Following three days in special session, the Kentucky General Assembly walked away from Frankfort’s Capitol Rotunda Friday afternoon with a $212.7 million bill signed by Governor Andy Beshear — aimed at immediate relief for a flooded east, and continued rebuilding in the west.
Called the “Eastern Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergency,” or EK-SAFE, the reparations include:
— more than $110 million for reimbursements to the military affairs division of Kentucky emergency management, to address intermediate housing need;
— more than $40 million to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, for the leveraging of new roads and bridges in EKY;
— more than $35 million for Kentucky Department of Education, to assist with repairing and rebuilding schools in EKY’s flood zone;
— and more than $12 million in ARPA funds for water and sewer infrastructure in EKY.
The bill also provides SEEK relief for west Kentucky, and increases spending flexibility for west Kentucky’s SAFE funds while extending funding through June 2026.
Beshear said the bill was neither Republican, nor Democrat, in nature. It was “non-partisan,” with Kentuckians helping Kentuckians.
The KGA’s actions come nearly one month following east Kentucky’s deluge, and follows what was rapid state response following December’s tornadoes.
John Blanton, chair of the Mountain Caucus, said the expediency of these efforts couldn’t be understated, especially with time of the essence.
House Speaker David Ogden detailed what was an impassioned session between both chambers over the three days, calling it one of the “most seamless” processes in his entire time with the legislature.
State Senator and Republican Majority Leader Robert Stivers said there wasn’t enough to say about the “cooperative nature” to bring this bill together in the last few weeks, and that the current biennium budget was more than prepared to take on this kind of emergency spending.
Stivers further noted that certain things had become “ripe” for General Assembly action, including the massive loss of revenues expected for school systems due to reduced tax values of lost and damaged properties.
Such concerns were also noted, and continue to be addressed, when west Kentucky was dealt considerable damage in December.
