FRANKFORT, Ky. — After postponing his State of the Commonwealth address following Wednesday's violent unrest in Washington D.C., Gov. Andy Beshear shared his proposals with a joint session of the the General Assembly on Thursday.

Beshear's proposed budget focuses heavily on unemployment and small business relief. It also includes raises for educators and state employees, as well as increased funding for K-12 and higher education — all with no tax increases or spending cuts.

One of the boldest proposals Beshear introduced was a $47.5 million rehaul of the state's unemployment system that has not updated since the 1970s. Beshear also hopes to send $1,000 to any Kentuckian who has filed for unemployment benefits by Oct. 31, but have not yet received anything.

The budget features three pillars that Beshear said would ensure Kentucky leads the nation in the post-COVID economy: Immediate Relief to Families and Businesses Harmed During the Pandemic, Investing in Our People, and Investing Boldly in Our Future.

“To achieve our goal of a better Kentucky, all branches of government must be prepared to take bold action,” Gov. Beshear said. “We have not had this much opportunity for new investment in our people and our future in a generation. Let’s make it count. Let’s have courage. Let’s be bold. Let’s not fumble the opportunity.”

But before the budget proposal, Beshear held a moment of silence for the more than 2,770 Kentuckians lost to COVID-19. 

Beshear said the "selfless actions" of most Kentuckians — along with crucial steps taken by his administration — help suppress three waves of widespread infection and saved thousands of lives.

“You don’t have to take my word for it,” Beshear said. “You can look at the devastating experiences in states that failed to take the same aggressive steps we have to stop this deadly virus. Adjusted for population, we have suffered less than half the number of deaths as the people of Tennessee and less than one-fourth the number of deaths as the citizens of North and South Dakota."

State Budget Director John Hicks said Beshear's budget proposal is structurally sound, fiscally responsible, and utilizes $600 million in one-time funds. The budget also adheres to the revenue estimates of the Consensus Forecasting Group and it does not rely on new taxes, new revenue measures or spending cuts.

With the state's future in mind, the third pillar of Beshear's "Better Kentucky Budget" invests $272 million in infrastructure and job creation across Kentucky.

“The shock of COVID-19 has brought on our current transformational period, and how we lead in the next year will dictate whether Kentucky simply recovers back to the old normal or, instead, takes its place among the most productive and innovative states in the union,” Beshear said.

Toward the end of his nearly 30-minute address, Beshear urged lawmakers to work together in supporting all Kentucky families, setting politics aside and finally taking COVID-19 seriously.

The governor said there are several issues that Republicans and Democrats can agree on, adding that he looks forward to working with Senate President Robert Stivers, House Speaker David Osborne, and every member of the General Assembly.

“We get to decide how history looks back on us in 10, 20 or 50 years. This is our chance. Let’s think and act differently so we can get different and better results.”

Bryce Shreve is a digital producer with Spectrum News 1 KY. He is a recent graduate of Indiana University Southeast and joined the staff in November 2020.