FRANKFORT — Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, isn’t pleased with the way the final scheduled working days of the 2013 General Assembly ended without agreement on pension reform and some other key bills.

But he hasn’t entirely given up, although he believes it’s up to the Democratic-controlled House to determine the final outcome.

Lawmakers went home Tuesday night for a 10-day interim to give Gov. Steve Beshear time to review bills they passed and decide whether to veto any of them. The legislature will reconvene for two days on March 25 and 26 to consider overriding any such vetoes.

Stivers said the Republican-controlled Senate intends to stick to schedule — but if opportunities arise for compromise on pensions or a bill to make it easier for military personnel to cast absentee ballots and other measures, he’d be willing to consider those.

“Veto days are for vetoes,” Stivers said Wednesday, “but we won’t rule making an exception for something significant.”

Foremost in his mind is pension reform. Leadership from both parties and chambers has said they’re willing to discuss a compromise during the veto interim but the two sides remain far apart.

The Senate passed a reform package based on recommendations by a bi-partisan task force which would maintain existing benefits for current employees retirees; move new hires into a hybrid, cash-balance plan; and call for full funding of the system.

But the bill provides no specific source of funding, something House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, and Beshear have insisted must be passed.

Stivers said Wednesday that a previous attempt at shoring up the pensions, passed in a 2008 special session and touted by both chambers and Beshear at the time, also called for greater funding for the system but provided no dedicated revenue stream.

Of course that was five years and $1.6 billion in budget reductions ago.

Still, Stivers said, he and Republicans are willing to keep talking if the governor calls everyone to the table during the interim.

“I’m here today and I’m willing to meet at any time,” he said. “It’s my job; it’s what I’m paid to be doing.”

Stivers also hopes something can be worked out on the military voting bill, a goal of Democratic Secretary of State Alison Grimes.

She wanted to allow military personnel to return absentee ballots by email or electronic transmission, but county clerks and other raised concerns about internet security and the secrecy of the ballots and Stivers’ Senate Bill 1 did not include that provision or one to allow clerks to count ballots which arrived a couple of days after Election Day.

The House restored those provisions but so far the two sides haven’t reached a compromise. Stivers said he’s willing to study the issue of internet security, but thinks the legislature should pass his measure now and return to electronic return of ballots if a secure way to do it is developed.

“In theory and concept, we’re in agreement (with GrimesI,” said Stivers. “But in the execution we’ve got some slight differences.”

Stivers and Senate President Pro Tem Katie Kratz Stine, R-Southgate, said lawmakers will almost certainly override a Beshear veto of a bill which says an individual’s sincerely held religious beliefs can be overruled by state law only if there is a “compelling state interest.”

Some critics fear the measure would undermine fair housing and non-discrimination laws and ordinances. Beshear has said he’s listening to arguments from both sides of the issue and hasn’t yet decided if he’ll veto the measure.

But it only takes a simple majority — 51 in the House and 20 in the Senate — to override a gubernatorial veto under Kentucky’s constitution and the measure passed both chambers by wider majorities than those numbers.

Stine and Stivers again said the Senate operated this time in a more cooperative, open manner than in the past before Stivers became President.

Stine pointed out the Senate confirmed all but one of Beshear’s appointments and may yet confirm Sharon Clark as Insurance Commissioner. She and Stivers said they tried to communicate with Democrats in the House on various bills and were prepared to work out deals on those on which they hadn’t agreed.

“We’ve taken some fairly substantial legislation and worked it through the legislative process,” Stivers said. “But we don’t feel we got a lot of cooperation (from the House).”

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.