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• Gray Unveils Budget

  April 11, 2012 7:53 AM

  Lexington Mayor Jim Gray unveiled his city budget plan Tuesday afternoon. The mayor proposed a 2 percent raise for most city government employees after several years of pay freezes. He also calls for hiring additional police officers and firefighters, using money from anticipated revenue increases. To view details... more »

• Beshear Calls For Lawmakers To Pass Budget

  March 28, 2012 1:20 PM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear is calling for lawmakers to reach an agreement on competing budget proposals in the waning days of the legislative session so that he won't have to call them back to Frankfort later to finish their work. Negotiations have been underway since Monday between House... more »

• Budget Negotiators Trying To Reach Compromise

  March 27, 2012 8:31 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Negotiators for the House and Senate talked into the night on Monday in an attempt to work through disagreements on spending priorities in a bare-bones state budget. Legislative leaders were reviewing proposals in a two-year, $19 billion budget plan that would cut spending in multiple ways, including... more »

• House Passes $3.5B Budget To Build Roads, Bridges

  March 16, 2012 2:44 PM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Kentucky lawmakers approved a two-year, $3.5 billion transportation budget Friday, bolstering an ambitious road-building program that proponents contend will not only give motorists smoother rides but also will put people to work in a still-struggling economy. The House voted 88-4 in favor of transportation spending that would... more »

• House Committee Expected To Vote On Budget

  March 6, 2012 8:21 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - An austere state budget is expected to get its first legislative vote on Tuesday. Members of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee are set to vote on the two-year, $19.5 billion spending plan. The meeting is set for 10 a.m. in the Capitol Annex, a legislative office... more »

• Good News Not Expected In Beshear's Budget Address

  January 16, 2012 12:08 PM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear is set to deliver a barebones budget proposal to a joint session of the House and Senate on Tuesday, triggering the start of what could be three months of financial wrangling in the Capitol. The second-term Democrat has already warned state agencies that they... more »

• Lexington Mayor Announces Vetoes Play Video

  July 1, 2011 11:05 AM

  Lexington mayor Jim Gray on Friday morning announced vetoes which, if not overridden by the Urban County Council, will save Lexington taxpayers $889,612 in the budget year that begins July 1. "I am taking this step with the taxpayer in mind ... no apologies; with a sound balance sheet... more »

• GOP Prepares 1-Week Extension As Shutdown Looms

  April 7, 2011 6:07 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans battling with President Barack Obama over budget cuts are moving one-week legislation Thursday to avoid a government shutdown, despite opposition from the White House and Senate Democrats pressing for a longer-term solution. The move by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to advance the interim budget measure... more »

• House Lawmakers End Special Legislative Session

  March 25, 2011 9:51 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - In an odd twist that ended Kentucky's special legislative session, the House voted Thursday night to accept a Senate proposal to shore up Medicaid, but only after receiving assurance from Gov. Steve Beshear that he would use his veto power to remove objectionable provisions. The proposal includes... more »

• Senate Prepares To Take On Medicaid Compromise

  March 23, 2011 11:16 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Bob Leeper wants to move quickly on a compromise that would shore up the state's Medicaid budget. Leeper said Tuesday he doesn't know how long it may take to finish work on the proposal approved by the House on Monday. His... more »

• Hoover Continues Work On Medicaid Compromise

  March 17, 2011 8:23 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - House Republican Leader Jeff Hoover said Wednesday his meetings with Democratic counterparts haven't yet yielded a compromise to shore up the state's Medicaid budget. Hoover had met privately Wednesday afternoon with Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo to try to craft a proposal that would balance the budget... more »

• Wisconsin Governor To Outline Ultimate Intentions In Budget

  March 1, 2011 8:55 AM

  MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, quickly becoming a darling of Republicans across the country for his plan to take away most collective bargaining rights from public workers, will get another chance to bolster his national conservative credentials when he unveils the rest of his plan for dealing... more »

