House members have begun the process of evaluating and modifying the spending plan proposed by Governor Beshear.
Longtime Elizabethtown Representative Jimmie Lee chairs the human services subcommittee. He worries about under-served areas in the budget like guardianship and protection programs in the Department of Community Based Services.
“This is a really difficult budget to balance because we have so many needs,” said Lee. "There’s just not any dollars in that budget available that’s readily seen as you go through the numbers. It’s been the governor pretty efficient on the allocating and using what available dollars was there. He didn’t leave us much to work with.”
Lee says legislators could look to the Affordable Care Act to produce some savings, but those prospects remain uncertain.
“It’s gonna be one that we count on the ACA. helping us and that’s kind of taking the crystal ball and saying yes I believe the ACA will produce these kind of savings for us and you book those numbers. Now, whether or not it does, that’s another thing,” said Lee.
Lee says he will be meeting with overall budget chair Representative Rick Rand to determine how all pieces of the two-year plan can fit together. A House vote on the state budget is likely still a couple of weeks away.