Governor Andy Beshear gave his fourth State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night at the state capitol in Frankfort, saying Kentucky remains strong despite all it has been through, whether that be the pandemic, the deadly tornado outbreak in Western Kentucky just over a year ago or the deadly floods in Eastern Kentucky this past summer.
Beshear highlighted the efforts made to help victims of those natural disasters, recognizing those on-hand for their work.
The governor also highlighted accomplishments over the past year, including the $1 billion Ascend Elements project announced in August in Hopkinsville that represents the largest investment in the history of Western Kentucky.
Beshear is urging lawmakers to pass a 5-percent pay increase for public school teachers to keep educators in the commonwealth, as well as legislation that would create universal pre-K as part of his Education first plan.
The governor is also calling for a pay raise and pension increase for state employees and says there is sufficient funding for all of his proposals.
He says while pay raises for Kentucky State Police have helped with staffing, he’s asking for lawmakers to do more to support law enforcement with higher salaries and upgrades to facilities.
Beshear wants lawmakers to legalize medical cannabis in the wake of his executive order, as well as sports betting.