Beshear outlines budget proposal - Business First of Louisville:

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Beshear has called a speciapl session of the KentuckyGenerakl Assembly, scheduled to start June 15, to create a budget for the state. The current fiscal year ends June 30. Beshear’ s plan calls for $200 millio n in cuts and the useof $742 million in federakl stimulus funds, primarily for education and the governor’s office said in a news Beshear’s proposed budget would preserve the per-pupil amounyt the state spends on education. It also fundsa higher education at the same levels as the fisca2009 budget. “I’ll say it againn and again.
We cannot move forwardr if we take significant steps backward in spendinb inour classrooms,” Beshear said in the Beshear also proposed maintaining currenyt funding levels for the state’x Medicaid program, mental health services, statd police, local jails, economic development programs and veterans’ programs. The budgetf would increase fundingfor prosecutors, public defenders and corrections. It also would provide the Kentuckyu Department of Revenue additional funding to bolsterits tax-collectiom efforts, something that is projected to briny Kentucky an additional $18.65 million. The budget also would providre increased funding for the statdeparks system.
Many departments face cuts, fewert paid holidays To offset some of the spending Beshear proposed cutting spending within other state agenciesby 2.6 percent in fiscal 2010. The reductions, which are projectefd to amount toabout $200 million, are in addition to $600 millionm in spending cuts over the past 18 months, accordinyg to the news release. “This will not be easy to Beshear said inthe release. “Manty of our departments and agencies have had their spending cut in the currentf and previous budget so many are already operating in alean manner.
They will have to cut even How they do that will be an ongoing Beshear proposed eliminating three paid holidaysz for state workers making lessthan $50,000 a year and five holidayws for employees making $50,000 or more. Elimination of paid holidayss is projected to save the stateabouy $10.6 million. Beshear said he also will work with Kentucky Transportatiob Cabinet officials to determin how to deal with aprojected $239 million shortfalll in the state’s road The governor also estimatedd that the state can save aboug $113 million by restructuring debt.