The Kentucky General Assembly approved a $212 million eastern Kentucky flood relief package on Wednesday during a special called session.
Gov. Andy Beshear, Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne announced the Eastern Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies $212.7 million relief package in the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday afternoon.
“Since the beginning of this natural disaster, I’ve been speaking with legislative leaders about the need for this special session,” Beshear said. “These conversations have been productive, because when it comes to helping Kentuckians during their time of need, our work isn’t bipartisan, it’s nonpartisan. To the people of eastern Kentucky: Today, we are once again showing you that we are with you and we’re going to be with you as long as it takes to rebuild.”
Beshear said the relief plan is much like the aid provided to help western Kentucky rebuild following last December’s tornadoes, and includes:
- $200 million from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund – the state’s $2.7 billion rainy day fund – to EKSAFE.
- $115 million of that $200 million will be provided to the Department of Military Affairs Division of Emergency Management to provide financial support to cities, counties, school districts, state agencies and nonprofit or public utility service providers located in areas named in the Presidential Declaration of a Major Disaster. The use of this portion includes reimbursement for services, personnel and equipment provided during the response and recovery phases; cost of replacement or repair of publicly owned buildings and their contents; and advancement of funds to local governments, utilities and school districts awaiting insurance claims and Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster assistance.
- $45 million to be provided to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s highways budget for the state matching funds to pay for bridge and road repairs and replacement.
- $40 million will be provided to the Department of Education for financial assistance to school districts to support repairs of school building facilities, additional transportation costs for displaced students and wrap-around services for schoolchildren and their families recovering from the impacts of the storms and flooding.
- Nearly $12.7 million in fiscal year 2022-2023 from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is earmarked for the eastern Kentucky relief package. These funds will go toward water and sewer infrastructure projects, the building of replacement school facilities and housing sites not previously used, but now designed to mitigate the risk of future flooding.
Assistance to school districts impacted by the flooding
The legislation will also provide the commissioner of education flexibility to waive up to 15 student attendance days through January 20, 2023, due to the flooding.
Under the bill’s provisions, a school district may temporarily assign students to remote instruction due to uninhabitable school buildings. Up to 20 days of remote instruction may be permitted, with safeguards. It also expedites the approval process for school district facility plans to renovate, repair and replace flood-damaged school buildings.
Finally, the bill would provide SEEK Funding Relief to both Eastern Kentucky flood-affected areas and Western Kentucky tornado-affected areas.
This bill also provides some additional spending flexibility for the Western Kentucky SAFE funds and extends the funding through June 30, 2026. So far, more than $67 million has been provided from this fund to help Western Kentucky cities, counties, utilities and schools with the costs of recovery.
“In this session, we are taking care of our eastern Kentucky communities – just like we did for western Kentucky – while also making sure they have the flexibility needed as they continue to rebuild,” Beshear said. “After many dark days in this emergency response, we are seeing a little more hope in the path forward toward stabilization and rebuilding.”
Kentucky lost at least 39 Kentuckians and thousands of families have lost everything due to the flooding.
(Photo of Gov. Andy Beshear and key lawmakers announcing eastern Kentucky relief package courtesy of Forward Kentucky)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
