Kentucky GOP lawmakers promoting state funding during tour stops

Blue Grass Airport was the site Thursday for Senate Republicans to recognize state funding coming to Fayette County. It’s part of a statewide GOP tour to talk about appropriating money.

All totaled it’s more than a hundred million dollars coming to the central Kentucky area for a variety of projects. In his remarks, Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer said GOP-led legislative redistricting established seven people representing the second-largest city in Kentucky.

“And you’re seeing some of the benefits of that today because you’ve got more people advocating for Lexington than at any time in this city’s or county’s history,” said Thayer.

Figures announced last week showed Kentucky ended the fiscal year with the largest General Fund surplus on record. Thayer said lowering income taxes can still result in bigger surpluses.

“When you create more jobs you create more people paying taxes. People are then spending more money. And so, we see the sales tax increase because of them having more money in their pockets and they’re willing to spend more of it,” said Thayer.

The funds coming to Fayette County include $40 million for nuclear energy research at UK, $11 million for building a Livestock Innovation Center at UK’s Oran Little Research Farm, and $10 million for Lexington’s Transformational Housing effort.

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