By Tony McVeigh
Frankfort, KY – Proposals and counter-proposals are flying back and forth between the conferees, but time is running out on the negotiations. This is day 29 of the 30-day session, and lawmakers want to reserve one day for veto overrides. Are we headed for a special session? House Speaker Greg Stumbo.
"If you can't agree today why would you think you could agree at all? Why would you think you could even agree in a special session - although I think the governor's gonna call us back if we don't agree. So, we're willing to stay here and continue to work on this."
At issue is a $166 million deficit in this year's Medicaid budget. The governor wants to use second year funds to close it and cover any resulting deficits with savings from managed care. Senate negotiators reject the plan, which has House approval. The Senate prefers across-the-board cuts to state agencies to cover any shortfalls.