He may be right. Although nobody has seen the budget bill produced by the conference committee early this morning, word has spread to lawmakers, lobbyists and the news media that the plan includes no water, sewer, road or other projects. That's not sitting well with eastern Kentucky house members who want their coal severance tax dollars designated for projects in their districts. And it's not sitting well with house members like Rep. Larry Belcher of Bullitt County who voted for tax increases and a House budget that included needed projects in his district. The compromise budget plan has none.

Stumbo says those members who already voted for a 25 cent per pack hike in the cigarette tax and a new sales tax on some services have "been hung out to dry" by House leaders who left the conference committee room without anything to show their members for the tough vote on taxes. Stumbo says he's not voting for the budget bill and hopes other house members don't either, forcing House and Senate leaders to get back to the bargaining table.

Lobbyists for the powerful KEA are also telling members not to vote for the budget because it includes just one percent annual raises for teachers and, apparently, less money for school districts to spend on textbooks and operating expenses.
House Speaker Jody Richards admits that it might be tough to round up enough votes to pass a budget but says, at the end of the day, leaving Frankfort with a state budget is the most important duty lawmakers have. The new fiscal year begins July 1st.

Legislative staff members have been marking up and rewriting the budget bill all day and hope to get it to the printer sometime late tonight or early in the morning. That would give lawmakers just a few hours to review it before they vote on it sometime before midnight Wednesday.