Beshear signs bills to appropriate federal relief money

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has signed bills directing federal pandemic relief money for some big-ticket priorities. Those items include clean-water projects and repayment of a federal unemployment insurance loan. Beshear said Wednesday the federal aid offers a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for long-term investments to attract businesses, create jobs and improve quality of life for many Kentuckians. State government in Kentucky is expected to eventually receive about $2.6 billion in federal aid. Republican Senate President Robert Stivers says the investments create “an economic dynamic for future expansion.” The spending measures passed shortly before this year’s legislative session ended.