Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Bill Lists - January 31

From Government Strategies:

During the 2018 session of the General Assembly, you can view the following bill lists updated nightly.

Education Bill List

Energy-Environment Bill List

General Business Bill List

Health Care Bill List

Health Insurance Bill List

Insurance Bill List

Transportation Bill List

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Monday, January 29, 2018

Friday, January 26, 2018

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Monday, January 22, 2018

Friday, January 19, 2018

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Gov. Bevin Delivers Budget Address

Governor Matt Bevin proposed his state budget in the State of the Commonwealth and Budget Address this evening in Frankfort. The focus of the budget address was "Get our Financial House in Order" as explained in various materials below released by the Governor's office and as filed the Executive Branch Budget HB 200, Transportation Budget Bill HB 201, and the Road Fund budget HB 202. We will be reviewing the budget documents in detail over the coming days. However here are a few key elements:

- The budget does not include pension reform or pieces of tax reform
- Pension costs for state employees and teachers are fully funded with 14.5% of the General Fund dedicated to retirement costs
- Most state agencies will be cut by 6.25%
- Per pupil SEEK funding is exempt from these cuts, but school district transportation costs were significantly reduced
- Nearly 70 programs are eliminated in this budget

The budget does provide for:

- A $100 million bond pool for workforce development
- Funding for new prosecutors and public advocates
- Additional $34 million to fight opioid abuse and substance abuse
- $10.8 million for a new program to support foster children and adoption
- $250 million to be placed in the Rainy Day Fund
- Kentucky State Police will receive new cruisers and rifles, and a modern communications system

Governor Bevin included a statement that "Kentucky must modernize it's tax code so that economic growth will lead to much-needed additional revenue to invest in education, public safety, infrastructure, health care, and other areas of need."

See the Governor's documents below for more details and we will have more analysis in the days ahead.

2018-19 budget proposal includes necessary cuts, targeted investments

Commonwealth of Kentucky

Governor's Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Woody Maglinger502-564-2611Woody.Maglinger@ky.gov

Gov. Bevin Delivers Plan to Continue Building

Solid Fiscal Foundation for the Commonwealth

2018-19 budget proposal includes necessary cuts, targeted investments

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 16, 2018) – Gov. Matt Bevin tonight delivered his 2018 State of the Commonwealth and Budget Address to the General Assembly and fellow Kentuckians, outlining his plan to continue getting the state's financial house in order.

"Kentucky has just completed a truly transformative year of achievement, where many important seeds of progress were sown," said Gov. Bevin. "However, the truth remains that after decades of poor financial management, the Commonwealth faces some harsh realities. These realities, coupled with modest projected revenue growth, mean that Kentucky must make tough and unpopular decisions."

Gov. Bevin's 2018-19 budget proposal calls for spending reductions in almost all areas of state government, with an across-the-board cut of 6.25 percent to most agencies. To maintain the effectiveness of priority programs, it proposes significant yet strategic cuts and the complete elimination of 70 programs. Additionally, new borrowing will be held to historically low levels, with debt service requirements under 5.63 percent of revenue, as opposed to the 2006-2016 average of 6.58 percent.

While addressing the stark fiscal realities faced by the Commonwealth, Gov. Bevin's budget proposal also calls for several landmark investments, including:

$3.31 billion over the biennium to fully fund state employee and teacher pension plans for the first time in nearly two decades;
$100 million in bond pool funding for a second round of workforce skills training;
$34 million in new funding from tobacco settlement funds to fight the opioid epidemic and substance abuse;
$24 million to add positions and increase salaries for Kentucky's social workers so we can better protect Kentucky's most vulnerable citizens;
$10.8 million in new funding for adoption and foster children supports; and
funding for 75 new commonwealth and county attorneys and 51 new public advocates to strengthen the criminal justice system.

For K-12 education, it maintains the current $3,981 per student Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) allocation. The Governor also noted that most school districts have both high administrative costs and significant reserve funds. Statewide reserve funds total over $950 million. In light of these facts, the Governor called on districts to utilize some of their reserve funds for transportation and other needs. He also expects them to reduce their administrative overhead and to pay a portion of their employees' health insurance. These significant revenue sources at the local level allowed for a reduction in General Fund support for transportation and employee health insurance.

The Governor's budget also dedicates 100 percent of lottery funds to education. This budget will return an additional $7.7 million of coal severance funds directly back to coal counties. The KLEFPF fund remains fully dedicated to supporting law enforcement and firefighters, and the recently increased $4,000 annual training stipend has been retained. Kentucky State Police will receive upgrades to dangerous and outdated cruisers and rifles, and a modern statewide communications system for law enforcement will be funded. In addition, the budget closes the film incentive program to new applicants.

