The Kentucky Legislature took an historic step today by voting to repeal the largely unpopular and unsuccessful legislation that required taxpayer funding of gubernatorial campaigns in the Commonwealth.  Senate Bill 112, sponsored by Senator Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown), will now be sent to the Governor’s desk for consideration after the Senate concurred with amendments that the House of Representatives attached to the bill last week.

Secretary of State Trey Grayson, the state’s chief election officer and a principal proponent of the bill, lauded the efforts of the General Assembly and in particular Senator Damon Thayer, Chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, and House Elections and Intergovernmental Affairs Chairman Rep. Adrian Arnold (D-Mount Sterling) for their strong bi-partisan support of the legislation. 

“Kentucky citizens have been passionate about their desire to rid Kentucky of this blight on our election system,” stated Secretary of State Trey Grayson.  “Taxpayer funded political campaigns did not achieve what they set out to do.  The experiment failed.  The efforts of Senator Thayer and a host of other strong proponents in the legislature will ensure that Kentucky citizens’ opinions are heeded, and that we will never again waste taxpayer dollars on subsidizing politicians.”

Secretary Grayson testified on behalf of the bill in front of the Senate State and Local Government Committee earlier in the session.

The issue has been brought to the forefront of legislative issues in recent sessions of the General Assembly.  In 2002, budget negotiations stalled over whether to include funding for the program in the biennial budget.  Fortunately for Kentucky taxpayers, the 2003 General Assembly placed the interests of taxpayers before those of their fellow political brethren by declining to allocate funds for these campaign subsidies.  Although the legislature refused to allow taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns, the framework of the laws had not been repealed.

 “When given the choice of funding education or healthcare for our citizens, or using taxpayer dollars to purchase attack ads and bumper stickers, I think the choice is clear.  This repeal is long overdue, and I look forward to Governor Fletcher receiving this bill for his signature.”

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