House speaker: 'There's room for negotiation' on bills limiting Kentucky governor's emergency powers

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky lawmakers are expected to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of several bills that would restrict the governor’s emergency powers.

The House quickly overrode the vetoes Tuesday afternoon, and the Senate is expected to follow suit.

However, the overrides are not necessarily the end of the story, House Speaker David Osborne told WDRB News. Osborne, R-Prospect, said he is willing to discuss possible changes to the bills with Beshear — but only after the vetoes are overridden.

"Absolutely, there's room for negotiation," he said. "... I do believe that the best way to get the negotiation in earnest, ongoing, would be to go ahead and override them, know that we have these in place and then sit down and let's have those conversations."

The bills include measures that limit the governor's executive orders to 30 days unless extended by the legislature and allow schools and business to remain open amid the COVID-19 pandemic if they follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Beshear told WDRB News last week that the bills would tie his hands in an emergency. He called them "very, very dangerous."

Osborne disagreed.

"We don't believe that to be the case," he said.

The House speaker said the point is not to undo all of Beshear's coronavirus safety mandates, but to give the legislature more oversight and provide schools and businesses with more flexibility.

"It very clearly states that they have to comply with safe protocol — CDC regulations," Osborne said. "It's not turning it into the Wild West."

Osborne also said a bill legalizing historical horse racing, and the slot-like machines used to place bets, is a big priority as the Kentucky General Assembly returns from break.

"I understand gambling of any sort is always a divisive and controversial issue, but we're talking about something that has real consequences here," he said. "We're talking about thousands of jobs at stake. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars on investment that has been made, and is still being made."

The legislature must also pass a one-year budget. Osborne said it will likely be more conservative than the one Beshear proposed because of continuing concerns about how much revenue the pandemic economy might generate.

"It’s guesswork," Osborne said. "We kind of have to make that ultimate decision of how much are we willing to risk in that process, and that’s a difficult thing to come by."

Osborne said the legislature will likely also address changes to the teacher pension system. Proposed changes to teacher pensions resulted in large protests at the state Capitol in 2019. Osborne said he understands that some concerned lawmakers are taking up the hot-button issue at a time when the pandemic is restricting mass gatherings.

"I can assure you that I am hearing from my teachers at home — some in support, some against, obviously," he said. "Those things will be weighed just as it would if they were here."

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