House Democrats meet on pensions, Medicaid

FRANKFORT, Ky. – About 40 members of the 100-member Kentucky House sat through two hours of technical briefings Tuesday – a special meeting House Speaker Greg Stumbo called as a valuable update on priority issues of pensions and Medicaid but that Republican Leader Jeff Hoover called a political charade.

"There's so much more to know and so many more questions that need to be answered," Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said before introducing legislative staff experts who briefed the lawmakers on investment returns of state pension systems and details of the Bevin administration's application for federal government approval of its plan to control the cost of Medicaid.

Hoover, of Jamestown, said in a news release Tuesday that the meeting was "purely political and a waste of taxpayer dollars." He noted that House Democrats had also scheduled a meeting of their caucus in Frankfort Tuesday afternoon as well as a fundraising event in Lexington Tuesday night.

Because Stumbo allowed members to claim a day of salary ($188.22) plus expenses for attending the meeting, Hoover said, "This shows House Democrats will abuse the system for their own political gain."

Read more: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-general-assembly/2016/08/30/house-democrats-meet-pensions-medicaid/89577096/