Lawmakers begin special session for Eastern Kentucky flood relief

The money would be designed to help those affected by that flooding, including helping the area rebuild schools, bridges, and roads.

UPDATE 10:00 P.M.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – A flood relief bill was brought before the state legislature Wednesday in a special session called by Governor Andy Beshear. Lawmakers hope to have temporary flooding relief funding signed into law by Friday.

“Either this disaster is going to be the end of us or this disaster can be a catalyst that makes us start to examine everything that was causing eastern Kentucky to struggle and come up with a really good plan,” says House Minority Whip Representative Angie Hatton.

The Eastern Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies (EKSafe fund) aims to provide temporary relief until the regular session meets in January. It’s drafted to provide $212-million across 6 counties to start helping repair roads, schools and water and sewage systems devastated by July’s flood.

“Really, it doesn’t go that far, when you start stretching it,” says Hatton. “So it sounds like a large amount of money but really it’s nowhere near what we’re going to need to get eastern Kentucky back on its feet.”

Governor Beshear says like the relief funding in western Kentucky after the tornadoes, there will be an application process for flood victims for the relief money.

“Our goal since we’re here is to be getting those documents together and out to them. We want it to be days or week, not weeks in getting the dollars out,” says Beshear.

Beshear says the travel trailers will continue to be many people’s primary shelter for up to 6 months since the flooding and mudslides destroyed so many homes. Senate President Robert Stivers says in some expert’s estimations, this has been the worst recorded flooding in 600 years.

“That is the part that I don’t think people understand. You didn’t just have to be by the river to get damaged, you saw whole hillsides come down and wipe houses out,” says Senator Stivers.

The legislature is set to meet Thursday at 4 P.M. to read the bills a second time.

ORIGINAL STORY

FRANKFORT, Ky (WTVQ)- Kentucky lawmakers returned to Frankfort Wednesday to begin a special session. Their focus is to pass a relief bill for the people affected by last month’s flooding in eastern Kentucky.

The Kentucky House and Senate gaveled in at 3 p.m and are in the beginning stages of passing a temporary flood relief bill, called the Eastern Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies, or the EKSAFE fund. The draft provides about $212 million dollars to those affected.

Lawmakers say the funding bill would be similar to the one passed to help those affected by December’s western Kentucky tornado victims.

Representative Angie Hatton represents areas impacted, including Letcher County. She says the money will fill the gap until the 2023 regular session

The money is designed to help those affected by that flooding, including helping the area rebuild schools, bridges, and roads.

Following the adjournment of both chambers, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear joined Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne in a press conference. Beshear says the bill is a non-partisan effort.

“It’s going to be a long recovery. So we need a comprehensive plan. We need to use this as an opportunity because either this disaster is going to be the end of us or this disaster can be a catalyst that makes us start to examine everything that was causing eastern Kentucky to struggle and come up with a really good plan.”

Similar bills are making their way through the house and senate before culminating in a single bill. Lawmakers will then get that bill to the governor’s desk as soon as possible.

Lawmakers will reconvene Thursday at 4 p.m. for their bills second reading.