Governor Beshear’s veto period coming to an end

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - The clock is winding down for Governor Andy Beshear to sign legislation. The last day of the veto period is Tuesday.

The governor can either sign a bill into law, allow it to become law without his signature or veto the bill.

However, there are still a few big-ticket items in limbo.

More than 1,000 bills have been introduced this legislative session, and some noteworthy pieces of legislation are still awaiting the governor’s decision.

The first is the 2024 budget. Gov. Beshear is able to nit-pick a bit using what is called a line-item veto, or the ability to cancel specific provisions of a bill.

It is not a power that he has across all legislation.

“I certainly wish I had a line item on that one, and I also wish legislation like this would be broken into different parts and pieces,” said Gov. Beshear in a Team Kentucky briefing on April 4.

Gov. Beshear has not announced which way he will go on House Bill 5, also called the ‘Safer Kentucky Act.’ He said he approves of measures such as destroying guns used in murders and the stricter carjacking statute.

However, it is not an across-the-board approval.

“I have great concerns that it could criminalize homelessness and those that need mental health services, who instead face potential jail time,” said Gov. Beshear.

It has been a repetitive critique of the bill that sponsor Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, has pushed against.

“This version of House Bill 5 before us now does not make homelessness a crime,” said Rep. Bauman.

Another bill on the table is Senate Bill 2, which regards student safety.

The bill, in part, aims to address the shortage of school resource officers by allowing guardians to act as SROs.

“It’s a stop-gap measure because there’s just not enough SROs to go around, and we’re talking about the safety of our children here,” said Rep. Kevin D. Bratcher, R-Louisville.

However, some are concerned that discussions about the bill did not include the right voices.

“Law enforcement was missing; they were not at the table to come and say, ‘We enforce having these armed guardians in our school,’” said Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville.

Despite the concerns, SB2 was passed by a vote of 70-27.

Lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene on April 12 and April 15.

Notably, both chambers of the Kentucky state legislature contain overwhelming republican majorities, meaning a veto from the governor could be easily overridden.

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