FRANKFORT, Ky. — Rep. Kim Banta (R-Fort Mitchell) has been selected as one of 12 legislators from across the nation to serve on the Women in Pensions and Public Finance Roundtable in Savannah, Ga. This meeting is focused on creating a strong network of leaders with growing expertise of state and local retirement systems and public finance.
Banta serves on the House Standing Committee on Appropriations and Revenue and is the chair of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development.
“Being in public service is motivation enough to seek out an opportunity for growth like this,” Banta said. “But serving on the Appropriations and Revenue committee and chairing the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Development demands that I take every opportunity to become more knowledgeable on public financing and our pension systems. While we’ve invested almost $18 billion to shore up our public pensions, years of poor policies and a lack of funding have left our pensions with more than $30 billion in unfunded liabilities. This session alone we’re proposing to not only make our required payments, but almost a billion in one-time payments.”
The roundtable is set to meet in May, and members will hear from experts in fiscal policy, stat budgets, and pension topics. This meeting brings female lawmakers together to garner a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will benefit their home states for years to come. Banta was nominated by Speaker of the House David Osborne to be selected for this event.
“Rep. Banta was a natural choice for this nomination,” Osborne said. “Kim understands that our public pension funds must continue to receive our attention, but also recognizes that we are in this position because of the poor decisions made by previous legislatures, governors, and pension boards. We are spending billions today to fix problems created two decades ago, and these resources could be spent to benefit our schools, build better roads, and prepare Kentuckians for success today. Kim Banta understands that we have to get this right so that we are not in the same position 20 years from now.”
Banta serves the state’s 63rd House District, which includes parts of Kenton and Boone counties. In addition to serving on the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee and chairing the Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development, she is a member of the House Judiciary Committee; Licensing, Occupation.
