Budget bill now in hands of the Senate

The budget bill, House Bill 200, passed the House last week on a 76-15 vote. The bill now is in possession of the Senate, and KACo staff members are reaching out to Senate leaders and Appropriations and Revenue Committee members to review the positives and negatives for counties in the House Budget.

Special thanks go out to Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Chris McDaniel and the Appropriations and Revenue Committee for passing out Senate Bill 66, the employer contribution phase-in bill for CERS employers in pension costs.

KACo looks forward to a full Senate vote on this soon as counties are in the middle of crafting their FY19 budgets right now.

According to LRC, HB 200 restores many of the programs that were cut in the governor’s original budget proposal while also providing more funding for education and public safety.

The plan also would increase funding for the Kentucky Retirement Systems by $774.5 million and the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System by 89.1 million to meet the full actuarial require contribution for public pensions.