There will be a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion and Republicans controlling the House and Senate when the General Assembly convenes in January and local lawmakers are hopeful important work will still get accomplished.
Republican Senator Whitney Westerfield of Christian County says he’d like to see Governor-Elect Andy Beshear and members of the legislature build trust between each other in the coming weeks before the session.
State Representative Walker Thomas of Hopkinsville was recently named chairman of the Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee and says he’ll use that position to again push legislation to make military pensions tax-exempt in Kentucky.
He also notes the new position puts him in a good place for working on legislation related to the needs of first responders.
Beshear will be proposing his first budget in January and Republican Representative Myron Dossett says the Appropriations and Revenue Committee he’s a member of has already begun preparations for its work on the spending plan.
Representative Thomas says the final budget that passes the General Assembly is likely to be much different than the Beshear’s proposal.
The 2020 session of the Kentucky General Assembly begins January 7.