Senate notes: Thayer says public will condemn delay on pension reform; says gambling is "nowhere"

Waiting for a special session to take on pension reform will only make Kentuckians mad and tying tax reform to any retirement system fixes is a risky gambit, said Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer.

Thayer told reporters after the Senate adjourned Tuesday evening that Senate Republicans think it would be a mistake to end the 2013 regular session without making changes to the Kentucky Retirement System that is about five years away from going bust.

House Democrats are preparing a bill that would outline revenue sources to pay for one of the key components of the reforms outlined in the Senate’s version of the pension bill: fully funding the state’s payment into the KRS. Here’s what Thayer said:

Thayer pointed to the lack of appetite among House Democrats and Gov. Steve Beshear to take on the casino gambling issue in the session.

Thayer said gambling “is nowhere,” and that it’s “disappointing” that the governor hasn’t been able to convince a House Democrat to sponsor the bill. On Tuesday, Republican Rep. David Osborne of Prospect introduced a casino gambling measure.

Earlier in the day, Beshear told reporters revenue from casino gambling is “not part of this discussion” about fixing the pension system.

- Video produced by Don Weber and Ryan Alessi