Kentucky's legislative leaders unveil priorities. Here's how they match up with Beshear's

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky legislature's Republican leaders outlined their goals for the session in a press conference Wednesday, showing they are together on priorities that may not match with those of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

At the top of the list is the budget, Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne said. The two said discussions about what that massive bill could look like are already underway. Expect legislation on topics including public safety and education as well. But with dozens of bills already filed Tuesday on the first day of the session, not every bill will see the light of day.

"We are here together, the House and the Senate, to talk about issues and be collaborative in the work we do," Stivers said. "We will have regular meetings and discussions between our caucuses to kind of set what we think is the best path forward."

Budget expectations

Beshear, who stands as the lone Democrat in statewide office and who was set to give his State of the Commonwealth speech later Wednesday evening, unveiled his budget proposal in late December, calling for heavy investment in raises for public school employees and other state workers along with universal preschool for 4-year-olds.

But it's the legislature's job to pass the budget proposal that will eventually land on his desk for approval. And chamber leaders said it's still a work in progress.

Osborne told reporters the budget proposal would likely be put forward "within the next week to two weeks," echoing comments he made Tuesday, the first day of the 2024 General Assembly. That document will be "very fiscally responsible and balanced" while putting money toward causes where investment is needed, he said.

The budget proposal will be put together in the House, but Stivers said Senate officials will collaborate with members in that chamber throughout the process.

The two leaders were not clear as to whether the GOP's budget proposal will be assembled under the assumption that Kentucky's personal income tax will drop over the course of the two fiscal years. The legislature approved a law in 2022 that will phase out the state's individual income taxes if certain triggers are met in coming years, but those conditions were not reached in the fiscal year that ended last summer. The rate currently sits at 4% and would have dropped another half a percentage point if conditions were met.

Education

Beshear's budget proposal is built in large part around investments in education. But what he put forward will differ from the legislature's proposal.

"You're going to see us make education a priority," Osborne said. But universal preschool likely won't be in the GOP plan — "I don't think there's much appetite in our chamber," the House speaker said — and "mandating raises for particular classes of employees" probably won't be included either.

"Those are decisions best made at the local level," Osborne said. "But I do think that you will see us again contributing significant funding that local officials will have the ability to utilize that money, and I certainly believe and hope that they will use that money to give teachers raises."

Stivers said legislation aimed at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System is likely as well, citing two recent studies that analyzed the system's finances and explored whether to split its general education and technical curricula (a report from the state's Council on Postsecondary Education advised against that move, according to Morehead State Public Radio).

Other potential priorities include abortion, crime

The public safety-focused "Safer Kentucky Act" proposal from Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, stands as a key priority outside the budget.

The Safer Kentucky Act details a wide range of stricter laws related to crime prevention and punishments. Some of these stricter punishments include life in prison for individuals convicted of three separate violent felonies and the possibility of the death penalty for people convicted of murder of a first responder such as a police officer. The bill also includes banning street camping and allowing business owners to use force to detain suspected shoplifters and recover the goods that were taken.

Osborne said the bill is undergoing a few tweaks and will likely be passed this session.

Abortion-related legislation came up as a point of discussion for lawmakers, but a concrete proposal hasn't materialized. Beshear staked much of his 2023 gubernatorial campaign to the issue and has called on legislators to pass exceptions to the ban for conditions including rape and incest.

Stivers said there have been discussions within the caucus about whether legislators will try to revise Kentucky’s near total abortion ban but did not say specifically whether any bills on the issue would be proposed.

“This is one of the toughest issues you have to deal with as a legislator,” Stivers said.

As cases of rape and incest involve trauma for the victims, Stivers said access to health care such as mental health resources should be a priority.

“We need to give as much support to them as possible,” Stivers said.

Osborne also alluded to a forthcoming bill from Rep. Kim Moser, R-Kenton, aimed at addressing the state's maternal mortality rate.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach Rachel Smith at rksmith@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky legislature: Republicans unveil priorities for 2024 session