— by McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern —
Gov. Andy Beshear says he’s going to ask the Kentucky General Assembly to lift a spending cap it imposed last year on state agencies responding to emergencies and disasters.
Besehar also will ask lawmakers to fund emergency relief for local governments and education in response to widespread flooding but has not determined how much. ”We’re putting that together right now,” Beshear said in a Wednesday morning briefing.
Beshear said the state will need a new mechanism like the State Aid Funding for Emergencies (SAFE) that the legislature created in response to earlier disasters in Eastern and Western Kentucky.
“I think we’ve learned from the last two funds, and this one will look a little bit different, but will operate even better than the other two,” Beshear said.
As for the legislature’s funding cap on state disaster response, Beshear said “we’re there.”
The Democratic governor also pointed to his calls last year for the Republican legislature to reconsider limiting what the executive brand can spend during an emergency.
In last year’s budget, the Republican-controlled General Assembly set various caps on spending by state agencies when responding to a disaster, before asking the legislature for a new appropriation.
They include a $25 million limit in a fiscal year for Kentucky National Guard operations when an “emergency or exigent situation” is declared by the governor and a $50 million limit on spending by the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs to match federal disaster funding “in the event of a presidentially declared disaster or emergency.” Kentucky Emergency Management is part of state military affairs.
The rainfall and flooding that hit Kentucky over the weekend — along with snow and cold temperatures — have killed 14 people.
Republican Senate President Robert Stivers told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the Beshear administration would brief members of House leadership and House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair Jason Petrie (R-Elkton) about disaster relief funds and the status of the past SAFE funds.
Stivers said he would be open to the idea of a special session to address the disaster if needed, but “I think possibly what we will need to do is put some things out there in the way of finances,” such as establishing a SAFE fund for the flooding.
Stivers said lawmakers could take action “ right up to the 28th day of March” and potentially during the 2026 regular session.
Tuesday was the last day to introduce bills in the Senate and Wednesday is the last day to introduce bills in the House. However, lawmakers often use vehicles like shell bills, or bills that are heavily amended in committees, to introduce new legislation after the deadlines.
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Written by McKenna Horsley. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
