Rain didn’t stop the League of Women Voters from hosting their third annual Coffee With Legislators event Saturday morning, and it was well attended by both legislators and community members.
Senator Craig Richardson and Representatives Jason Petrie, Myron Dossett and Walker Thomas were all on hand, fielding questions from both the League and those in attendance—and it was a full house in the meeting room of the Holiday Inn by the Bruce Convention Center.
One of the main topics of discussions was about the income tax and the financial state of the Commonwealth as that income tax slowly makes it’s way down to zero percent. At least, that’s the goal of most legislators, and right now it’s set to decrease to 3.5 percent in January of 2026. As it has come down, however, there are worries that the state will lose out on necessary funding.
Representative Petrie contends that’s not the case—he says the ‘slow and steady’ approach to the lowering was for a reason, and that was to make sure the budget wouldn’t be negatively impacted.
All four say that, at the moment, there are no intentions on raising any other tax, such as the sales tax, to compensate, and Senator Richardson says he’s hopeful it’s not a conversation they’ll ever have.
On the subject of public education, an audience member asked about adjustments dealing with the teacher retirement system, and Representative Thomas clarified that it’s just a ‘housekeeping’ measure that’s meant to make minor changes.
When asked if they believe public education is adequately funded in Kentucky, Representative Petrie simply said yes. He says you have to look at the funding as a whole, and not just focus on the SEEK funding.
In the event that the United States Department of Education was abolished at the federal level, Representative Dossett says he would like to see the responsibility of how federal dollars are dispersed fall to the local level.
Many matters were discussed at the forum, from the ‘pink tax’–which is a tax on menstrual products—to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices on all levels, to exceptions on Kentucky’s current abortion laws and much more. You’ll be able to hear at least a good portion of the event on Don’t Be Afraid to Say It on Sunday morning at about 9 a.m. on 98.7 Lite FM.