The Kentucky General Assembly approved a one-year, $12 billion budget Monday, with lawmakers calling it a continuation of the current one-year spending plan.
Representative Jason Petrie of Elkton chairs the House Appropriations and Revenue committee and says, “Our economy has certain structural signs of strength, but we’ve also had a lot of federal money infused into our economy, which makes analysis of the economy data, difficult at best. We remain hopeful that things will get better, but we’re still not certain.”
Representative Myron Dossett of Pembroke serves on that committee and notes that the spending plan fully funds the pension systems.
He disputes claims made on the floor by House Democrats that the budget includes spending cuts.
Dossett says the budget allocates funding for much-needed upgrades to the state’s unemployment system.
Senator Whitney Westerfield of Christian County said he voted for House Bill 192 but wished lawmakers would adopt rules to force them to take up budgets earlier in sessions. He added, “There are a lot of things in this budget I can get behind and really support. There are a lot of things I’m not particularly crazy about. Some of that is because we do not have enough resources and some of it comes down to whether I would prioritize the same way others would.”
The General Assembly also passed the legislative branch budget, contained in House Bill 194, and the judicial branch budget, contained in House Bill 195.