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AN ACT making appropriations for the operations, maintenance, and support of the 1
Legislative Branch of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 2
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 3
Section 1. The Legislative Branch Budget is as follows: 4
PART I 5
OPERATING BUDGET 6
Funds Appropriations: Funds are appropriated to the Legislative Research 7
Commission for the Legislative Branch of government out of the General Fund and 8
Restricted Funds accounts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 9
2025, and for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026, in the 10
following discrete sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary. Each appropriation is 11
made by the source of respective fund or funds accounts to be used for the purposes of 12
the Legislative Branch of government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 13
A. LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 14
Budget Units 15
2024-25 2025-26 16
1. General Assembly 17
General Fund 23,616,800 25,600,400 18
Restricted Funds 75,000 175,000 19
TOTAL 23,691,800 25,775,400 20
(1) Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission: Included in the above General 21
Fund appropriation is $567,700 in each fiscal year of the 2024-2026 fiscal biennium for 22
the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission. Included in the above Restricted Funds 23
appropriation is $75,000 in fiscal year 2024-2025 and $175,000 in fiscal year 2025-2026 24
for the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission. 25
(2) Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center: Notwithstanding KRS 26
7B.010 to 7B.090, operation of the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center and its 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1016
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governing board shall continue to be suspended effective July 1, 2024, and shall remain 1
suspended for the 2024-2026 fiscal biennium or until funding is restored. No funds are 2
appropriated for the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center for fiscal year 2024-3
2025 and fiscal year 2025-2026. 4
(3) Pension Benefit Increase: Notwithstanding KRS 6.521(3), no pension 5
benefit increase shall be granted to recipients of a retirement allowance under KRS 6.500 6
to 6.577 on July 1, 2024. 7
2024-25 2025-26 8
2. Legislative Research Commission 9
General Fund 65,024,800 66,183,100 10
(1) Legislative Record: Notwithstanding KRS 7.105, distribution of the final 11
issue of the Legislative Record and the interim Legislative Record shall be suspended 12
effective July 1, 2024. 13
TOTAL - OPERATING BUDGET 14
2024-25 2025-26 15
General Fund 88,641,600 91,783,500 16
Restricted Funds 75,000 175,000 17
TOTAL 88,716,600 91,958,500 18
Unexpended Balance: Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, any unexpended balance 19
remaining at the close of fiscal year 2023-2024 shall not lapse but shall continue into 20
fiscal year 2024-2025, and any unexpended balance in any succeeding fiscal year shall 21
not lapse but shall continue into the following fiscal year. 22
TOTAL - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH BUDGET 23
2024-25 2025-26 24
General Fund 88,641,600 91,783,500 25
Restricted Funds 75,000 175,000 26
TOTAL 88,716,600 91,958,500 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1016
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PART II 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS 2
1. Expenditure Authority: The Director of the Legislative Research 3
Commission, under the supervision of the Legislative Research Commission, may expend 4
any of the funds appropriated for legislative operation and administration in any lawful 5
manner and for any legal purpose consistent with the policies and practices of the 6
Commission. No executive agency or statute governing the executive agencies of state 7
government shall have the power to restrict or limit the actions of, or the expenditure of 8
funds appropriated to, the Legislative Research Commission for the Legislative Branch of 9
government. 10
2. Capitol and Capitol Annex Capital Construction Expenditures: Any 11
expenditure authorized by the Director of the Legislative Research Commission, under 12
the supervision of the Legislative Research Commission, relating to implementation of 13
KRS 56.463(4)(b), or relating to the Capitol Building, and funded by previous or current 14
appropriations to the Legislative Research Commission for the Legislative Branch of 15
government shall not be governed by KRS 7A.010, 7A.120, 45.750 to 45.810, 16
48.010(16), 48.020, and 48.110. 17
3. Severability of Budget Provisions: Appropriation items and sums in this Act 18
conform to KRS 48.311. If any section, any subsection, or any provision thereof shall be 19
invalid or unconstitutional, the decision of the courts shall not affect or impair any of the 20
remaining sections, subsections, or provisions. 21
4. Duplicate Appropriation: Any appropriation item and sum in this Act and in 22
an appropriation provision in another Act of the 2024 Regular Session of the General 23
Assembly which constitutes a duplicate appropriation shall be governed by KRS 48.312. 24
5. Priority of Individual Appropriations: KRS 48.313 shall control when a 25
total or subtotal figure in this Act conflicts with the sum of the appropriations of which it 26
consists. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1016
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6. Appropriations Revisions: Notwithstanding KRS 48.630(10), no revisions 1
for unbudgeted Restricted Funds appropriations for expenditure shall be allotted or 2
