Kentucky budget

The budget bills outline $33 billion of state government spending over the next two years, with Republicans lauding it as a historic investment in Kentucky education and Democrats criticizing it as falling too short.

With little opportunity for the public to weigh in, two newly-amended state budget bills appropriating more than $34 billion in Kentucky over the next two years cleared a state Senate committee and then the full Senate Wednesday.

Ahead of this session, the legislature ended the practice of pre-filing bills — meaning journalists and the public received access to few bill drafts ahead of the session. Lawmakers also declined to change procedural rules this year after the League of Women Voters released a report that showed bills have been increasingly fast-tracked over the past two decades — decreasing transparency and civilian participation.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear unveiled his proposed biennial state budget Monday night in a video aired on KET, outlining $136.6 billion of government spending over the next two fiscal years.

Kentucky lawmakers voted to override most of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes on the second-to-last day in this year’s legislative session, securing…

Gov. Andy Beshear issued several line-item vetoes to the budget and revenue bills on Friday, rejecting language that blocks him from spending funds from…

Republican lawmakers released a state budget bill over the weekend that would make sure the legislature, and not Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, has final…

Kentucky’s state and local governments will get about $4 billion from the federal coronavirus relief bill making its way through Congress, according to…

Kentucky lawmakers resumed budget talks on Monday after a nearly two-month break.Legislators still have little to show for the one-year state spending…

Kentucky lawmakers have advanced a continuation budget as they head into a three-week long break during this year’s legislative session, though the…