FRANKFORT — Gov. Paul Patton expects to present few major initiatives to the 2002 General Assembly. In fact, he says, just staying the course will be a significant achievement.

Patton

        “We're going to concentrate more on the good things we have done than on the things that we can't do,” Mr. Patton said.

        “And if we can maintain the momentum of what we've done, in these economic times, it may be one of the best accomplishments of our administration,” he said.

        Mr. Patton, the first two-term governor in nearly two centuries, heads into the last budget session of his administration with dramatically different expectations than he had barely 10 months ago. Then, the state was flush and Mr. Patton had big plans for initiatives that would have ranged from downtown revitalization and rural land conservation to reforming Kentucky's notoriously tricky tax system.

        An economy in the tank and a world at war with terrorism have dramatically changed his outlook.

        “I'm going to walk out of here not being able to do a lot of things I wanted to do,” Mr. Patton said.

        Within the boundaries of reduced resources and expectations, Mr. Patton said he will make some proposals.

        The topics will range from revising changes in workers' compensation programs for miners who suffer black lung disease, improving enforcement of seat belt laws, more regulations of mining for minerals other than coal, regulating electric power plants and ensuring the state does not pay too much for prescription drugs, either to drug companies or pharmacists.

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