The Kentucky Democratic Caucus, along with several Teamster groups throughout Kentucky, held a press conference Thursday to call on the General Assembly to include bonuses in the biennial budget for those professions that were put at high risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In his opening remarks, James DeWeese of Teamsters 89 said the essential workers kept Kentucky going during the pandemic.
“Let us thank each and every one of them with the hero pay they deserve,” Deweese said.
Among the Democratic caucus was Northern Kentucky Rep. Buddy Wheatley (D-Covington), the chair of the Kentucky House Democratic Caucus’ Essential Workers Work Group. Talks were held in December after Gov. Andy Beshear recommended the bonuses.
“There will never be enough premium pay to settle the debt we owe to those Kentuckians who performed on the front lines each day, each hour, every minute, to keep us all safe and healthy during the pandemic,” Wheatley said. “These bonuses, however, would be a good start.”
Wheatley, who also filed a resolution urging the General Assembly to include these bonuses, noted that the when Beshear called upon the House Democratic Caucus, the Republican majority in both chambers declined to participate in a workgroup that would help put together a plan to use the budget process. There has been roughly $400 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds given to the state.
“We formed this work group to listen to our frontline and essential support workers,” Wheatley said. “We held three days of hearings, two days in person and one virtual. We heard from approximately 250 individuals and groups representing 1.2 million workers in the state of Kentucky.”
The resolution details the process House members and the governor went through to release these funds, which also came from the CARES Act.
“This premium pay shall be awarded using guidelines issued by the US Dept of Treasury, with no state tax being deducted from the issued payments, and those payments be issued through a 2022-2024 biennial budget allocation,” the resolution reads.