use. A taped message containing information on
legislative committee meetings is available by calling (800) 633-9650. To leave a message
for a legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at (800)
372-7181. People with hearing difficulties may leave messages for lawmakers by calling the
TTY Message Line at (808) 896-0305. Citizens
can write any legislator by sending a letter with the lawmaker’s name to: Capitol
Annex,
March 28, 2008 Motor fuel drive-off bill clears House House Majority Whip
Rep. Rob Wilkey, who presented Senate Bill 136 on the House floor for sponsor Sen. Jack
Westwood, R-Crescent Springs, said the bill will give retailers who would not ordinarily
take a drive-off case to court an incentive to recoup unpaid fuel costs on their own. SB 136 now returns
to the Senate for consideration of House changes to the bill. "From a
practical standpoint, most retailers are not going to take the time and energy to go to
court to collect $30, $40 or $50. That's the problem," said Wilkey. "This will
give them some incentive to get people to pay for the fuel that they're stealing." Under the bill,
retailers would record the license number of the drive-off vehicle, send the vehicle owner
a certified letter with photographic evidence of the drive-off and ask the person to pay
the cost of the fuel and a $30 penalty, said Wilkey. If the person does not pay the price
of the fuel and the $30 penalty within 30 days, then the case would go to court where the
person would be liable for the price of the fuel and $30 penalty as well as a civil
penalty in the amount of either the price of the fuel or $100, he said. The requirement for
photographic evidence--including but not limited to video surveillance--along with the
certified letter was part of a floor amendment added to the bill on a 74-15 vote. Some
House members were concerned that retailers would not have a legal remedy against
drive-offs under the amendment unless they had surveillance equipment. "It appears
that if surveillance video is not used, that you cannot bring that charge," said Rep.
Danny Ford, R-Mt. Vernon. But Wilkey said the
amendment would only affect civil, not criminal, liability brought in such cases. "Before you can
impose that civil penalty on someone you have to have some pretty hard evidence,"
said Wilkey. Those caught driving
off without paying for motor fuel for the second time are subject to license suspension
under current Kentucky law, although Wilkey said the law has not been very effective.
Legislation similar to SB 136 has been 70 percent effective in March 24, 2008
Budget
bill approved by Senate The Senate version
of House Bill 406 included none of the revenue measures included in House Bill 262.
"The budget we're proposing raises no taxes," said Senate Appropriations and
Revenue Committee Chair Charlie Borders. "I think that's extremely important." While the Senate
would augment state coffers based on increased lottery revenue, savings from state worker
retirements, and other efficiency measures, there are still several areas where the Senate
cut spending from the House plan. Among the savings would be a $500 million bond issue to
pay for roads included by the House plan but eliminated by the Senate. As a result of the
spending cuts, the Senate plan would result in the state's debt capacity being 6.27
percent of the budget. "In recent years, I don't ever remember the ratio being that
small," said Borders, R-Russell. The governor's budget would have given a debt ratio
of 6.34 percent, while the House plan included debt of 6.56 percent, Borders said. While the governor's
budget called for 12 percent cuts to higher education, the Senate was able to restore
three-fourths of that funding, resulting in 3 percent reductions. At the same time, the
Senate plan would call for full funding for KEES scholarships to make in-state colleges
more affordable. Senators also approved $60 million in Bucks for Brains dollars for state
universities, the same as the governor's plan but less than the House's $115 million plan. State community and
technical colleges would see $15 million to maintain and operate new facilities. Teachers and other
state employees would see 1 percent raises each year of the biennium. Any surpluses that
arise from an improved economy however, would first go toward doubling those raises each
year. The Senate plan
includes $2 million annually for Operation UNITE, an anti-drug program in eastern The Senate also
concurred in a House plan for a new Military service
members would get a refund of their state income tax under the Senate plan. Senators also
approved House Bills 407 and 408, the legislative and judicial branch budgets,
respectively. Each passed by a 37-0 vote. While the judicial budget was approved with
minor changes, the Senate-approved legislative branch budget was identical to the House
plan and is now ready for the governor's signature. March 21, 2008 FRANKFORT -- The disparate strands and storylines of the 2008
session of the Kentucky General Assembly began coming together this week, as the session's
major initiatives moved ever closer to their day of reckoning -- when conference
committees of the House and Senate sit down to resolve differences in bills passed by each
chamber. Pending in that
manner, or likely soon to be, are such headline-grabbing bills as the state budget, the
state-employee pension-rescue bill, and executive branch ethics legislation. Not yet even close
to that point -- and with an uncertain future -- is the proposed constitutional amendment
allowing a referendum on casino gambling in The Senate is
expected to pass its version of the two-year state budget early next week, in a form that
will likely differ in several ways from the earlier version passed by the House -- most
notably, without the 25-cent-a-pack hike in the state cigarette tax the House based its
revenue projections on. Pension reform has already been passed by both chambers, again
with differences in the two versions, and likely awaits conference committee action. And
this week, ethics reform joined that triumvirate of major bills moving toward resolution,
when the Senate passed its version of House Bill 250, in a form that adds certain new
legislative ethics requirements to the original House emphasis on the executive branch. Among other
provisions, the ethics bill prohibits lobbyists from buying a public official anything
other than food or drink. Any such gifts would be noted on a monthly report lobbyists
would then have to file. This puts executive branch restrictions more in line with
existing legislative ones. The bill also
changes the makeup of the Executive Branch Ethics Commission. Currently, all members of
the commission are appointed by the governor -- an arrangement some see as creating a
conflict of interest. Under HB 250, the Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Auditor
would each nominate a group of potential appointees on a rotating basis when a commission
vacancy arises. The governor would select from that group, with every fourth pick being
the governor's own. The Senate changes
include a ban on campaign contributions to candidates for statewide office by lobbyists or
contractors who hold or seek state contracts. This would represent a major reform, since
lobbyists and contractors have in the past been prime contributors in statewide races,
especially the governor's race. The Senate version
also imposes a new requirement on legislators themselves: That it be a felony for any
lawmaker to help his or her employer develop proposed legislation, or to debate or vote on
an issue that relates to that specific employer. This would be added to the existing
prohibition -- contained in the legislative ethics code -- against voting on matters that
directly benefit themselves, their families or their business associates. Violations could
be punished by up to five years in prison. Another Senate
amendment would require dismissal of any complaint to either the executive-branch or
legislative ethics commission if the person filing the complaint discusses it publicly
before the commission has a chance to conduct its preliminary investigation. This
provision is aimed at frivolous or unfounded complaints filed for purely political reason.
