Viewing entries tagged
budget
Yesterday, the Office of the State Budget Director, John Chilton, sent out the press release linked below, indicating that General Fund receipts fell 0.3 percent and that Road Fund receipts fell 5.7 percent in the month of June.
As we head toward an anticipated special session to address pension reforms, and move closer to the 2018 Regular Session when we'll write Kentucky's biennial budget, the fiscal position of the Commonwealth continues to be precarious. Difficult decisions lie ahead.
After a great deal of work from the budget conference committee members over the last four weeks the General Assembly delivered a compromise budget document that passed with only one "nay" vote between both chambers. Make no mistake, the executive branch budget is a compromise. There are parts I support and there are parts that certainly don't, but the legislature is tasked with finding a way to draft a budget, which means each side gets some of what they want and neither side gets everything. One of my primary objectives in the budget was to provide a healthy payment toward our worst-in-the-country pension funds. That has been accomplished with over $1.2B set aside for pensions, and a mechanism to redirect savings toward the same.
The Judicial branch was spared from many of the cuts originally written by the House. Several of us successfully fought to restore those funds to protect our drug courts, veterans treatment courts, deputy clerks, and court designated workers (to name a few). The additional judicial funding along with Governor's line item veto in part of the judiciary's budget bill has provided the courts with sufficient resources to make sure Kentuckians have the access to the court system they need.
After the main budget bill (the budget for the executive branch) was passed by the Senate a drafting error was caught that resulted in a last minute bill being used to correct the language. That last minute correction appears in House Bill 10.
Finally, the Road Plan was passed. This includes the bill spending the money on road projects over the next two years and a resolution that gives the intent (for future general assemblies) for the next four years after the biennium, otherwise known as the "out years."
We are investing in tomorrow by facing head-on the problems of today. Have a look at the Senate budget draft here...
The Kentucky General Assembly convenes every year, but on the even-numbered years our session lasts for 60 days and we are tasked with passing a biennial budget for the Commonwealth. Despite our disagreements, we accomplished that task with a compromise budget for Kentucky's General Fund, the Judicial system and the Legislature. Here are some of the highlights:
Will we ever get a break from this winter weather? February opened with snow and ice across most of Kentucky. I hope you and yours are safe. As highway crews are out working all hours of the night, and utility workers are restoring power to the many areas that lost it, I am reminded of and appreciate the people that are out working in these tough and hazardous conditions to keep us safe and warm. I encourage you to remember them in your prayers.
