Governor Andy Beshear vetoed two education bills and signed five others into law Wednesday that were passed during the Kentucky General Assembly session.
Governor Beshear referred to two of the bills as anti-education bills. He vetoed House Bill 258 that will convert new hire teachers to a 401k type retirement system. The Governor does not support House Bill 258, because it would cut retirement benefits for new teachers, harming the commonwealth’s ability to attract and retain educators.
Beshear adds this measure comes at the same time the General Assembly has cut more than $70 million the Governor’s proposed budget would provide to help support health insurance benefits for educators’ families. The General Assembly also cut raises for school employees that were included in the Governor’s budget.
He also vetoed House Bill 563 that calls for setting up education savings accounts to allow children from disadvantaged families to pay the tuition to attend private school. Governor Beshear says the bill would greatly harm public education in Kentucky by taking money away from public schools and sending it to unaccountable private organizations with little oversight. He adds HB 563 would also drain as much as $25 million from public education.
This measure would establish private educational institutions that would decide how to spend public money and could use up to 10% of these public funds on their own employee salaries, benefits and expenses.
The Governor signed House Bill 158 that he says invests in Kentucky students by supporting the state’s only four-year aviation professional pilot degree program. It increases cooperation between the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and local air board, giving students more opportunities to learn.
He also signed Senate Bill 101 that will make career and technical education more responsive to stakeholders, with the enhanced ability to work with local industry to produce the kind of workers their community needs. The Governor said he would line item veto a portion of the executive branch budget to make this bill a reality.
He signed Senate Bill 127 that calls for having a rescue inhaler on site for students suffering from an asthma attack which can mean the difference between life and death. Senate Bill 127 encourages schools to keep at least two rescue inhalers on hand.
Governor Beshear signed the Supplemental School Year Program outlined in Senate Bill 128 that will allow students the chance to enjoy the same high school experience they expected a year ago.
The Governor supported Senate Bill 135 (SB 135), which provides common-sense updates to ensure that state funding for higher education is distributed to campuses on a more sustainable basis.
It also supports efforts by colleges and universities to enroll and graduate more Kentuckians with a certificate or degree by 2030.
