Members of the local delegation to the state House are weighing in on Governor Andy Beshear’s budget address from Tuesday night.
Republican Representative Walker Thomas of Hopkinsville says he likes many of Beshear’s ideas for spending, but he’s unsure there will be as much new revenue as the governor has projected.
He was pleased to hear a commitment to build the Interstate 69 bridge over the Ohio River and to improve Kentucky’s rural roadways.
Representative Myron Dossett says the governor is using much more optimistic projections on revenue than what he has seen to balance the spending plan.
Dossett says he could support the governor’s proposed tax on vaping products, but isn’t sure he’d be for raising the cigarette tax again.
He notes this is only the beginning of the budget-making process, as the House will come up with its own spending plan and send it to the Senate, where additional changes are likely.
Thomas and Dossett both say they are opposed to legalized sports betting in Kentucky, which is another source of new revenue proposed by Governor Beshear.