By Tony McVeigh, Kentucky Public RadioKentucky House and Senate budget negotiations continue for an eighth day in Frankfort.Budget conferees spent another five hours behind closed doors Tuesday night, with no final agreement.A weary Senate President David Williams told reporters he’s beginning to feel a bit more optimistic.“I think that we’ve made some real progress. And everybody’s working hard. Everybody’s tired. That’s not to say that people have always been agreeable on everything, but the conversation continues. And I’m more encouraged now about the probability of us getting something out in time, so that we can present it to the governor and reserve our right to override a veto,” Williams said.Time is running short for the conferees. In order to keep the 2010 session on schedule, House and Senate floor votes on the budget need to come by Friday and it takes around 30-hours to print the budget once an agreement is reached. The session must end by April 15th, including giving Gov. Beshear ten days, excluding Sundays, to consider possible vetoes.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
