By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday exercised his power to make line-item vetoes on two appropriations bills that were passed during the final day of the 2022 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

House Bill 92, sponsored by Rep. Danny Bentley, R-Russell, dealt with money the state would get from the National Prescription Opiate Litigation settlement at U.S. District Court in Cleveland, Ohio, involving drug-makers and distributors.

In his veto message, Beshear said, “I am vetoing these parts at the request of the office of the Attorney General, which asserts that a line-item veto is appropriate and necessary to protect the Commonwealth’s recent national settlement in opioid litigation, and future settlements.”

Governor makes line-item vetoes (Kentucky Today/file photo)

He said the AG’s office informed him that changes made on the last day of session could cause the state and local governments “to lose tens of millions of dollars they are currently eligible to receive under the national settlement.”

The Governor also used his line-item veto power on House Bill 604, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, establishing the Kentucky Center for Cannabis Research at the University of Kentucky, again due to changes made on the last session day.

In his review, the governor preserved the language creating the center. He said he used his line-item veto authority to broaden the center’s work and allow more leeway in picking an oversight board.

Reasons for the line-item vetoes, according to the governor, included:

• Requiring the Kentucky Department of Revenue to disclose federal tax information, in violation of federal law, to the General Assembly.

• Limiting the purpose of the Center and dictating who the UK president should appoint to the advisory board, after giving the UK president sole appointing power.

• Requiring the use of specified software from a specific company, a violation of the special legislation provision of the Kentucky Constitution.

• Withholding funds allocated to the Medicaid program in legislation already approved in the budget bill enacted earlier.

Because these vetoes were made after lawmakers adjourned, they cannot be overridden, and are final.