The Democratic-controlled Kentucky House is preparing to vote on its version of the state budget.
Republican Governor Matt Bevin has proposed spending cuts of $650 million over the next two years. The Democratic-led House opposes Bevin’s cuts because of the impacts they would have on public education and the court system. But Republicans, who control the Senate, support the governor because they say the state must begin paying down its pension debt.
Republican Representative Michael Meredith of Brownsville says it will be interesting to see what the final budget looks like. "I also think it's going be really interesting because Governor Bevin has line-item veto authority. He's already said if there's any massive amounts of debt in the budget, he's not going to allow those things to go through, he'll line-item veto those things," Meredith says.
As both legislative chambers roll out dueling budgets, Meredith thinks reconciliation by a conference committee will be very important.
