Budget plans for all three branches of Kentucky’s government are on their way to the House floor after easily passing out of the House budget committee Tuesday. The committee passed bills that would cut the judicial and legislative budgets by 8.4% to match the cuts already made to the executive budget.
A proposal that limits the amount of pseudoephedrine consumers can buy in a month could make it out the state House of Representatives intact. The Senate passed a bill last week that would limit consumers to seven point two grams of pseudoephedrine every month, or roughly two boxes of cold medicine.
Credit Gov. Steve Beshear visits West Liberty, Ky on a Kentucky National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk after a tornado struck the town Mar. 2. (photo by Capt. Stephen Martin, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs)
Kentucky’s Washington delegation is asking President Obama to issue a major disaster declaration and quickly. All six House members signed a letter to the president, reiterating many of the things Governor Beshear said in his letter to the White House. The congressmen write that the damage caused by the storms is beyond the capabilities of the state and local governments.
Last week's outbreak of tornadoes and severe storms was predicted well in advance. Still, the severity of the storms and the amount of damage they caused caught many in the emergency preparedness community by surprise.
Officials with the Better Business Bureau say consumers who want to donate to help storm vicitims in the region should do a little background checking before they give money to organizations they don't recognize. Vice President of Communications Reanna Smith-Hamblin says on-line and door to door solicitations are sometimes used by con artists who are trying to steal someone's identity or get their cash.