The Senate changes
in the bill mean it too is almost certainly heading for conference committee resolution. Meanwhile, the House
last week passed a measure that would see The General Assembly
offers citizens a variety of ways to follow and participate in the legislative process. The Kentucky
Legislature Home Page (www.lrc.ky.gov) provides information on each of By going to the LRC
Public Information Office's eNews page (www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/listserv.htm) citizens can
subscribe to frequent e-mail dispatches on what's happening at the Capitol. The office
also maintains a web log, Capitol Notes (www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/capitol_notes.htm), with
timely updates on legislative activity. There are also
several toll-free numbers for citizen use: A taped message containing information on
legislative committee meetings is available by calling (800) 633-9650. To leave a message
for a legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at (800)
372-7181. People with hearing difficulties may leave messages for lawmakers by calling the
TTY Message Line at (808) 896-0305. Citizens can write any legislator by sending a letter
with the lawmaker’s name to: Capitol Anex, March 14, 2008 FRANKFORT -- -- The
budgetary ball is now in the Kentucky Senate's court, following House passage this week of
its version of a two-year, $19 billion state spending plan that includes a 25-cent
increase in the cigarette tax to help stave off spending cuts proposed by Gov. Steve
Beshear earlier this year. House Bill 262 --
the revenue measure tied to the budget bill -- would increase the state's current 30-cent
tax on a pack of cigarettes to 55 cents. The quarter-a-pack increase was far less than the
70-cent-a-pack hike proposed by Beshear last week, in a move that surprised many. The bill
also raises the tax on other tobacco products such as snuff and cigars, and extends the
state's 6 percent sales tax to five specified services: armored cars, security, commercial
linen, janitorial services, and air charters. All told, the
revenue package is expected to generate nearly $300 million in revenue over the next two
years, with about $230 million of that coming from higher tobacco taxes alone. Combined
with nearly $500 million created by debt restructuring, state workforce retirement
attrition, and efficiency moves, House budget writers project the state will have nearly
$800 million in restored revenue over the next biennium to avoid many of the cuts proposed
by Beshear in the budget he presented earlier this session. Among other things,
it restores $253.4 million to state universities, felt by many to be hardest hit in the
Beshear budget. Rather than inflict the 12 percent budget cuts over the next biennium the
governor proposed, the House budget allocates $126 million more in each of the next two
years for the universities' base operating budgets. It also allocates another $115 million
for the Bucks for Brains research program -- about $55 million more than was proposed by
the administration. Public schools would
also see some relief. The House budget provides an additional $42 million in base per
pupil SEEK funding for schools and restore $33.1 million in funding for merit-based KEES
scholarships. Salary increases for teachers of 1 percent in 2008-09 and 3 percent in
2009-10 would also be provided. Under the governor's original proposed budget, teachers
got no raises. Including those
raises, the House budget pumps more than $330 million of additional funding into public
schools. It also restores $130 million in funding to social services agencies, who also
faced cuts. The budget bill now
goes to the Senate, where changes are virtually certain. The final budget plan will likely
then be hammered out in a conference committee with members from both chambers, who must
reach compromise on differences between the House and Senate versions. Meanwhile, the
Senate itself passed a major piece of legislation last week, its version of the
state-employee pension reform bill that had earlier passed the House. As in the House
plan, the Senate version requires new hires to work longer in most cases to receive their
full benefits, and requires that 1 percent of their salary to be contributed toward
retiree health benefits. However, the Senate plan requires employees to work to age 57,
with combined age and years of service totaling 87. The House version included a minimum
retirement age of 55 and an age/service total of 85. Under the current system, workers can
retire at any age as long as they have at least 27 years of service. The Senate version
also creates a new and separate annuity savings plan for employee retirement. Rather than
paying 5 percent of their salary into the regular pension system, new hires would pay 4
percent into that system, leaving 1 percent to invest in a mandatory separate annuity
account. After five years, the state would kick in a 2-1 match, which would gradually
increase the longer the employee works, growing over time to $2.50 for every dollar a
worker pays in. While participation in the annuity plan is mandatory, employees leaving
state government could take their savings with them. Another significant
change deals with the money the state pays into the pension plan each year. One reason the
system faces an unfunded liability of $26 billion is that previous budgets haven't
contributed as much into the system as actuarially recommended. That problem compounds
over time, because the vast majority of pension payments come not from employee or
employer contributions, but from investment earnings on those contributions. The Senate
plan would mandate lawmakers pay a steadily larger share of the recommended amount until
2020, at which time the shortfall would be nearly erased. While few changes
can be made involving current employees -- they are guaranteed the benefit plan that
existed when they started work -- the pension-reform bill does address the controversial
issue of "double dipping." Currently, public employees can retire, collect their
pension, and then return to work in six months, continue collecting their pension, and
contribute toward a second pension. Under the Senate-approved plan, workers would have to
wait a year to return to work. The Senate plan, like the House plan, also would not allow
a retired public employee returning to a state job to begin a second pension. Additionally, the
Senate plan would eliminate the cost-of-living adjustment for those who retire after 2018.
