FRANKFORT, Ky. — The state’s next two-year budget bill is moving right along through the legislative process, as the House sent their versions over to the Senate this week.
There they will be heard in committee and likely amended with the priorities of that legislative body.
The two budget bills passed on the House floor Thursday, just two weeks after they were introduced. The Governor laid out his budget priorities in December.
House Bill 6, the executive branch budget sponsored by House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair Jason Petrie, includes increased funding for K-12 education, with increases to the per-pupil funding formula, school transportation, and Family Resource and Youth Services Centers, as well as additional postsecondary funding. House Bill 6 passed 77-19 on Thursday. As passed, the budget bill featured expenditures of $14.3 billion in fiscal year (FY) 25 and $15.6 billion in FY 26
Lawmakers also passed House Bill 1, a separate budget bill appropriating $1.74 billion from the budget reserve trust fund to make one-time investments in items such as unfunded pension liabilities, infrastructure, and more with a 96-0 vote.
The House Appropriations and Revenue Committee first passed the budget bills in a special-called meeting Wednesday, where changes were made to the originally proposed language in a committee substitute.
The most significant committee change made to House Bill 6 added $40 million of spending to fully fund the local transportation costs of K-12 public school districts in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
And House Bill 1 passed out of committee with an additional $100 million to support potential large-scale economic development projects.
Read more about House Bill 6 and House Bill 1 here.
Stay tuned to The Bottom Line here at LaneReport.com for more news on the budget.
