2021 Kentucky General Assembly Concludes
The Kentucky General Assembly worked late into the night on the final day of its annual legislative session on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, passing a flurry of bills. When the dust settled the legislature overrode all but three of the bills vetoed by Governor Andy Beshear, with 24 bills becoming law. Included in the 24 overrides was the KRWA-backed House Bill 272, which allows utilities to charge late payment fees on delinquent customers.
The legislature also voted to override most of the “line item” vetoes the governor issued in the state budget appropriations bill, House Bill 192, including provisions that prevent the governor from spending any of the $2.4 billion in federal funds that the state is set to receive from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).
The legislature passed three bills on Tuesday appropriating $1.1 billion of funds the state received as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Senate Bill 36 provides $250 million in ARPA funds to support a grant program for drinking water and sewer projects that will be administered through the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA). While the full amount of ARPA dollars were not appropriated during the session, last-minute appropriations were made and House Bill 382 provided among other things; emergency funds for ice storm damage response, and additional funds for extension of broadband services in the Commonwealth.
Overall, the 2021 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly had positive outcomes for Kentucky’s water and wastewater utilities. Please don’t forget to thank your legislators for their support during the session. We also wish to thank everyone who contacted their legislators (some multiple times) during this tough session. Our success in the General Assembly comes through the actions you take in telling our story!
The final KRWA Bill Tracking Report contains only the tracked bills that passed through the legislature and will become law, either immediately if passed under emergency procedures, or in 90 days after the end of the session.
Please visit our legislative liaison page for complete coverage.