Archive for June 23rd, 2010

2 Ky. lawmakers return wages for special session

By ROGER ALFORD – Associated Press Writer

FRANKFORT — Two Kentucky lawmakers have returned more than $2,500 to the state treasury, refusing to be paid for a weeklong special legislative session held last month.

Gov. Steve Beshear called lawmakers back to Frankfort in May to pass a state budget after they failed to do so during a regular legislative session that ran from January to April.

Democratic state Reps. Jim Wayne of Louisville and Melvin Henley of Murray were the only ones out of 138 lawmakers who have returned their wages to the state treasury, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request.

“I just feel like we should have gotten the budget done during the regular session,” Henley said Wednesday. “I just felt like it wasn’t right to take a salary for something we should have already done.”