Kentucky Senate Passes P3 Bill
Kentucky’s Senate has followed its House in passing a bill that would permit public-private partnerships, including those for transportation projects. The 29-9 vote in the Senate on March 24 followed an 83-11 vote by the House on Feb. 11. Democratic Rep. Leslie Combs, the lead sponsor of the House bill, is urging her colleagues to accept the Senate’s changes and send the legislation to Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.
Transport Topics had reported that Bevin was likely to sign Combs’ bill if it reached his desk with its exemption for the long-controversial Brent Spence Bridge that spans the Ohio River between Kentucky and Ohio. Combs told Transport Topics on March 30 that the only change the Senate made in her bill was to make sure that a possible bypass to the Brent Spence also was exempt. Combs also said that Bevin had been encouraging the Senate to pass the bill.
On Feb. 24, Bevin spokeswoman Jessica Ditto told Transport Topics, “The prohibition on tolling in the bill is consistent with the governor’s position on the Brent Spence Bridge project. He looks forward to the opportunity to sign a P3 bill, provided adequate safeguards remain to protect taxpayers."
Combs has been pushing P3 legislation for four years. The Kentucky Trucking Association supports enhanced transportation funding as long as existing infrastructure, such as the Brent Spence Bridge, isn’t tolled.