• State Patrol Being Sent To Wisconsin Democrats

  February 24, 2011 8:35 AM

  One of the 14 Wisconsin state Senate Democrats who fled the state last week says they all are out of state and will not be swayed by police showing up at their doors. The Republican-controlled Senate convened at 7 a.m. Thursday and ordered a call of the house, which allowed... more »

• Paul Unveils Plan For $500 Billion In Budget Cuts Play Video

  January 27, 2011 5:45 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - U.S. Sen. Rand Paul introduced a budget that would slash numerous federal programs, including food stamps, to save $500 billion in a single year. Paul introduced legislation in the Senate on Tuesday that would slash $42 billion from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food stamp program... more »

• Kentucky Lawmaker Wants Open Budget Meetings

  December 15, 2010 10:31 PM

  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A coalfield lawmaker said Wednesday he is pushing a proposal that would bar legislative leaders from retreating into closed-door meetings to draft the state budget. State Rep. Rick Nelson, D-Middlesboro, said he intends to file legislation in the coming legislative session that would require all budget... more »

• 2 Kentucky Lawmakers Return Wages For Special Session

  June 23, 2010 9:34 PM

  FRANKFORT. (AP) - Two Kentucky lawmakers have returned more than $2,500 to the state treasury, refusing to be paid for a weeklong special legislative session held last month. Gov. Steve Beshear called lawmakers back to Frankfort in May to pass a state budget after they failed to do so during... more »

• New Kentucky Budget Wins Final Approval

  May 28, 2010 9:26 PM

  FRANKFORT. (AP) - Kentucky lawmakers have completed work on a long-awaited state budget, ending months of bitter disputes that had threatened to cause a partial government shutdown. The House and Senate signed off Friday night on an approximately $17 billion, two-year budget that guarantees state agencies will stay open when... more »

• Lawmakers Return To Capitol For Budget Session

  May 24, 2010 8:13 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Kentucky lawmakers are returning to the Capitol to resume work on a new state budget that would avoid a partial government shutdown this summer. Gov. Steve Beshear called lawmakers back into a special session starting Monday after floating a $17 billion, two-year budget proposal meant to break... more »

• Budget, Gambling Influence State Primaries

  May 17, 2010 7:41 AM

  LOUISVILLE (AP) - The retirement of Senate Minority Leader Ed Worley has attracted six candidates to the primaries for his 34th District seat in central Kentucky. Republicans, who hold a slim 20 to 17 majority - with one independent - in the Senate, are hoping to pick up the seat... more »

• Beshear Calls For Special Legislative Session May 24

  May 12, 2010 2:11 PM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear will call lawmakers back to Frankfort for a special legislative session May 24 to try again to enact a budget. Beshear made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. Lawmakers concluded their regular session last month without passing a budget, despite lengthy negotiations between House and Senate... more »

• State To Cut Back On Mowing At Some Buildings

  May 6, 2010 8:51 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - The grass may be greener at some state buildings this summer, but there's no question it will be taller, too. The Landscaping Branch of the Kentucky Finance and Administration has cut back on mowing around some state buildings this summer in an effort to reduce costs and... more »

• Beshear Says Vital State Services Will Be Shut Down If Budget Doesn't Pass By July 1 Play Video

  April 28, 2010 11:17 AM

  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Coal mine inspections would be among government services forced to cease if Kentucky lawmakers don't agree on a budget by July 1, Gov. Steve Beshear said Wednesday. Beshear said the stalemate between House and Senate budget negotiators could also mean state parks would close, economic development... more »

• Beshear Calls Press Conference To Discuss Possible Government Shutdown

  April 28, 2010 9:34 AM

  Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has called a news conference for Wednesday morning to discuss the implications of a possible shutdown of the state's government due to a budget impasse. Beshear urged lawmakers Friday to avoid raising taxes or adding big amounts of debt in laying out guidelines for an elusive... more »

