Beshear: ‘Our role ... is not to move the state right or left but to move it forward’
Entering his third year in office, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday delivered an optimistic State of the Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the General Assembly.
Beshear, a Democrat, struck a hopeful tone in his 29-minute speech. He reflected on the tragedies Kentuckians faced over the last year — the continued COVID-19 pandemic, ice storms, Eastern Kentucky floods and Western Kentucky tornadoes — while making several calls for unity to Republicans who control the legislature.
The governor said he is working with House and Senate leaders to “fast-track legislation to help our impacted families” in the Western Kentucky disaster zones. This would include $150 million in community reconstruction aid and $50 million to assist the region’s schools with their recovery.
“With all that we have experienced this year, we should be over the fighting, over the bickering, over any games,” Beshear told lawmakers assembled in the Kentucky House of Representatives chamber.
“After this year, I am convinced that our role in government is not to move the state right or left but to move it forward,” he said. “So this year, and in this session, we have a duty, a responsibility, to make the investments that can turn two years of great progress into 20 years of real prosperity.”
The governor will return to the legislature on Jan. 13 for a second speech to propose his two-year, roughly $28 billion state budget proposal.
He suggested on Wednesday that his budget plan will include long-sought pay raises for state workers, “historic investment in education,” a fund for investing in economic development sites and money for continued four-lane expansion of the Mountain Parkway in Eastern Kentucky; an Interstate 69 bridge over the Ohio River; and a Brent Spence companion bridge without tolls in Northern Kentucky.
However, the final word on the budget goes to the General Assembly, which writes it.
Although Kentucky is expected to have billions of dollars in extra funds available this year, some lawmakers say they’re wary about committing that money to recurring costs because they believe Kentucky’s treasury has been flooded with one-time federal relief spending during the pandemic.
Beshear, 44, is running for re-election next year in a state now dominated by Republican politicians, including a legislature with veto-proof GOP super-majorities that frequently clashes with him.
Beshear spent the last two years in office dealing with the pandemic that has killed at least 12,284 Kentuckians and is now in a fourth surge creating nearly 10,000 new cases daily. The legislature last year removed the emergency powers he used to impose public health measures in the pandemic’s early days, such as school mask mandates and business closures.
The governor opened Wednesday night’s speech by praising the resilience of Kentuckians who suffered through the coronavirus and natural disasters in recent months. He spoke of people from Western Kentucky who have inspired him, including Taylor County farmer Nevin Price, who pulled neighbors from the basements of their collapsed homes after the Dec. 10 tornadoes.
“While they may knock us down, no tornado, no pandemic, no flood, no ice storm can break us,” Beshear said.
“Because we do not break,” he said. “All of America — and indeed, the entire world — has now seen who we are: neighbors who open our homes and hearts to one another. People who embrace selflessness, generosity and love. All while we were reminded that any arguments, any divisions, just aren’t that important.”
Perhaps with one eye on next year’s re-election campaign, Beshear touted his administration’s economic successes, such as $11.2 billion in private sector investments and 18,000 promised jobs. This includes the crown jewel of Beshear’s efforts so far, the electric battery plants that are planned for the BlueOvalSK Battery Park in Hardin County, backed by Ford Motor Co. and SK Innovation.
“These are world-class companies choosing us. Some of the most sophisticated corporations on the planet betting their future on Kentucky. These are the jobs of the future and they are coming to every part of our state,” he said.
Republican leaders respond
House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said that Beshear makes a good speech, but that he places greater value on direct communication. He and Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said that they would appreciate more direct communication with the Democratic governor.
“Actions need to follow words,” Stivers said. “We have been able to sit down with the governor – we’ve been able to sit down and have good legitimate discussions – but those have been too few.”
They both confirmed that have had conversations with the governor regarding aid to Western Kentucky as it recovers from tornado damage.
Osborne said that Republicans were “ready, willing and able” to help the region recover. That said, he and Stivers mentioned that the timeline may not be simple; some problems may be more urgent than others, and Stivers pointed out that it wouldn’t be fiscally wise to go forward on projects that could be potentially funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency or insurance.
Beshear boasted about Kentucky’s “booming” economy, but Osborne pumped the brakes on the governor’s optimism while acknowledging the historic revenue surplus.
“The fact of the matter is revenues are good, but does that mean the economy is good if you’re a small business owner looking for people to work right now or can’t open your doors because you can’t find a sufficient workforce,” Osborne said. “(With) the lowest workforce participation rate we’ve had since 1972, the economy may not be so good.”
Stivers added that part of the state government’s surplus has been “artificially” created by the federal government giving money directly to people. He also worried about waning worker participation, a concern that Osborne shared.
On raises for state government employees, Stivers didn’t commit to wholesale raises as Beshear advocated for in his speech. The Senate president did say that state government pay would have to become more competitive with the private sector, but said that how that happens is a “bigger question.”
When asked if the historic surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant alarmed him, Stivers said that it did. He also emphasized that he and Osborne have advocated for vaccines
That said, Stivers argued that people need to “move forward.”
“People need to realize this is here,” Stivers said. “We’re going to have to deal with it, we’re going to have to move forward. We can’t sit back and quarantine and stay in the house and not live.”
On redistricting, Osborne said that the plan was for all bills containing new legislative maps for elected officials to be passed by Saturday.
The bill extending the filing deadline, which was passed by the House, will be heard on the Senate floor on Thursday.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 8:52 PM with the headline "Beshear: ‘Our role ... is not to move the state right or left but to move it forward’."
