Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told state lawmakers in a letter Thursday that he will not be able to implement nearly a dozen bills they passed into law in the 2025 session, as the legislature did not provide any appropriations for his administration to do so.
Some of the bills cited by Beshear, a Democrat, make significant changes and were hotly debated, such as one mandating the creation of a work requirement to be eligible for Medicaid and others that lower regulations on worker safety and environmental protections.
Members of the Republican supermajority have strongly criticized the claims made in Beshear’s letter, saying they are legally incorrect and an abdication of his duty to enforce the laws that the General Assembly passes.
Beshear made a similar argument to GOP lawmakers in last year’s session, providing them with a list of bills that state agencies would not be able to implement or enforce unless they passed legislation to appropriate money specifically for that purpose.
The governor’s newest letter to lawmakers provided a list of 11 bills that he acted on this week by either signing into law, vetoing or allowing them to become law without his signature. He wrote that unless they added appropriations before the 2025 session concludes Friday, his administration would “lack the resources needed to implement them.”
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