Senate panel advances budget plan amid talk of virus impact

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican senators have unveiled their version of Kentucky’s next budget. The budget talk Wednesday turned to the impact the coronavirus will have on tax collections and spending needs. The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee advanced the revised spending plan, sending it to the full Senate. Passing the two-year state budget is the biggest job facing lawmakers amid the uncertainty of how long this year’s session will continue during the virus outbreak. Committee Chairman Chris McDaniel says the state faces the prospect of a “substantial decline” in tax revenues because of the economic slowdown caused by the virus.