Guest Columns

At the end of a legislative session, months of preparation and weeks of debate give way to a handful of days where the General Assembly and governor decide what will become law and what will have to wait.
It’s a predictably busy time, especially when the budget is in the mix during even-numbered years. 

Dear Readers,   
Trimble County is not unlike any other community in the commonwealth or in our nation that is not at times struggling to deal with drug abuse among our youth. This is a very serious matter that is a community issue and requires everyone to be diligent in our attempts to deter our children/students from using. Marijuana is the drug that teens often start with.

In one sense, Kentucky’s budget doesn’t change much from year to year. A little more than half of every state dollar, for example, goes to our schools, colleges and universities. Another fourth is dedicated to Medicaid and other health services, a little more than a tenth is spent on criminal justice and the final dime goes to everything else.
While there is relatively little discussion in the General Assembly about those ratios, there is often lively debate on the best way to move each major area forward.

Not only did Friday mark the end to another busy week in the Kentucky Senate, it also was day 46 of our 60-day legislative session. We are now in the proverbial “fourth quarter” when the House and the Senate must come together to get a victory for the state of Kentucky by passing a responsible budget. After 10 weeks we are still awaiting a key “assist” from our colleagues in the House in the form of a budget bill that has yet to pass the lower chamber.