FRANKFORT, Ky. — Less than a month after being reelected as Kentucky's top official, Gov. Andy Beshear said the Commonwealth must continue to work together to move the state forward.
"Because of our work -- because of all of our work -- the eyes of the world are on Kentucky and what we are doing," he said. "This budget is our opportunity, our chance, to make things right here in Kentucky. Let’s work together and get it done, in this session."
Speaking in front of lawmakers from the Kentucky House and Senate, Beshear outlined first-term successes and areas he'd like to see growth in the next four years.
"This is our chance to build a top 10 economy with good jobs for all our families. So, let’s make it happen," he said as part of his State of the Commonwealth Address.
The question of whether Kentucky's governor, a Democrat, can make inroads in his relationship with state GOP leaders -- and which of his budget proposals they'll support -- was put to an early eye test to start 2024.
"Many of you are excited that I will be serving as your Governor for the next four years, and the rest are excited that I am now term limited," Beshear said to a mix of laughs and applause.
Recovery efforts
"We are rebuilding roads and bridges, water and wastewater systems, and we are building new homes for families that lost everything," Beshear said.
In a specific update about the flood recovery efforts, the Governor said there are seven sites for new developments on higher ground in eastern Kentucky.
He also announced he wants to put $75 million toward the Eastern Kentucky SAFE Fund and invest another $10 million from the General Fund into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
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"Our local communities need these additional funds, and with a record economy we can and should be there for them," Beshear said.
After the Governor's speech, both Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne, both Republicans, said they support the idea of getting more financial relief to the areas hit by natural disasters -- including western Kentucky.
Pay raises for educators, child care providers
At the top of his budget priority list, Beshear is calling on state lawmakers to allot funds specifically to give every Kentucky public school employee, including teachers, an 11% pay raise -- following the path of neighboring states like Tennessee and Indiana.
"We can choose to beat Indiana or beat up on each other," he said in his address. "Our competition to the north and the south are showing us the way."
Stivers had admitted Kentucky needs to be more competitive in attracting and retaining teachers, but have stopped short in saying they'd look to direct local public school districts to raise wages.
In a news conference prior to Beshear's speech, Osborne told reporters House Republican leadership likely doesn't want to take the governor's route.
"I think you're going to see us stop short of mandating raises for particular classes of employees," Osborne said. "I believe that those are decisions best made at the local level. But I do think that you'll see us again contribute significant funding. I certainly believe and hope that [local school districts] will utilize that money to give teachers raises."
In his address, Gov. Beshear also reiterated his call for universal pre-K for every 4-year-old in the state.
"We are rightfully concerned about learning loss,” Beshear said. “So we should address it where it begins.”
But it's a proposal that appears for now to be a nonstarter among Republicans in the House.
"I don't think there's much appetite in our chamber for it," Osborne told reporters.
Beshear's pre-K proposal made no headway with lawmakers in the past, and top Republicans signaled again Wednesday that such resistance appears unchanged.
The governor also wants to fully fund student transportation, which he believes will help remedy the issue seen within Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and its shortage of bus drivers.
The governor also made another pitch for child care assistance, with funding to help cushion child care programs from the loss of pandemic-era federal subsidies. He called for another massive infusion of funding for transportation and clean water projects.
Stivers echoed Osborne’s remarks about the governor's pre-K plan but said in a post-speech interview on Kentucky Educational Television that there’s a “strong desire to look at how we create day care for the working-class people.”
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Economy
Touting a record pace of economic development, the governor said Kentucky has an unprecedented opportunity to build a top 10 economy offering the security of good-paying jobs.
Beshear also touted the giant EV battery plants being built in Hardin County and made a bold claim for the future.
"If you think one Kentucky plant is great, imagine what you could do with two, three, maybe even four," he said, met with applause.
Kentuckians' health
Beshear also mentioned the first hospital being built in Louisville's west end in over 150 years, the Norton West Louisville Hospital. The hospital is expected to open sometime in November of 2024, and Norton Healthcare said it's been long overdue.
"No one should have to drive two hours or take multiple busses just to see their doctor," he said.
Along with adding dental, vision and hearing coverage for Kentuckians, Beshear said they were also able to expand the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program to new moms.
In 2022, Kentucky also saw its first decline in addiction-related deaths since 2018, and the Commonwealth was "one of only eight states to record a decrease," the governor said.
Infrastructure
"We are truly in our Eisenhower moment," the governor said during his speech.
While he did mention the Brent Spence companion bridge is being built without tolls, he mainly focused on their work in getting clean drinking water to families.
He proposed investing another $500 million in grants to counties and local governments to continue expanding the Cleaner Water Program.
"Clean drinking water is a basic human right, and this program is building on what we created together," Beshear said.
Public safety
To bolster law enforcement, Beshear called for increased pay for Kentucky State Police troopers and officers. He proposed an increase in the training stipend for local law enforcement officers and requested $35 million to fund grants for body armor.
“I’m particularly pleased to see the proposed increase in funding for the Kentucky State Police and the courageous men and women of law enforcement across the Commonwealth," Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement after the governor's address. "I fully support providing those who carry a badge with the resources and equipment they need to protect families and keep themselves safe.”
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Watch the full State of the Commonwealth below:
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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