Beshear Signs Road Plan, Vetoes Projects in Williams's District

Governor Steve Beshear signed Kentucky’s six-year road plan this afternoon and vetoed several projects in the state's two-year road plan.According to a release from Beshear’s office, the line item vetoes in the two-year plan are only in Senate President David Williams's district. This comes on the heels of a public feud between the two politicians, with both accusing the other of political posturing.The governor's office further says the vetoes were necessary because Williams moved his projects to the front of the line.  Beshear says the vetoes weren't politically motivated and do not remove any projects from the plan, but rather make some of the projects in Williams’s district a lower priority, in the interest of fairness to other districts. "Senator Williams has essentially moved all his district’s road projects to the front of the line, forcing other projects that the Transportation Cabinet and other legislators considered high-priority to wait until additional funding becomes available. It’s unfair to the citizens, and it’s unfair to the rest of the lawmakers whose districts will suffer," he says.Lawmakers are in special session to consider a funding mechanism for the road plans and a bill cracking down on prescription drug abuse. Williams has pledged to withhold action on the two bills until Beshear acted on the unfunded road plans. Now, with the plan approved, Beshear says the General Assembly should be able to finish the special session by Friday.