Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has vowed not to call legislators back to Frankfort should they fail to approve a two-year operating budget by Friday.
Bevin said he would not reward lawmakers' inability to do their jobs by paying them more money. The Legislative Research Commission estimates it would cost taxpayers $62,784 per day.
If lawmakers don't pass a budget and Bevin does not call them back for a special session, parts of state government would shut down on July 1. Bevin said many programs near and dear to people's hearts would not be funded. He said Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo would be to blame.
House and Senate budget negotiations resumed just as Bevin made his remarks.
Stumbo responded in a press release Tuesday evening, saying the budget is the worst he's seen submitted by a governor in his 35 years in the Capitol.
"It was flawed and contained a significant number of errors, doing such things as cutting veterans services when he promised those would be exempt," he said. "It offered a Permanent Fund without any attempt to make it permanent or require how it would be used."
Stumbo also criticized Bevin's cuts to education.
"The Governor's budget cut education and transferred the costs to the backs of our students in the form of increased tuition," he said.
On Tuesday night, the Office of the Kentucky House Speaker announced that budget talks will resume at 11:00 Wednesday morning.
