Gov. Bevin will veto budget, tax reform bills

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Governor Matt Bevin says he will veto the budget and tax reform bills approved by the General Assembly.

He held a news conference Monday morning and says the budget is structurally unbalanced, doesn’t meet all of the Commonwealth’s obligations and fails to set enough back for an emergency.

Bevin says Kentucky needs a more comprehensive approach to tax reform instead of the current bill that taxes some services and increases the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 50 cents. He acknowledges the General Assembly could override his vetoes with a constitutional majority in both chambers when they return to Frankfort, but he questions why they would.

Governor Bevin didn’t say he won’t veto pension reform legislation, but did commend lawmakers for a “good first step” toward fixing the Commonwealth’s ailing pension systems.

He advised public school teachers who are unpleased with pension reform against going on strike to protest, saying that such action is illegal in Kentucky. Bevin says he’s the only governor to ever fully fund the teacher pension system.