{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Some 200,000 state and local government retirees had been slated to receive 1.5 percent increases, but House lawmakers, faced with tight finances, are recommending those hikes be suspended. Representative Rick Rand, D-Bedford, chairman of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, says he expects his committee to vote on the state's proposed two-year, $19.5 billion budget Tuesday, and a House floor vote could come as soon as Wednesday. Governor Steve Beshear presented a budget proposal to lawmakers in January. House lawmakers recommended several adjustments to that proposal, including cutting about $32 million from the proposed judicial branch budget over the next two years. House lawmakers proposed nearly $4.3 million over the next two fiscal years to expand the state's prescription drug monitoring program, known as KASPER. House lawmakers also proposed an additional $5 million a year for the "Meals on Wheels" program that provides hot meals to needy senior citizens and an additional $250,000 to the Kentucky Division of Water to hire additional personnel to review applications for mine permits. Beshear and lawmakers have steadfastly refused to consider tax increases to bolster revenue, saying that could further damage the state's still fragile economy.
