Lawmakers override Beshear’s vetoes. Votes will cut jobless benefits, cost KY food stamps.
The Republican-majority General Assembly late Monday overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes of two bills in which the governor had urged lawmakers to show compassion for Kentuckians facing hard times.
In one measure, House Bill 4, the state of Kentucky will reduce the length of time that unemployment insurance benefits are available to workers who lose their jobs.
Instead of providing jobless benefits for up to 26 weeks, as most states do, Kentucky will dramatically shrink that time by indexing benefits to a recent three-month statewide unemployment average. It also will require people to take any “suitable” job that’s available in their region, even if it’s outside their career field.
The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and other business groups lobbied for the House bill to spur people back into the labor force faster.
In a floor speech, Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said there are 100,000 jobs open in Kentucky.
“Help wanted signs are up everywhere,” Thayer said. “If you are an able-bodied, healthy Kentuckian, there is no excuse for you to not have a job.”
But Democrats said parts of Kentucky, such as remote rural counties, have higher unemployment, making it harder for people to jump back into the workforce unless they’re willing to leave their homes and move to the cities. There also can be other obstacles, such as a lack of affordable child care, they said.
Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, said nobody qualifies for unemployment insurance benefits unless they have a work history and they lost their job through no fault of their own.
“This is as harsh a bill as we can impose on working people,” Thomas said.
Loss of food stamps
The other measure, Senate Joint Resolution 150, would end the COVID-19 pandemic-related state of emergency effective immediately instead of the previously established April 14, a date codified by the legislature and approved by Beshear in January.
COVID restrictions such as business and school closures and a statewide mask mandate ended long ago, so the only effect of SJR 150 will be the loss of about $50 million in emergency food stamp funds from the federal government. There are 256,000 Kentucky households benefiting from those funds, state officials say.
Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, said the most important consideration is “the psychological well-being of our people” that will result from ending the long-running state of emergency. Douglas criticized as “fear mongering” the concerns raised about the loss of funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which is the formal name for food stamps.
“Should SNAP benefits be a way of life?” Douglas asked. “Now, we know it is for some. Should it be a way of life for adults? Just ask yourself that question.”
Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg, said he believes that Beshear has the authority as governor to ask the federal government for a one-month extension of emergency food stamp funds once the legislature ends the state of emergency.
In response, Democrats said Republican lawmakers are counting on Beshear to mitigate the pain they’re about to cause. Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, said “it makes me sick to my stomach” that lawmakers are deliberately passing a bill that will hurt people “for no reason whatsoever other than to take a political shot at the governor.”
‘Kick struggling Kentuckians’
Beshear expressed grave disappointment on Tuesday in a series of social media posts.
“Our faith and values should compel us to be compassionate and fair, but yesterday’s veto overrides by the General Assembly were cruel and will kick struggling Kentuckians while they are down,” Beshear wrote on Twitter.
“Legislators voted to take food off the tables of hungry children and seniors at a time when groceries cost too much,” Beshear wrote. “They also positioned Kentucky to be one of the least helpful states for Kentucky workers who lose a job or a career at no fault of their own.”
“No hand up, just a kick in the gut. Public service should be about helping and not hurting those around you,” he concluded.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
