Traditionally, in a budget year like this one, the governor holds a budget address laying out his priorities for the state’s budget, then submits his budget to the General Assembly. Legislators may adopt some of it, or none of it, or throw it in the trash, as they wish, and then proceed to write and adopt a budget of their own, including whatever parts of the governor’s budget they want to.
That is the way it has been done for decades and decades. The governor, as head of state, gets first crack at the budget process.
But today, in a move of one-upmanship, the Republican budget committee in the House dropped their own budget, days ahead of the governor’s budget address, accompanied by a press release laying out all the details of their already-written budget.
With super-majorities in both chambers, there was little doubt that the Repubs would do whatever they wished as they wrote the 2022-2024 budget.
But to release their budget early, just to prove they can, is a new low for partisanship in Frankfort.
The Democratic leadership in the House released a statement in response. It is short and to the point ... and definitely on point as well.
“It is beyond petty that House Republicans have filed an Executive Branch budget without input from the Executive Branch. Doing this before Gov. Beshear presents his proposal next week violates long-standing traditions and the spirit of budget law itself, and is the most glaring example yet of the contempt they have for him and the public. We may as well wrap up the 2022 legislative session now, because all of the major decisions apparently have been made. This is not good government; in fact, it’s barely government at all.”
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