Ahead of a ruling from the Kentucky Supreme Court, state Attorney General Andy Beshear said Gov. Matt Bevin is “fear-mongering” about the prospect of overturning a pension reform bill that was approved this year.
“When Senate Bill 151 was passed, he said it was hardly a drop in the bucket,” Beshear told the Daily News on Tuesday while in Bowling Green for the Kentucky Jailers Association Winter Conference. “Now he’s claiming that if he doesn’t win his court case that western civilization will collapse.”
On Monday, during a stop in Glasgow, Bevin warned of the potential fallout should the court overturn the pension reform legislation. Beshear filed a lawsuit over the legislation, and Bevin appealed to the state Supreme Court after a Franklin Circuit Court judge ruled the bill unconstitutional.
“If the Supreme Court strikes down the legislature’s ability to change the pension system, watch what happens to Kentucky’s credit rating,” Bevin said Monday at the T.J. Samson Health Pavilion.
While imperfect, Bevin said SB151 is a step toward fixing a pension system he described as “the worst funded in the history of the world.”
“It does stop the bleeding,” Bevin said. “It will allow us time to make structural changes that are needed.”
Beshear disagrees.
“The facts are that SB151 was passed in an unconstitutional manner where an 11-page sewer bill was turned into a 291-page pension bill and rammed through in six hours without the public having one chance to comment,” Beshear said. “That is the legislature and the governor acting in the dark of night instead of the light of day. Any solution to any problem has to first be legal.”
Beshear, a Democrat, is running for governor next year. Bevin, a Republican, is seeking re-election.
During a wide-ranging interview in which he discussed several of his possible priorities as governor, Beshear recommended expanding gambling as a way to fund the pension system.
“Kentuckians spend more than $1 billion of their entertainment dollars at out-of-state casinos alone,” he said, adding the state loses more than $500 million in taxable revenue to other states.
The addition of casino gambling, sports betting and other changes could add $10 billion to the pension fund over 20 years, he said.
As governor, Beshear said he would also continue suing drug companies he blames for Kentucky’s crippling opioid epidemic.
“We now lose 30 Kentuckians a week to a fatal overdose, and those are family, friends. Everybody’s been touched now,” he said.
His office is currently litigating nine opioid lawsuits, eight of which were filed this year.
“One of the things we’re doing is holding accountable those that have profited in the hundreds of billions of dollars from the devastation that’s been caused to our communities,” he said.
If elected, Beshear said he would expand efforts his office has found effective, such as an opioid disposal program.
“We know the driving source behind new addiction is in people’s medicine cabinets, not on our streets,” he said.
Beshear also suggested better warnings for patients who are prescribed opioids, better prevention programs for children and more money for treatment programs, among other steps.
Beshear pushed back on the implementation of Bevin’s Medicaid waiver beginning in April. The waiver requires some able-bodied people to complete work, training or volunteer requirements to receive benefits. It contrasts with a Medicaid expansion led by then-Gov. Steve Beshear, who is Andy Beshear’s father.
As governor, Andy Beshear said he would “absolutely” roll back the implementation of work requirements. He described expanded Medicaid as crucial to the success of Kentucky’s rural hospitals and clinics and said it’s ultimately a cost-saver for the state.
“Everyone pays too much for health care right now. Everyone pays too much for prescription drugs,” he said. “As governor, I’m going to be aggressive to find every opportunity we can to lower everyone’s cost for health care.”
– Follow education reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter @BGDN_edbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.
– Follow education reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter @BGDN_edbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.
