Here's the official release from the House Democratic Caucus:
FRANKFORT — Kentucky House Democrats today unveiled a package of seven amendments to House Bill 500, the Republican budget plan, after hearing widespread alarm from Kentuckians who fear it would increase health care costs, freeze classroom funding, leave an $815 million Medicaid shortfall, and ignore the state’s worsening housing crisis.
Lawmakers’ offices have received a surge of calls, emails, and messages from people across the Commonwealth expressing concern about the direction of the budget proposal and its potential impact on working families. In response, House Democrats crafted a package of legislative proposals designed to directly address those concerns and prevent additional financial strain as everyday costs continue to climb and paychecks struggle to keep pace.
“Budgets are moral documents. They show what we value,” said House Democratic Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson. “Families are already juggling higher grocery bills, rising rent, child care costs, and medical expenses. The last thing they need is a state budget that makes it harder to afford health coverage or support their local schools. Our amendments are about lowering pressure on households and making sure this budget reflects what people are actually facing.”
The Democratic package focuses on stabilizing health insurance for public employees and retirees, protecting Medicaid funding, feeding hungry Kentuckians, investing in affordable housing, supporting rural hospitals, and strengthening public education.
House Democrats propose adding $279 million to fully support the Kentucky Employees’ Health Plan and prevent dramatic premium increases for more than 310,000 Kentuckians, including teachers, bus drivers, state troopers, retirees, and their families. Without that investment, a five percent annual cap on the state’s contribution under HB 500 would create a projected $202 million shortfall and could result in premium increases of up to 78 percent over the next two years.
The amendments also provide a 13th pension check for retired state employees and State Troopers, who have not received a cost-of-living adjustment since 2011.
The proposal shores up Medicaid by closing the $815 million gap in HB 500. It includes $101.5 million to stabilize SNAP administration, $140 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, $125 million for the Rural Hospital Assistance Fund, and increases SEEK school district funding by 11.6 percent while delivering a 6.9 percent educator pay increase over two years.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Lindsey Burke said the amendments represent a fundamentally different set of priorities.
“Where you start in a budget matters,” Burke said. “You can begin by freezing funding and capping contributions, or you can begin by protecting health coverage, investing in classrooms, and supporting the communities that make this state strong. We chose to start with the needs Kentuckians are telling us they are worried about.”
House Democratic Whip Joshua Watkins said the state has the resources to act.
“With more than a billion dollars in General Fund revenue left unbudgeted, Kentucky has the capacity to ease pressure on families right now,” Watkins said. “Our amendments show that we can protect working people, strengthen schools, stabilize hospitals, and invest in housing instead of shifting costs onto those who are already struggling.”