The Kentucky House on Monday approved Governor Matt Bevin’s bill to provide some relief to quasi-governmental agencies facing a spike in pension contribution rates and the legislation is now in the hands of the Senate.
House Bill 1 passed on a 52-46 vote, with all local legislators in favor.
The vote came after a couple hours of debate, with many Democrats saying they fear the measure will push those agencies toward privatizing their retirement plans in the future.
Many Republicans, including Representative Myron Dossett of Pembroke, say the bill isn’t perfect but it’s necessary to prevent cuts to personnel and services at local health departments, domestic violence shelters, and other agencies.
Representative Dossett say there will be more time to get to the root cause of the pension woes when the General Assembly convenes for the budget session in 2020.
The special session of the General Assembly began Friday and is expected to conclude Wednesday.