Wednesday, April 02, 2008
General Assembly Approves Bare Bones Budget. Operation UNITE Funded. Pike and Surrounding Counties To Receive Coal Money.
Lawmakers in Frankfort approved a two year spending plan late Wednesday night.
The Senate approved the budget 35-3 and the House 74-21.
Pike , Floyd, Martin, Johnson and Letcher Counties will receive their full allotment of coal severance money which goes toward projects such as water and sewer.
Senator Ray S. Jones II and House Representative Keith Hall says that although this might not be the best budget, it does address the basic necessities for residents in eastern Kentucky.
Operation UNITE will receive two million a year in funding. $ 1.3 million will go to the drug task force and $ 750,000 for the two Westcare facilities.
Public school teachers and employees and state workers will receive an annual one percent pay raise.
Public university funding will be cut three percent.
Six million dollars has been set aside for mine safety.
$ 405 million authorized for university projects through bonding.
The commonwealth will save $31 million through a home incarceration program for nonviolent , nonsexual felony offenders with less than six months to serve.
Authorizes $ 200 million for Kentucky Infrastructure Authority bond pool for municipalities to apply for low interest loans.
The budget does not include any new taxes.
State leaders say that the next two years are going to be tough.
The Senate approved the budget 35-3 and the House 74-21.
Pike , Floyd, Martin, Johnson and Letcher Counties will receive their full allotment of coal severance money which goes toward projects such as water and sewer.
Senator Ray S. Jones II and House Representative Keith Hall says that although this might not be the best budget, it does address the basic necessities for residents in eastern Kentucky.
Operation UNITE will receive two million a year in funding. $ 1.3 million will go to the drug task force and $ 750,000 for the two Westcare facilities.
Public school teachers and employees and state workers will receive an annual one percent pay raise.
Public university funding will be cut three percent.
Six million dollars has been set aside for mine safety.
$ 405 million authorized for university projects through bonding.
The commonwealth will save $31 million through a home incarceration program for nonviolent , nonsexual felony offenders with less than six months to serve.
Authorizes $ 200 million for Kentucky Infrastructure Authority bond pool for municipalities to apply for low interest loans.
The budget does not include any new taxes.
State leaders say that the next two years are going to be tough.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 11:45 PM 