• Beshear Reaches Out To Top Lawmakers

  April 20, 2010 9:29 AM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear wrote to Kentucky's top legislative leaders Monday, urging a meeting soon to try to kick start budget talks to avoid a partial state government shutdown after lawmakers ended their session without a new state spending plan. Beshear has said he will call lawmakers back... more »

• Senate Adjourns 2010 Session: No Budget Agreement

  April 15, 2010 7:16 PM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Although the House remained in session, the Kentucky General Assembly wrapped up its 2010 session Thursday when the Senate adjourned. Senate President David Williams unceremoniously adjourned the Senate shortly before 6 p.m. EDT. The House remained in session. Most of the senators had previously left the Capitol.... more »

• House Speaker Offers New Idea In Budget Standoff

  April 14, 2010 10:15 PM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - Seeking to break a prolonged budget standoff with the Senate, Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo floated a last-minute offer Wednesday night that would hand over authority to the governor to continue funding state government for up to a year. Stumbo's proposal for a so-called continuation budget amounted... more »

• House Democrats Working On Budget Counter-Proposal

  April 6, 2010 2:58 PM

  LOUISVILLE (AP) - Kentucky House Democratic leaders worked on a counterproposal Tuesday as a final deadline loomed, seeking to jump-start stalled budget negotiations that threaten to leave lawmakers without a new state spending plan when their session ends next week. Democratic budget conferees have spoken in a conference call and... more »

• Deep Cuts In Senate Budget Plan

  March 22, 2010 9:30 PM

  FRANKFORT (AP) - The Kentucky Senate passed a $17.3 billion, two-year state budget plan Monday night that proposes deeper spending cuts than the House to overcome a looming shortfall and erase a slew of construction projects backed by House Democratic leaders. The Senate, with bipartisan support, also dropped two tax-code... more »

• Kentucky House Passes Budget After Lengthy Floor Debate

  March 11, 2010 7:38 AM

  FRANKFORT AP) - The Kentucky House passed a $17.5 billion two-year state budget plan Wednesday that divided lawmakers along mostly party lines in a debate focusing on its use of revenue enhancements and a jobs creation component that would pile up more state debt. The spending blueprint for the budget... more »

• Beshear Urges Second Look At Expanded Gaming

  February 11, 2010 3:43 PM

  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear is urging Kentucky lawmakers to take another look at legalizing video slot machines to avoid painful cuts in the state's next budget. Beshear's budget proposal assumed $780 million in revenue from slot machines at race tracks, but it has fallen flat among lawmakers... more »

• House Budget Cutters Look At Contracts, Management

  February 3, 2010 10:20 PM

  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - House leaders are scrutinizing government contracts and political appointees in state government's upper management as they try to cut spending in response to a massive revenue shortfall, House Speaker Greg Stumbo said Wednesday. Stumbo has said lawmakers expect shortfalls of about $400 million in the first... more »

• Beshear Signs Budget Reduction Order, Says Layoffs Avoided

  January 4, 2010 2:49 PM

  Gov. Steve Beshear says he has balanced the budget for the remainder of the fiscal year without the need to layoff state workers. Beshear spoke at a Monday afternoon press conference to outline his plan for dealing with a projected $100 million shortfall. Beshear said most government agencies... more »

• Beshear To Have Press Conference About Budget Shortfall Play Video

  January 4, 2010 11:45 AM

  (AP) - Gov. Steve Beshear has scheduled a press conference to discuss a plan for dealing with a $100 million shortfall in this fiscal year. The press conference is set for 2 p.m. Monday in the Capitol. Beshear spokeswoman Kerri Richardson said the governor will announce a plan that will... more »

• Lawmakers Look At Spending Cuts, Tax Reform, Slots To Fix Budget

  December 15, 2009 6:57 PM

  FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Political leaders were sending mixed signals Tuesday about potential tax increases to offset an additional $1.2 billion revenue shortfall that could trigger severe cuts to government services and potential layoffs of state employees. "I think the debate should continue about our entire taxing structure, the entire... more »