expended that have not been appropriated in any enacted branch budget bill or without 3
the express authority of the General Assembly. 4
7. Allowance in Lieu of Stationery: Notwithstanding KRS 6.220, in lieu of 5
stationery, there shall be allowed to each member of the House of Representatives the 6
sum of $350 and to each member of the Senate the sum of $650. This allowance shall be 7
paid out of the State Treasury at the beginning of each legislative session. 8
8. Salary Adjustments: In each fiscal year, employees of the Legislative 9
Research Commission shall receive a salary adjustment in accordance with the salary 10
adjustment provided to state employees in the state/executive branch budget. 11
9. Administrative Expenses: Pursuant to KRS 21.540, administrative expenses 12
shall be paid out of an administrative account which shall be funded by transfers of the 13
necessary moneys, in appropriate ratio, from the funds provided for in KRS 21.550 and 14
21.560. 15
10. Employee Layoffs, Furloughs, and Reduced Hours: Notwithstanding any 16
statute to the contrary, the following process and procedure is established for July 1, 17
2024, through June 30, 2026, in the event that the Legislative Research Commission 18
(LRC) determines that it is desirable for the Director of the LRC to layoff, furlough, or 19
reduce hours of employees: 20
(1) For the purposes of this section: 21
(a) "Appointing authority" means the Director of the LRC, in his or her capacity 22
as provided in KRS 7.090, or any agent whom he or she has delegated to act on his or her 23
behalf with respect to employee appointments, position establishments, payroll 24
documents, reemployment requests, waiver requests, requests for certification, or other 25
position actions for the LRC; 26
(b) "Furlough" or "reduction in hours" means the temporary reduction of hours an 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1016
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employee is scheduled to work by the appointing authority within a pay period; 1
(c) "Layoff" means discharge of employment subject to the rights contained in 2
this section; and 3
(d) "Employees" includes all persons employed by the LRC; 4
(2) Upon an order by the LRC, the appointing authority has the authority to layoff 5
or furlough employees or reduce hours of employment for any of the following reasons: 6
(a) Lack of funds or budgetary constraints; 7
(b) A reduction in the agency’s spending authorization; 8
(c) Lack of work; 9
(d) Abolishment of a position; or 10
(e) Other material change in duties or organization; 11
(3) The appointing authority shall determine the job classifications affected and 12
the number of employees laid-off in each classification to which a layoff applies. In the 13
same department or office and job classification, interim and probationary employees 14
shall be laid-off before any full-time or part-time employees are laid-off. For purposes of 15
layoff, "probationary employee" does not include an employee serving a promotional 16
probation; 17
(4) The Director of the LRC shall approve and implement all actions taken under 18
subsection (2) of this section and no such layoff, furlough, or reduction of hours may 19
begin until such approval has been granted. The Director of the LRC has the authority to 20
determine the extent, effective dates, and length of any action taken under subsection (2) 21
of this section; 22
(5) In determining the employees to be laid-off, the appointing authority shall 23
consider all employees under the same appointing authority and within the job 24
classification affected. Consideration shall be given to the following relevant factors: 25
(a) Job performance evaluations; 26
(b) Seniority; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1016
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(c) Education, training, and experience; and 1
(d) Disciplinary record; 2
(6) Any employee whose position is subject to layoff, furlough, or reduction of 3
hours shall be provided written notice containing the reason for the action as set forth in 4
subsection (2) of this section at least 15 days in advance of the effective date of the 5
action; 6
(7) Any employee who is laid-off shall be eligible to apply as a reemployment 7
applicant for positions with the same job classification in the LRC. For a period of two 8
years, a reemployment applicant shall be hired before any applicant except another 9
reemployment applicant with greater seniority who is on the same reemployment list. 10
When a reemployment applicant is removed from a reemployment list, he or she shall be 11
notified in writing. A reemployment applicant who accepts another LRC position, or who 12
retires, shall cease to have eligibility rights as a reemployment applicant; 13
(8) The appointing authority may place employees subject to a reduction in force; 14
(9) Furloughs or reduction of hours during a pay period shall not result in the loss 15
of eligibility for any benefit otherwise due the employee; 16
(10) The appointing authority shall have the authority to promulgate 17
comprehensive administrative regulations governing this section; and 18
(11) A layoff, furlough, or reduction of hours implemented in accordance with this 19
section shall not be considered a penalization of the employee. 20
PART III 21
BUDGET REDUCTION OR SURPLUS EXPENDITURE PLAN 22
The Legislative Branch shall participate in any Budget Reduction Plan or Surplus 23
Expenditure Plan in accordance with KRS Chapter 48, except that obligations essential to 24
the constitutional duties of the Legislative Branch shall be exempt from any Budget 25
Reduction Plan. The level of participation in a Budget Reduction Plan shall be at the 26
discretion of the Director and shall not exceed the actual percentage of revenue shortfall. 27