Chamber urges lawmakers to take action on four key pro-business issues before veto recess

Kentucky lawmakers are down to their last three days of passing legislation in the 2015 Kentucky General Assembly and Kentucky’s business community believes four issues that are still pending deserve action before veto recess begins Thursday:

• Public-private partnerships (P3);
• public pension transparency;
• road fund stabilization; and
• the local option amendment.

Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Dave Adkisson says public pension systems need more transparency and P3 would mean more efficiency and fewer tax dollars on public projects. Stabilizing the state road fund would protect road maintenance dollars, and the constitutional amendment to allow voters to approve investments in their communities would jump start local improvements. Click here to listen to a radio report on the Chamber’s request to the General Assembly.

“The public-private partnership bill, which would allow businesses to help state government achieve various public projects and services, was approved in the house with a very strong margin,” said Adkisson. “It’s now in the senate and we certainly hope it will pass in these last few days.”

Adkisson says Kentucky uses a complicated formula to determine road funding based on gasoline prices. Because of this, the state road fund is falling into a multi-million dollar hole that could jeopardize Kentucky’s infrastructure and cost the state jobs unless lawmakers act to stabilize the road fund before this year’s session ends.

“As gasoline prices have fluctuated over the last year the road fund in Kentucky is woefully short. Normal maintenance and the paving that we expect, especially after a tough winter, is in jeopardy this year,” he said. “It could be as much as $600 million short if the legislature doesn’t make a move in this session.”