Stumbo says he’s open to tax reform

On the heel sof his recent stinko idea...Greg Stumbo has now found a good idea to latch onto.

This from Bluegrass Politics:

A key lawmaker told members of the state House Tuesday that spending on schools, prisons and Medicaid likely will get chopped in the upcoming two-year state budget.

Those bedrock functions of government, which account for about two thirds of state General Fund spending, have been largely off-limits during five previous rounds of budget cuts since Gov. Steve Beshear took office in 2007.

After the pronouncement by House budget committee chairman Rick Rand, which came during a three-hour informational meeting for House members, House
Speaker Greg Stumbo said he is “not afraid” to consider tax reform to keep the state from making crippling cuts in education and human services.

Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said he believes the public and state lawmakers might embrace an overhaul of the state’s tax system to avoid huge cuts in education and human services.

Told by a reporter that Beshear and many legislators don’t seem to have an appetite for tax increases, Stumbo responded: “I don’t have an appetite to turn my back on the needs of our state.”...