House overrides governor's veto of education bill after lawmaker warns of for-profit sweep

The Kentucky House voted to pass Senate Bill 263 over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto after brief floor debate that focused on whether the measure could allow for-profit entities to retain large portions of public funds.

The clerk read the governor's veto message. A member identified on the floor as the representative from Jefferson (Representative, Jefferson 32) said she supported the governor’s veto, urging colleagues to sustain it because the bill could allow a for-profit company to "come in, take all the money, 100% sweep, keep everything that they don't spend," a model she said "is not the best model for an education system." She said "I urge you to vote to support the governor's veto."

The House then voted to pass the bill notwithstanding the veto. As announced on the floor by the clerk, the recorded tally from the transcript was 75 members voting with 15 members voting nay; the clerk announced Senate Bill 263 "the governor's veto notwithstanding, is finally passed." The enrollment committee later reported the bill ready for enrollment.

Why it matters: The override puts the bill forward in spite of gubernatorial objections and floor admonitions about private-sector involvement in public education funding. Supporters of the bill framed the measure as a policy change for education (details of the legislation as read in committee were not provided in the floor transcript), while the opposing floor speaker warned of the risk that private entities could take a large share of public funds under the bill.

Next steps: The House applied the usual enrollment steps; the bill will be forwarded for enrollment and any subsequent steps required by statute.