Seven days after the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee convened in Frankfort to address the state’s expanded senior home-delivered meals plan, Kentucky legislators have issued new letters of action this week— demanding Governor Andy Beshear resolve what many have termed an “ongoing crisis” with little resolution.
Senator Greg Elkins, R-Winchester and co-chair of the LOIC, wrote Wednesday that this failure of leadership was “unacceptable,” and that Kentucky’s seniors “should not be left wondering where their next meal will come from, while the Governor is overseas spending taxpayer dollars on a European trip.”
Elkins said the legislature has already provided Beshear the authority to reallocate a portion of the budget to address “urgent needs” like this. Elkins also said Beshear “needs to do his job, and fix this problem immediately.”
Earlier this week, Elkins made a joint statement with Senator Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, and Senator Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, urging the Governor to focus on this issue as a “24-hour-a-day” problem, which requires “24-hour-a-day work” until there are answers.
Issues now exist in the program for a number of reasons.
The September 30 expiration of more than $36 million in federal pandemic aid, which temporarily expanded the program to older Kentuckians, has proven problematic — as has a reported $300 million state budget shortfall. And when drafting the current 2024-26 budget, state administrators knew the program needed $14.5 million per year to sustain that expansion — yet requested only $10 million from the state’s general fund for each of the next two fiscal years.
Furthermore, budgetary timelines and allowances in 2023, when the state’s budget was first being drafted, don’t seem to be aligned.
Now, thousands of seniors still appear to be headed back to waiting lists if something isn’t done between mid-November and New Year’s Day.
At this time, two roads have been suggested to the Governor’s office:
+ Pull $9 million from the executive branch’s $22 billion state budget — and patch this need until the Kentucky General Assembly finishes the 2026-28 budget next spring.
+ Or convene with heads of state, and call in a special session of the Kentucky General Assembly before January’s gavel.
The governor can issue a formal proclamation, or executive order, to call in the Kentucky General Assembly. It will set the date and time for the session, and if called must specify subjects and issues the legislature can consider — per Section 80 of the state’s constitution.
The special session can last as long as needed, and only the governor can end it by issuing an adjournment proclamation, or by allowing the legislature to adjourn itself after the called business is handled.
As Elkins noted, Beshear is currently in Europe behind a mission of economic development, where he is scheduled to meet with business leaders and trade officials in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland — in hopes of spurring job growth for Kentuckians. His delegation was reportedly set to convene with more than 45 companies — including 16 that already have existing facilities in the Commonwealth.
Kentucky General Assembly Special Sessions (1959-2021)
Year Dates / Duration Subject(s) / Notes
1949 March 1 – March 30, 1949 Property tax assessments, mental health appropriation, state lands & buildings, RECC bonds
1951 March 5 – March 14, 1951 Called by Governor Lawrence Wetherby to allocate a $10 million surplus, increase teachers’ salaries, etc.
1956 February 27 – March 8, 1956 Reorganization of state and local government
1956 March 9 – March 28, 1956 Motor vehicle weight limits, road fund taxes, etc.
1956 March 29 – April 6, 1956 Biennial appropriation
1956 April 6 – April 27, 1956 Revenue and taxation legislation, unemployment compensation, municipal annexation, etc.
1959 December 22 – December 30, 1959 Governor Bert Combs called a special session to propose a constitutional convention question.
1963 January 28 – February 28, 1963 Legislative reapportionment
1963 June 17 – July 2, 1963 Appalachian hospitals, other matters
1963 November 18 – December 5, 1963 Election of judges, motor vehicle inspection, etc.
1965 August 23 – September 17, 1965 Property tax rates, school local tax effort, presidential succession amendment, constitutional revision
1971 February 25 – March 12, 1971 Legislative reapportionment
1972 June 8 – June 15, 1972 Licensing, insurance, environmental protection, elections, reapportionment
1976 December 1 – December 18, 1976 New court system, surface mining, workers’ compensation, taxation, etc.
1978 December 13 – December (later) Utility rate structure, consumer intervenor, welfare fraud, taxes, court issues
1979 January 8 – February 10, 1979 [Various]
1983 January 7 (start) Flat rate individual income tax, standard deduction, tax uniformity
1985 July 8 – July 19, 1985 Educational issues
1987 October 14 – October 23, 1987 Workers’ compensation
1988 November 28 – December 14, 1988 Lottery legislation
1989 January 6, 1989 Confirmation of Lottery Commission
1991 January 14 – February 22, 1991 Environmental, DUI matters
1991 December 12 – December 18, 1991 Redistricting
1993 February 1 – February 16, 1993 Govt ethics task force
1993 May 10 – May 27, 1993 Health care
1993 August 6 – August 23, 1993 Confirmations, etc.
1994 June 6 – June 22, 1994 Budget matters
1994 September 26 – ??? Confirmations
1995 January 6 – January 27, 1995 Confirmation of appointments
1995 July 31 – August 4, 1995 Budget reserve trust fund, redistricting, appropriations, bonds
1995 (Second) Taxes, bond development
1996 December 2 – December 12, 1996 Workers’ compensation
1997 May 12 – May 30, 1997 Postsecondary education, EMPOWER Kentucky, budget modifications
1997 September 30 – October 15, 1997 Health insurance
2002 April 22 – May 1, 2002 Budget
2004 October 5 – October 19, 2004 Health insurance
2006 June 22 – June 28, 2006 Business taxes
2007 July 5 – July 30, 2007 Alternative energy policy, capital project appropriations, taxation, etc.
2007 August 20 – August 24, 2007 Another special session on alternative energy policy
2008 June 23 – June 27, 2008 Public employee retirement
2009 June 15 – June 24, 2009 Economic development, budget amendments
2010 May 24 – May 29, 2010 Budgets, road plan, taxation, unemployment insurance
2011 March 14 – April 6, 2011 Budget
2012 April 16 – April 20, 2012 Transportation Cabinet budget, controlled substances
2013 August 19 – August 23, 2013 Legislative redistricting
2018 December 17 – December 18, 2018 Public pension system (called by Gov. Bevin)
2019 July 19 – July 24, 2019 Pension costs & state fiscal issues (called by Gov. Bevin)
2021 September 7 – September 9, 2021 COVID-19 / emergency orders session (called by Gov. Beshear)
