News

The Kentucky House of Representatives passed House Bill 1 (HB1), their version of the Executive Branch budget last night. The House budget provides a large investment in higher education. While there was no increase in funding for our base appropriation, the House did include an additional $50 million in the performance funding pool in each year of the biennium. WKU will compete for those dollars through specific performance funding metrics. The House also provided $4.9 million in pension subsidy to cover the employer cost increase to Kentucky Employee Retirement System (KERS). Funding for the Gatton Academy and the Kentucky Mesonet remains intact with no changes.

HB1 also provides funding for much needed capital projects. The House included an asset preservation pool so that universities can begin to address years of deferred maintenance on our campuses. WKU is set to receive $34 million in asset preservation funding in the House budget. The budget also includes state funds to construct a new Gordon Ford College of Business. The universities have not received a state funded building since 2014.

This is the first step in a long budget process. HB1 was received in the Senate last night. The Senate will craft their version of the budget in the coming weeks, which will be voted on and sent back to the House to either concur or not concur. If the House does not concur with changes made in the Senate, the bill will go to a conference committee to work on a compromise budget. I will continue to keep the campus updated on any changes throughout the legislative session. Please email, Jennifer.breiwa.smith@wku.edu, or call, 270-745-6824, with any questions.