By Tony McVeigh
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-962026.mp3
Frankfort, KY – Senate President David Williams reconvened the special session, which had been in veto recess since March 24th. That's when the House officially adjourned, went home and refused to return. Senate Republicans still hoped to override Gov. Steve Beshear's line-item vetoes of the Medicaid bill and that's why they were back in Frankfort. Several House Republicans, including Rep. Tim Moore of Elizabethtown, showed up to support their Senate colleagues. Moore said the House should have been in session, too.
"If we're still on the docket getting paid and we still have a responsibility to consider the governor's vetoes, which is my plain reading of the constitution, I think that we probably should," said Moore. "But that again is not an individual's will."
During a recess, Senate Republicans privately caucused for a couple of hours in the president's office. Democrats also caucused to map strategy, but Sen. Walter Blevins of Morehead wasn't happy to be back in Frankfort.
"It's a waste of time," said Blevins. "I'd rather be home working, trying to make a living and trying to work on the problems of the people that I represent. Today, we're not going to be doing anything. It's just all political theatre. It's just all politics."
Upon their return to the floor, Senate Republicans offered several resolutions symbolically overriding the governor's line-item vetoes. They're symbolic because veto overrides require majority votes by both chambers, and the House was absent. But Sen. David Givens of Greensburg defended the resolutions, saying they're warranted by the governor's actions.
"One of my colleagues mentioned earlier that it's almost like a magician who can distract you, and through smoke and getting your attention on a rabbit in a hat, do something you haven't seen coming," said Givens. "And I, sadly enough, feel that's where the governor is leading us."
But the 11 Democrats in the chamber, including Sen. Robin Webb of Grayson, made it clear they opposed the symbolic measures.
"My outrage is we had to come back for a special session," said Webb. "It was unnecessary. It's been costly. And we're here today and we have no purpose today. Purpose here today is sheer politics. We've heard bashing the governor. We've heard all that. That's the purpose here today."
And that was pretty much it. A couple of resolutions praising the University of Kentucky and Bellarmine University basketball teams won easy approval, as did a resolution in honor of three Franklin County High School seniors killed in a local car wreck. And then, Senate President Pro Tem Katie Stine gaveled the session to a close.
"This Senate shall stand adjourned sine die until the hour of 12:00 pm, Tuesday, January 3rd, the year of our Lord, 2012," said Stine, "or until called into an extraordinary session by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky."
Afterwards, Senate President David Williams fielded questions from reporters, who mostly wanted to know about the costs of the session. Constitutionally, lawmakers must be paid for every day of the session, including Saturdays and Sundays. That comes to 24 days, at nearly $64,000 a day, or more than $1.5 million. But President Williams says he will see to it that no senator is paid for any day past March 24th, when the House adjourned.
"I'm not going to authorize any additional travel day over the next couple of years until each one of those days is recovered," said Williams.
In a statement, House Speaker Greg Stumbo called the Senate's return to Frankfort "an unnecessary expense." But he didn't address the 13 days of extra pay House members will receive. Gov. Beshear issued a statement saying the Senate "should have gone home on March 24th and stopped wasting the taxpayers' dollars."