KY legislative leaders say they will ‘make every resource’ available to flooded communities
The two most powerful men in the Kentucky legislature said Tuesday several options are on the table to help residents after devastating floods wreaked havoc across the state in the past week.
“Certainly we will make every resource we possibly can available to them,” House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, told the Herald-Leader.
It’s too early to know exactly what lawmakers will do in response to the disaster that left 14 people dead amid flooding and winter weather.
But Osborne and his Senate counterpart, Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, both spoke of a strong desire to help Tuesday, the General Assembly’s first day back since historic flooding hit counties across Eastern, Central and Western Kentucky this past weekend.
Stivers took to the Senate floor to speak on the disaster. His home county, Clay County, has been affected by all three recent flooding disasters in the state.
He said he’s had a couple of conversations with Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration about funding relief efforts. Several ideas are floating around.
The legislature could create a fund for cities and counties to front Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, or provide matching funds for other federal dollars.
They could also create a state-established fund, Stivers said, not unlike 2022’s “EKSAFE” and “WKSAFE” funds, fueled by $200 million apiece in General Fund spending to respond to flooding and tornadoes in both the East and West.
“I think, possibly, what we will need to do is put some things out there in the way of finances like we have in the ‘SAFE’ fund, knowing that there will be needs that will start developing that we’ll have to deal with. We can do it right up to the 28th day of March,” Stivers said, referencing the final day the legislature meets.
During odd-numbered years like this one, the legislature can pass bills and appropriate funds for only 30 days. In even-numbered years, they can do so for 60 days.
If the clock runs out, Stivers added that asking Beshear to call a special session isn’t out of the question.
Stivers said the governor’s office intends to meet with members of the Senate sometime this week to discuss the status of funds from Kentucky’s previous natural disasters.
Stivers also mentioned discussing whether the state government has been fully reimbursed by the federal government for past disasters and more.
Beshear spokespeople have yet to respond to a question on the amount of money left over in either fund, but both Stivers and Osborne mentioned leftover money.
“Much of the structure that we put in place in 2022 as far as the use of disaster dollars and what those things can and will be used for, that structure remains in place. There’s actually still some dollars in those accounts, so trying to figure out what is left in those silos, what could that be used for — we’ve got staff working on that right now to get some reasonable handle on what we do need to do,” Osborne said.
Comments from Republicans in the Senate Tuesday were largely about individual stories of dealing with the flood — the law office of Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, was flooded — and what needs were most immediate.
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, said the most urgent needs during the cleanup effort were heavy-duty pumps, large fans and propane heaters.
But Senators also took a moment to comment on what they’ve observed about state and federal emergency management officials. On the federal level, they expressed skepticism about FEMA, echoing comments from Republican President Donald Trump, who has suggested dissolving the group.
Stivers said he saw a need for dissolution or “revamping” it to better serve the unique needs of those facing disasters. He disagreed with Beshear, who said earlier this year, before the flooding, the agency could improve but should remain in place for its ability to offset administrative costs.
Wheeler suggested providing federal funds equivalent to FEMA funding to more local emergency management staff.
“It would work so much better if we could get the money and resources down to our boots-on-the-ground people that know their friends and neighbors,” Wheeler said.
The senators struck a much more positive chord when talking about the response of state officials, going so far as to directly commend Beshear — an uncommon utterance from the GOP-dominated Senate.
“I’m going to compliment the Governor: Our state, our emergency services, our first responders know it better and do it better than people from outside this state. FEMA needs to look at sending the money to where it is needed and letting the people who know how to use it.” Stivers said.
