Family members of Kathy Kinney gather around her in a vehicle near her flooded home at Ramsey Mobile Home Park in Pikeville, Feb. 17, 2025. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said “productive conversations” between his administration and lawmakers in the Republican-controlled General Assembly about flood relief aid “are going on right now.”
During his weekly press conference Thursday, Beshear said his administration has “seen an incredible willingness” from lawmakers during the discussions and he anticipates legislation will be passed during the current session, meaning there would likely be no need for a special session in the coming months.
Last week, widespread floods and bitter winter weather killed 23 people in Kentucky. The state is no stranger to natural disasters. Since Beshear has been in office, Kentucky has been granted 13 federal declarations for aid.
The governor said he’s hoping to work with lawmakers on a new SAFE fund, or State Aid for Emergencies. Kentucky had SAFE funds to respond to 2021 tornadoes in Western Kentucky and 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky.
“Remember, the process is important because there were additions from legislative leaders that were really beneficial in how we put this together, both for the West and the East,” Beshear said.
Beshear said the new fund will be similar to the past SAFE funds, but he would like to see some differences. Particularly, he wants it to be easier to move money between pots of dollars to get it where it’s needed quickly. Debris removal efforts will also be different this time around, as the need is statewide and not localized to just one region.
The General Assembly’s top Republicans — House Speaker David Osborne and Senate President Robert Stivers — said Thursday afternoon Beshear administration officials have been asked to attend a joint session of the chambers’ Appropriations and Revenue Committees on Monday. However, the lawmakers gave different opinions about what they are looking for in terms of financial relief.
Osborne said the information gathered so far about damage “is not adequate.” He didn’t fault anyone for that, but said it’s “because people still don’t have a good grasp around what they’re dealing with yet.”
“We’re going to do the best we can before we leave here, knowing that you can’t get into a situation where you just start issuing blank checks,” the speaker said. “But at the same time, we need to make sure that every need is being addressed as closely as possible, and just do the best we can.”
Osborne added that if a special session is needed later in the year, “we certainly stand ready to do that.”
Meanwhile, Senate leaders have been briefed by some Beshear administration officials, Stivers said. That included preliminary data from the recent flood and comparison to previous ones.
“Discussions are very productive and (give) quite a bit more insight and understanding,” Stivers said.
Lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee heard an update from two Eastern Kentucky Republican senators about damage in their districts Wednesday morning. Sens. Phillip Wheeler and Scott Madon, said the initial assessments show millions of dollars in damages from the weather.
After the meeting, the committee chair, Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, told reporters “there will be something” on financial legislation but it was unclear what it would be as assessments were still ongoing.
The governor toured Pike and Knott counties in Eastern Kentucky Wednesday. During his Thursday update, Beshear said state-led intake centers in those counties have been visited by more than 1,000 people seeking assistance.
Two disaster recovery centers have been opened in Pike County, the governor added.
Beshear met with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler Wednesday evening in Frankfort after they surveyed flood damage in Eastern Kentucky by helicopter. Loeffler announced SBA disaster loans in counties affected by floods, including 11 Kentucky counties included in the disaster declaration.
Republican President Donald Trump approved expedited disaster assistance for individuals and local governments in 11 Kentucky counties — Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry and Pike. The approval FEMA announced Monday was for 10 counties and subsequently expanded to include Floyd County. The president approved an emergency declaration shortly after the flooding began on Feb. 14.