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Frankfort Report- Mar 30th, 2012 |
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From the desk of Senator Jimmy Higdon
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Sunday, 08 April 2012 11:50 |
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FRANKFORT – By the time you read this, the 2012 General Assembly will be one day away from concluding. We have completed 59 days of the 60 day session, the last day, April 12, is reserved for considering any Governor’s vetoes, if any.
By far, working on the state’s two-year budget was the most pressing issue this week. After several late nights, we reached consensus on the $19.4 billion budget with the House negotiators a little before 3am on Thursday. It was a hard-fought point but for the first time in recent memory, Kentucky will not bond for current expenses. The Senate insisted on minimizing using one-time resources for recurring operating costs. We are prepared for any road. If the economy improves, the state is prepared to reach that better day quicker. If our revenues suffer, Kentucky’s landing will be cushioned.
We need to keep our belts tightened regardless of the pressures. There are many good and worthwhile programs out there but the fact is we simply cannot afford it; we do not have the dollars. So, we did the best we could and made the same sorts of decisions occurring around kitchen tables across the commonwealth. This final budget includes those unavoidable 8.4% reductions for most state agencies that the Governor recommended, with exemptions for critical areas like Medicaid and Corrections. State universities would see a 6.4% reduction, and K-12 schools would receive full base-line funding. State employees will receive no raises. The Governor is required to find $40 million a year in efficiencies. We also significantly reduced the state’s structural imbalance to under $200 million. The final budget contains less debt than either the Governor or the House proposed and more money in the Rainy Day Fund. The state’s six-year road plan which includes $3.7 billion over the next biennium for the repair and maintenance of Kentucky’s roads is still being considered in a conference committee.
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Frankfort Report- Mar 23rd, 2012 |
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From the desk of Senator Jimmy Higdon
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Friday, 23 March 2012 12:18 |
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FRANKFORT – While we passed several important bills this week, my time was dominated with review of the House’s proposal, House Bill 265, for the state’s two-year budget. The plan will be roughly $9 billion per year or $18 billion total. In that, the Senate proposal carries about 6.58% authorized debt which is lower than the House’s proposal of 6.8% and even lower than the Governor’s proposal of 7.1%. The Senate’s budget puts more money into the Rainy Day Fund and significantly lowers the state’s structural imbalance. It is bad public policy to bond or restructure or borrow money to pay for current expenses. The Senate crafted a financially responsible budget that reflects what every family in the Commonwealth has had to face during the last several years – less money. We needed to decide what was necessary as opposed to what would be nice to have. People decide between paying their mortgage or going on vacation, paying their utility bill or going to the movies. While the Senate budget provides for social services, education, public safety, and necessary infrastructure, we are mindful that we cannot afford some things that, while nice or even beneficial to have, are not ultimately critical. Of course, as the nation’s and our economies improve, we will continue to evaluate and review our revenues as compared to our needs.
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Frankfort Report- Mar 16th, 2012 |
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From the desk of Senator Jimmy Higdon
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Friday, 16 March 2012 00:00 |
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FRANKFORT – We are entering the home-stretch of the 2012 General Assembly with the attendant rush of bills as legislators feel the urgency of the dwindling days. The Senate had a very full week with legislation, committee meetings, and we received the budget proposal from the House as well as the state’s road plan. Visits from groups ranging from homeschoolers to the AARP to 4H also came to the capitol to see their legislator and press for their causes.
Let’s look at the legislation. I sponsored Senate Bill 158, the Religious Freedom Act, which is designed to protect religious freedom from an overbearing government. If this constitutional amendment is approved by the House of Representatives, Kentuckians will have the opportunity to vote on whether or not the government has the right to infringe on religious beliefs except in a case of a compelling government interest and only then, using the least burdensome means. Courts would have more ammunition in favor of religion in the cases of, for example, the jailing of Amish who refused to highlight their buggies and people in Bell County who wanted to pray before football games. SB 158 takes us back to a traditional, more reasonable, standard.
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