House Leaders Reveal New Budget Outline

From Kentucky Public Radio’s Tony McVeighKentucky House leaders have unveiled the broad outline of a new state spending plan.The budget proposal depends on a second round of federal stimulus dollars, includes no pay raises, requires no layoffs, but rolls back non-merit positions to 2007 levels. State universities will see two-percent pay cuts in each year of the biennium, says House Speaker Greg Stumbo.“A lot of people believe that the universities have received quite a bit of money during the last 10 or 12 years.," he says. "I’m not saying…I mean, they can obviously justify their own budgets. They do need some M&O money.But Stumbo says they won’t be getting money for capital projects. House Democrats and Republicans have been briefed on the budget outline, as have Senate leaders. A House floor vote on the budget is expected in early March.