That change would be applied to new hires as well. The House has proposed freezing the
COLA -- which is currently based on inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index-- at
1.5 percent. The General Assembly
has a number of ways for citizens to stay informed about legislative activities during the
session. They can visit the Legislative Research Commission website at www.lrc.ky.gov or
call several toll-free numbers: ·
The Bill Status
Line: 866-840-2835. ·
The Calendar
Line (for meeting schedules): 800-633-9650. ·
The Message Line
(to leave a message for an individual legislator): 800-372-7181. March 13, 2008 State
budget bill, revenue package pass House Funding from the
revenue bill, or House Bill 262, would be combined with approximately $500 million created
by the budget bill, or HB 406, to provide nearly $800 million in new revenue over the
biennium. Tax changes--including a 25 cent increase in the cigarette tax, an increase in
the state tax on other tobacco products and applying the state sales tax to select
services like air charters and armored cars--would create new funding under HB 262 while
debt restructuring and state workforce attrition through the budget would provide the
remaining new dollars. House Bill 262,
sponsored by Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, passed 50-45 followed by an 84-14 vote on HB
406, sponsored by Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond. Both measures now go to the Senate for
its consideration. Not all House
members were pleased with the tax plan, including increases in the cigarette tax and
changes that would tax moist tobacco, or snuff, at an ad valorem rate rather than on a
unit basis. "At a time we
are searching for revenue, I believe this could have unintended consequences: Hurting our
revenue goals, and creating an unfair (type) of taxation," Rep. John Tilley,
D-Hopkinsville, said of the snuff tax changes. According to Rep. James Comer,
R-Tompkinsville, the state has other ways of taking care of its revenue needs. "We can lower
the cost of school projects by 20 percent by relaxing the prevailing wage law in But "This bill
helps prevent serious acts of neglect. It will also help with the education system, our
justice system and hundreds of needed water and sewer projects we have throughout this
Commonwealth," said Moberly has said the
budget as written would not be possible without HB 262. "We tried to
construct a reasonable revenue measure," he told the House. Several agencies
would benefit from new revenue created by the enhanced budget proposal including state
universities, which faced 12 percent budget cuts in the next biennium under Gov. Steve
Beshear's proposed budget. Approximately $126 million in each year of the biennium would
go to universities to restore their base operating budgets, said Moberly. Also restored would
be $303 million in university projects and $100 million in General Fund projects vetoed by
the last administration, while $115 million would be provided for the Bucks for Brains
research program--about $55 million more than was proposed in the governor's budget. Public schools would
also see some relief under HB 406, which would provide an additional $42 million in base
per pupil "SEEK" funding for school operations and restore $33.1 million in
funding for merit-based "KEES" scholarships, among other enhancements. The bill
would also provide salary increases for teachers of 1 percent in 2008-2009 and three
percent in 2009-2010, giving them the same two-year increase as state employees who will
receive two-percent increases each year of the biennium. A total of $130
million in additional funding is set aside under HB 406 for health and human services in County
infrastructure needs were also addressed in the budget bill, which would authorize $50
million in tobacco settlement dollars to fund water and sewer projects in tobacco counties
and $50 million in coal severance dollars for water and sewer projects in coal
counties. It would also restore $1.9 million in base funding to local jails, which have
struggled with rising operational costs in recent years. Additionally, the
bill would authorize the state to freeze the automatic 1.5 cent-per-gallon increase in the
gasoline tax scheduled to take effect in July in order to bond $500 million in road
projects over the next two years. Moberly said the bonds would allow the state to move
forward this biennium with projects in the current six-year state road plan. Economic development
bonds for the state's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) efforts at |
