State Representative Walker Thomas of Hopkinsville wants Governor Andy Beshear to have more frequent communication with legislators on decisions during this pandemic and agrees with the governor that federal funding will be needed to make up for revenue lost during the pandemic.
Representative Thomas says having Kentucky’s economy open is the most crucial item, noting there are still many issues facing the commonwealth despite a better than expected end to the fiscal year that was announced Wednesday by the governor.
He says any new stimulus package should include funding for states that are facing financial hardship caused by pandemic shutdowns and other COVID-19 issues.
There has been discussion about finding new revenue streams during the 2021 session of the General Assembly and while Thomas says he doesn’t support expanded gambling options such as sports betting—he would like to see a substantial tax reform package.
He says it’ll be difficult to know what direction the state should go until we get closer to the January session and see how the pandemic is progressing.
Meanwhile, House Speaker David Osborne issued a statement on what he sees as irregularities in what Kentucky and other states are paying a contractor to assist the administration with thousands of unprocessed unemployment insurance claims.
He says, “We are four months into this situation and thousands of Kentuckians are still waiting for their applications to be processed, despite spending millions to contract with two different companies. The fact we’re paying more than we should to do what needed to be done in March is further proof that the Governor has to stop making unilateral decisions just because he does not want his motives to be questioned.”