Senate Budget Plan

Some thoughts on the Senate Budget plan:

The Good:

A good start on Prison reform:

Removing 2,000 non-violent state inmates from county jails through home incarceration, saving an estimated $24 million a year. The House had proposed removing about 400 inmates.

Stealing from the Numbers Game:

Kentucky Lottery Corp. to contribute 35 percent of its revenue to the General Fund, up from 26 percent last year.

From the Lottery Post Kentucky Lottery has record revenues:

The Kentucky Lottery Corp. had a record $744 million in revenues, or total ticket sales, in the fiscal year ending June 30, according to year-end figures.

The Bad:

We rather pay for have kids smoke, pay for cancer related medical expenses, and screw the budget instead of raising a tax. Damn Grover Norquist.

…rejected the Democratic-controlled House's proposals to raise the cigarette tax from 30 cents to 55 cents per pack and to apply the state's 6 percent sales tax to a few services, such as chartered flights

Screw the employees, a time honored method of balancing the budget.

Raising the pay of all state workers, including teachers and court workers, by 1 percent in each year of the biennium. The House's budget had provided 2 percent annual raises for most state workers and a 1 percent raise for teachers in the first year, followed by a 3 percent raise in the second year.

They are only the most defenseless in society, who cares they don’t vote.

Providing $41 million less for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services than the House's proposed budget. The Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation was cut $9.4 million over the biennium, while the Department of Community Based Services, which includes social workers, lost $7 million

The Ugly:

Sucking up to the military vote:

Providing a tax rebate on military pay. Military members could apply for a refund of their state income tax, beginning later this year. The Senate appropriated $10 million to pay for the program, but recent legislative estimates have suggested the program could cost $18 million a year.

Counting on things that aren’t going to happen:

The Senate also adopted a proposal in the House's proposed budget that would eliminate nearly 10 percent of the state government work force through attrition, saving an estimated $85 million annually.

Where the hell are the rest of the Democrats in the Senate?

Democratic Sens. Ernesto Scorsone of Lexington and Julian Carroll of Frankfort voted against the bill.