House and Senate budget axe tourism development incentive program

FRANKFORT — In addition to axing a controversial film credit, both chambers in the General Assembly have raided a tourism development incentive, which can be used to develop cultural and historical sites and entertainment facilities, among other things.

The Kentucky Tourism Development Incentive was removed from the budget on purpose, Senate Budget Chair Chris McDaniel, R-Taylor Mill, told Pure Politics this week in an effort to find revenues for other budgeted items.

“It was definitely deliberate that it came out,” McDaniel said. “It was something that the House had included and consequently to put it back in would have caused us to book an additional hit to the revenue that we needed in order to get the budget to balance.”

McDaniel said the incentive could be put back into the budget during the free conference committee, which began Friday morning in Frankfort.