Lawmakers react after Bevin vetoes budget and tax reform bills

One day after Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin vetoed bills outlining the state budget and a tax reform, lawmakers are reacting.

These two bills are among several others vetoed by Bevin and will now go back to the general assembly for a vote.

There are only two days left in this legislative session (Friday and Saturday), but one Republican lawmaker says it's not a setback.

"I'm not sure that it really sets back that much. I think every time a bill's passed, especially one where it may be controversial to somebody, it has the opportunity to be vetoed, and so I think that's just part of the regular process. There's a lot of work in there. You always know that when you pass one of those that there's a possibility the governor will either line item veto or veto the entire bill, and in this case he chose to veto the entire bill, so I don't think that was necessarily a surprise," said Kentucky District 23 Rep. Steve Riley.

Across the aisle one democratic member of the state House of Representatives says these past few months have been productive, and show how the legislature can work for the people they represent by listening to them and letting the process play out.

"I think this was really a good session to see democracy in action, and we had lots of people there talking to us about legislation, and we appreciate the work that the governor's done in reviewing it and seeing fit to veto it. Now the legislature will just come back together and see what they think about that. I'm very hopeful that when we get to Saturday night we can back away and say that we've done our job," said Kentucky District 22 Rep. Wilson Stone.

Gov. Matt Bevin has cited fiscal responsibility for the reasoning behind his vetoes of the two major bills.

He also says the pension reform bill does not come close to addressing the state's deficit, but he has neither vetoed nor signed that bill.