FRANKFORT, Ky. — One of the many bills lawmakers did not act on before the veto break would spend millions for tornado relief in western Kentucky, but supporters say they will approve it.

Sen. Jason Howell (R-Murray), one of the primary sponsors of Senate Bill 150, said he’s confident lawmakers will pass the bill when lawmakers return on April 13. The delay in getting money for western Kentucky passed, he said, is because of federal rules.

“This is one of those frustrating things where we need things to happen now but they almost need to happen slowly at the same time,” Howell said.

Howell said FEMA has been great to work with and handled a lot of issues the area faced after multiple deadly tornadoes in December

“That being said, the process is a byzantine, federal bureaucratic process, and it takes an enormous amount of time,” he said.

The state received final guidance from FEMA earlier this month on how to spend state dollars, so over the veto break, Howell and other lawmakers in both the House and Senate will hammer out the details.   

“We really need to get this money allocated, but even more so, we need to make sure we do this right,” he said.

Howell said part of the negotiations will include some money to help businesses and local governments that have spent a lot to clean up.

“It’s just been crushing to so many people in different aspects of their lives,” he said. “They need to be building back now.”

And Howell said the dollar figure won’t be much of a debate, either: $146 million, just as the House approved on Tuesday.

“Insurance and FEMA covers a lot of the damage, but it’s not going to make people whole; make people complete,” he said.

Lawmakers have April 13 and April 14 to override vetoes and pass any other legislation before they adjourn for the year.