Senate denies funding for Bevin’s park projects, sets up potential free-for-all
The Senate pared down a bill Tuesday that would have allowed Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration to borrow about $25 million and spend another $75 million in the current two-year state budget for repairs at Kentucky’s state parks, university research and economic development projects.
The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee eliminated almost all of the language in House Bill 268, leaving only a provision that would allow Kentucky State University to use $290,000 to match federal funding for land-grant universities. The bill later cleared the full Senate with only one no vote: Sen. Perry Clark, D-Louisville.
Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Taylor Mill, said he left the Kentucky State University language because that money already exists elsewhere in the budget.
“In the absence of a general emergency, we should not be spending new money in a short session,” McDaniel said. (Lawmakers craft a budget during 60-day legislative sessions in even-numbered years. They meet for 30 days in odd-numbered years, when a three-fifths majority of lawmakers is required to approve any bills that make an appropriation.)
Still, McDaniel’s cuts may be short-lived. The bill is likely headed to a free-conference committee, where leaders of the House and Senate will negotiate a compromise bill to present to both chambers. In a free-conference committee, lawmakers have the ability to add almost anything to the bill.
When asked if his changes were just a method to get the bill to a free-conference committee, McDaniel shook off the question.
“I don’t view it as that at all,” he said. “I’m not faulting the House for their approach, because these are needs, they must be addressed.”
The House version of the bill would have allowed the state to borrow money to fund improvements to the park system, including repairs to lodge roofs and improvements to waste-water systems and communications cabling. It also would have given money to the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to fund research facilities.
Bevin, who is running for reelection in 2019, has touted his efforts to clean up the park system, and the research projects funded in the bill align with his stated goal of making Kentucky the engineering and manufacturing capital of the country.
Though McDaniel was adamant lawmakers should not be appropriating money until next year, he wouldn’t say if he could be convinced to free up some money.
“We have a disciplined process that I think we should stick to,” McDaniel said.
When asked about the Senate’s changes to the bill, House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said he still hadn’t had time to study the changes.
This story was originally published March 5, 2019 at 11:57 AM.
