Although the Kentucky General Assembly doesn’t convene until January, the budget making process is already well underway.
Legislators will be tasked with passing a two-year budget, and right now, committees are hearing requests, gathering information and receiving financial reports from agencies all across the commonwealth.
Representative Walker Thomas of Christian County is right in the mix, serving on numerous committees—including Appropriations and Revenue. He says they’ve heard from several state offices and about possible updates to insurance for state employees.
He says they’ve also heard updates on federal legislation and how things could be impacted at the state level, particularly concerning House Resolution 1, which could bring changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, best known as SNAP.
Representative Thomas says it would bring more oversight to potential error rates in the SNAP program, and he believes it would help keep the program more cost effective.
There’s still a lot of work left to go in the interim, and Thomas encourages folks to reach out to their legislators with any concerns or questions they may have in how they believe the budget should be crafted to best serve Kentuckians.