The Kentucky General Assembly's primary and constitutional responsibility every two years is to fund the agency's operations and functions of state government and supported activities more than $100 billion biennial state budget, which includes general restricted and federal funds, is now in route to the governor's office.

Budget negotiators struck a deal in the sessions waning days and a final vote was awarded on this 58th day of the 60 day session.

Our Clayton Dalton has more on House Bill six, the executive branch budget.

As we began tonight's legislative update.

The state budget is a big bill.

It's over 250 pages and funds a wide variety of projects and industries, public safety and law enforcement, social welfare services, infrastructure plans, mental and physical health programs.

The list goes on and on.

But the largest line item in the state budget is public education.

Over $12 billion will go toward schooling over two years.

Still, some state senators say Kentucky is missing out on an opportunity to do more.

We see more and more states moving toward direction of getting four year olds in school.

I think we're missing a missing a real opportunity in this state to advance our education system and advance our children more importantly.

By not funding universal pre-K. Another item missing from the budget mandated teacher pay raises.

It confounds me and confuses me that we can't find the guy in the will and the way to fund those professionals who educate our children and grandchildren.

And I don't understand with the excess amount of money that we have, why we couldn't come close to or at least try to achieve the 11% teacher salary raise asked for by the governor.

The funding formula for public education, it's called SEEK.

And the Senate president says the increases they've made to seek funding will help school districts across the state.

This is an effective 9.18% increase in the seek by itself.

I ran it by and we did several superintendents.

Now, I may get in pressure to say otherwise, but the ones I know on what I would call a middle of the road school have told me, Hey, look, we think we can do a five and five.

Well, that's an effective ten and a quarter percent increase inside the SEEK formula.

Plus we increase the funding for transportation to 90%.

The 100%.

That's another factor that people aren't considering.

This is a solid budget.

It is the best budget that has been proposed or passed by the General Assembly.

Although Senate Democrats say they believe the budget should go further, they ultimately supported House Bill six.

The only dissent came from within the majority party.

The House was the next and final step for the budget, and House Democrats weren't as fond.

There is not enough investment in early childhood education to prevent achievement gaps at the kindergarten level that are almost impossible to undo.

There's not enough investment in child care to keep our child care centers from closing or to see families from seeing massive tuition increases.

We don't have to vote for something because someone worked very hard on it.

If it is not worthy of our constituents.

And this budget is not worthy of my constituents.

Almost all Republicans like the budget.

They say it's balanced and appropriate and that it makes the investments we need.

We've got 100 people in this chamber and we could all sit down and write a hundred different versions of the budget.

But we're not here to get everything we might want.

We're here to come up and compromise and work together for the good of the Commonwealth.

This is a budget that gives historic funding.

The K 12 education.

We're not going to always agree on the budget, but we have a constitutional responsibility to pass a balanced budget for the people of the Commonwealth.

Kentucky.

Every two years I proudly vote yes.

Even with opposition in the House.

The state budget met final passage today and will be delivered to the governor for his signature or line item veto.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Clayton Dalton.

Thank you, clayton.

Earlier today, Governor Andy Beshear offered a mixed assessment of the state budget that's headed his way.

So I would say I am currently disappointed that there is not mandated teacher raises in universal pre-K.

But I want to wait until I get House Bill one.

I'm hoping that it will fill in a gap for Medicaid, which could be an issue if it doesn't.

But but a lot of a lot of things got better in this budget.

But still, we have got to get our educators a real raise if we're going to be competitive with other states.

A short time ago, the state Senate okayed the negotiated measure on one time investments embodied in House Bill one.

Lawmakers are breaking for dinner and we'll get back to work later tonight for the House to act on that.

The Senate did give final passage to House Concurrent Resolution 81, which is the task force to do a top to bottom examination of the Jefferson County Public School District, Deals on the revenue measure and transportation budget and road plan are also expected to be finalized tonight.

We'll have more on those measures on tomorrow night's broadcast.