Gov. Bevin noted that some budget reductions could be avoided if the General Assembly enacts meaningful pension reform this session. Tax reform could also have significant impact and lead to a less austere budget. Gov. Bevin emphasized that he is calling for genuine tax reform that will make Kentucky more competitive with its neighboring states — not merely a bump in the sales tax or an increase in the cigarette tax, both of which have been proposed by many. Genuine reform will spur economic growth and result in much-needed additional revenue for education, public safety, infrastructure, health care and other vital services.

Budget documents can be found at the Office of State Budget Director's website, and a video of the full State of Commonwealth and Budget Address can be viewed on the Governor's official Facebook page. To download a budget fact sheet, click here.

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Bill Lists - January 16

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Bill Lists - January 11

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Welcome Jonas

We are pleased to announce Jonas Bastien as our Intern for the 2018 Session. He is a very impressive young man and we know you will enjoy meeting and working with him. You will be seeing Jonas with us in meetings, copied on some emails, and around the Capitol as he gets a flavor of the government affairs business.

Jonas is a senior at the University of Louisville, studying political science and economics. He is involved in law and public policy through student government, previous positions in the Louisville metro-council, and the State Senate. He is an ambitious student who aspires to attend law school this coming fall and we welcome him to the team for the 2018 session.

Welcome Jonas!

Bill Lists - January 10

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Bill Lists - January 9

Monday, January 8, 2018

Bill Lists - January 8

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Bill Lists - January 5

From Government Strategies:

During the 2018 session of the General Assembly you can view the following bill lists updated nightly.

Education Bill List

Energy-Environment Bill List

General Business Bill List

Health Care Bill List

Health Insurance Bill List

Insurance Bill List

Transportation Bill List

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Bill Lists - January 4

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Bill Lists - January 3

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Bill Lists - January 2

KY General Assembly Session Begins

And So It Begins...

The Kentucky General Assembly will convene today at Noon to begin the 2018 Regular Session. In addition to the hundreds of bills they will consider, this sixty-day session promises to be one where legislators grapple with two significant issues facing the Commonwealth: Pension Reform & the Budget.

Much of the interim session was focused on public employee pension reform, and while a special session was never called, we anticipate that legislators will consider pension reforms in the early part of the session. A final proposal has yet to be publicly vetted, but leaders from each chamber seem to be closer to an agreement.

Due to its impact on the state budget, pension reform and the passing of a new two-year spending plan for the state are inextricably linked. With very little revenue growth is anticipated in the General Fund and an estimated $1 Billion in new funds needed for the pension systems, legislators have a difficult task in front of them. The Road Fund is in a similar situation with a shortage of funds to pay for needed improvements and maintenance across the state. Tax reform has been discussed as a solution to these revenue troubles, although it's unknown whether there will be time for a comprehensive discussion in the next sixty days.

Legislators will also look to address workers compensation reform, essential skills legislation, additional criminal justice reforms, and various bills to place constitutional amendments on the ballot in November.

All of this under the political backdrop of a tense relationship between House Republicans and the Governor and a House Republican caucus that has yet to name an official Speaker, an act that is anticipated to occur today.

REMINDER - Please join us tomorrow evening at Government Strategies for our annual Welcome Back to Frankfort Legislative Reception from 5-7!

Client Reports

You will receive a weekly summary covering general highlights and specific issues of interest, along with bill tracking documents. As always, we will communicate immediately as needed as issues of importance arise. We welcome your feedback, please don't hesitate to let us know what we can do to make this information more useful!

Schedule

You can access the complete session calendar HERE

Jan. 2 - General Assembly convenes

Jan. 15 - Legislative Holiday (MLK Day)

Feb. 16 - Last day for bill requests

Feb. 19 - Legislative Holiday (Presidents' Day)

Feb. 26 - Last day for new House bills

Feb. 28 - Last day for new Senate bills

Mar. 27 & 28 - Concurrence Days

Mar. 29 - April 9 - Veto Recess

April 13 - Sine Die

Additional information:

Daily Legislative Calendar

Standing Committee Schedule

Kentucky Political News Headlines

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Monday, January 29, 2018

Friday, January 26, 2018

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Monday, January 22, 2018

Friday, January 19, 2018

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Commonwealth of Kentucky

Governor's Office

Gov. Bevin Delivers Plan to Continue Building

Solid Fiscal Foundation for the Commonwealth

2018-19 budget proposal includes necessary cuts, targeted investments

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Monday, January 8, 2018

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

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