FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Latest on a two-year spending proposal in the Kentucky state Senate (all times local):
6:25 p.m.
The Kentucky Senate has passed its version of a two-year state spending plan, in what amounts to another step in the process to get a new state budget.
The Republican-led chamber voted 26-11 after a long debate Tuesday to pass its spending proposal.
That sets up the next phase of the budget debate, when conferees from the House and Senate will work in the coming days to iron out differences between the chambers’ spending plans.
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1:30 p.m.
The Kentucky Senate wants to put more police officers in public schools by making it less expensive to hire them.
A legislative committee approved a two-year state spending plan Tuesday. It would let local law enforcement agencies rehire retired police as school resource officers without having to pay for their retirement and health insurance. It would also let state troopers take second jobs as school resource officers.
The proposal comes on the same day that a school resource officer in Maryland fired at a shooter in a high school. The shooter later died, but authorities said it is unclear if the shooter was killed by the officer.
Kentucky is still recovering from a shooting at a high school in January where two students were killed and more than a dozen others were injured.
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10:30 a.m.
The Kentucky Senate is proposing raises for the state’s judges and circuit court clerks, but only if lawmakers pass an overhaul to the public pension system that has prompted fierce opposition from public workers.
Part of the proposed pension plan is to phase-in increased retirement contributions for the Administrative Office of the Courts. That phase-in would save the court system about $8.2 million over the next two years.
The Senate budget proposal, released Tuesday, would use that money to give raises to judges and circuit court clerks. Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel said if the pension changes don’t pass, the raises would not happen.
Democratic Sen. Robin Webb called the plan “extortion” and said she would not support it.
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2:40 a.m.
The Republican-controlled Kentucky Senate is preparing to reveal its two-year state spending plan.
The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee will meet twice on Tuesday to debate two-year spending plans for the state’s executive, legislative and judicial branches.
The state House of Representatives approved its version of the spending plan earlier this month. They included a 50-cent tax increase on cigarettes and a new tax on prescription opioids. But last week, Republican Senate leaders said their budget proposal would not include those taxes.
Senate President Robert Stivers declined to tell reporters Monday what was in the budget proposal. House and Senate leaders have until next week to reach a deal in order to preserve their right to override any potential vetoes from the governor.
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