View source for Kentucky General Assembly

{{short description|Legislative branch of the state government of Kentucky}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox legislature
| name              = Kentucky General Assembly
| background_color  = {{party color|Republican Party (US)}}
| legislature       = [[2024 Kentucky General Assembly|2024 session]] (adjourned)
| coa_pic           = Seal_of_Kentucky.svg
| house_type        = Bicameral
| houses            = [[Kentucky Senate|Senate]]<br />[[Kentucky House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| term_length       =[[Kentucky Senate|Senate]] 4 years<br>[[Kentucky House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] 2 years
| term_limits       = None
| foundation        = May 26, 1845
| motto             = ''United we stand, divided we fall''
| leader1_type      = [[President of the Kentucky Senate|President of the Senate]]
| leader1           = [[Robert Stivers]]
| party1            = ([[Republican Party of Kentucky|R]])
| election1         = January 8, 2013
| leader2_type      = Senate Majority Leader
| leader2           = [[Damon Thayer]]
| party2            = ([[Republican Party of Kentucky|R]])
| election2         = January 8, 2013
| leader3_type      = [[Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]
| leader3           = [[David Osborne (politician)|David Osborne]]
| party3            = ([[Republican Party of Kentucky|R]])
| election3         = January 8, 2019
| leader4_type      = House Majority Leader
| leader4           = [[Steven Rudy]]
| party4            = ([[Republican Party of Kentucky|R]])
| election4         = January 5, 2021
| house1            = [[Kentucky Senate|Senate]]
| house2            = [[Kentucky House of Representatives|House]]
| structure1        = 2023 Kentucky Senate.svg
| structure1_res    = 250px
| structure2        = Kentucky House of Representatives 2022.svg
| structure2_res    = 250px
| salary            = $188.22/day + per diem (elected before January 1, 2023)
$203.28/day + per diem (elected after January 1, 2023)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/03/kentucky-government-salaries-what-governor-state-officials-are-paid/71328717007/ |title=How much do Kentucky's governor and other elected officials make? Here's a list |publisher=Louisville Courier-Journal |access-date=2024-01-17 }}</ref>
| members           = '''138''' voting members<br />
* 38 senators
* 100 representatives
| political_groups1 = {{Unbulleted list|class=nowrap
| {{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} [[Republican Party of Kentucky|Republican]] (31)
| {{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}} [[Kentucky Democratic Party|Democratic]] (7)
}}
| political_groups2 = {{Unbulleted list|class=nowrap
| {{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} [[Republican Party of Kentucky|Republican]] (80)
| {{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}} [[Kentucky Democratic Party|Democratic]] (20)
}}
| last_election1    = [[2024 Kentucky Senate election|November 5, 2024]]<br />(19 seats)
| last_election2    = [[2024 Kentucky House of Representatives election|November 5, 2024]]
| next_election1    = [[2026 Kentucky Senate election|November 3, 2026]]<br />(19 seats)
| next_election2    = [[2026 Kentucky House of Representatives election|November 3, 2026]]
| session_room      = U.S. Route 60 Frankfort, KY (23892062134).jpg
| session_res       = 275px
| redistricting     = Legislative control
| meeting_place     = [[Kentucky State Capitol]]<br />[[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]]
| website           = https://legislature.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx
| footnotes         =
}}
The '''Kentucky General Assembly''', also called the '''Kentucky Legislature''', is the [[state legislature (United States)|state legislature]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Kentucky]].  It comprises the [[Kentucky Senate]] and the [[Kentucky House of Representatives]].
The General Assembly meets annually in the state [[Kentucky State Capitol|capitol building]] in [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]], convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January. In even-numbered years, sessions may not last more than 60 legislative days, and cannot extend beyond April 15. In odd-numbered years, sessions may not last more than 30 legislative days, and cannot extend beyond March 30. Special sessions may be called by the [[Governor of Kentucky]] at any time and for any duration.
==History==
The first meeting of the General Assembly occurred in 1792, shortly after Kentucky was granted statehood. Legislators convened in [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], the state's temporary capital. Among the first orders of business was choosing a permanent state capital. In the end, the small town of Frankfort, with their offer to provide a temporary structure to house the legislature and a cache of materials for constructing a permanent edifice, was chosen, and the state's capital has remained there ever since.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/kidspage_04RS/general.htm |title=The General Assembly: Its History, Its Homes, Its Functions |author-link=James C. Klotter |last=Klotter |first=James |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |access-date=December 26, 2013 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233756/http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/kidspage_04RS/general.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
After women gained [[suffrage]] in Kentucky, [[Mary Elliott Flanery]] was elected to the Kentucky House of Representative from the 89th District, representing [[Boyd County, Kentucky]]. When Flanery took her seat in January 1922, she was the first female state legislator elected in Kentucky and the first female legislator elected south of the [[Mason–Dixon line]].<ref name="The Kentucky Encyclopedia">{{cite book|last=Powers|first=James C.|title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia|editor=John E. Kleber|publisher=The University Press of Kentucky|location=Lexington, Kentucky|year=1992|pages=323–324|isbn=0-8131-1772-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eFSK4o--M0C&q=Mary+Elliott+Flanery&pg=PA323|access-date=11 March 2010}}</ref>
[[Operation Boptrot]] led to the conviction of more than a dozen legislators between 1992 and 1995. The investigation also led to reform legislation being passed in 1993.<ref>{{cite book|title=A New History of Kentucky|author=[[Lowell H. Harrison|Lowell Hayes Harrison]], [[James C. Klotter]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=63GqvIN3l3wC&q=%22Operation+Boptrot%22&pg=PA422|year=1997|page=422 | isbn=978-0-8131-2008-9 | publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref>
===The Civil War===
{{further|Kentucky in the American Civil War}}
Due to the strong [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] sympathies of a majority of the Commonwealth's citizens and elected officials, Kentucky remained officially neutral during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Even so, a group of [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] sympathizers met in [[Russellville, Kentucky|Russellville]] in November 1861, to establish a [[Confederate government of Kentucky|Confederate government for the state]]. The group established a Confederate state capital in [[Bowling Green, Kentucky|Bowling Green]], but never successfully displaced the elected General Assembly in Frankfort.<ref>{{cite web| last=Talbott| first=Tim| title=Kentucky's Neutrality during the Civil War| date=July 31, 2013| url=http://history.ky.gov/landmark/kentuckys-neutrality-during-the-civil-war/| website=history.ky.gov| others=By Laura Forde, Bismarck High School, Bismarck, ND| publisher=National Endowment for the Humanities, Kentucky Historical Society| access-date=September 10, 2019| archive-date=June 8, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608053638/http://history.ky.gov/landmark/kentuckys-neutrality-during-the-civil-war/| url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Assassination of Governor Goebel===
{{see also|William Goebel}}
The General Assembly played a decisive role in the disputed gubernatorial election of 1899. Initial vote tallies had Republican [[William S. Taylor (Kentucky politician)|William S. Taylor]] leading Democrat [[William Goebel]] by a scant 2,383 votes.<ref name=mcqueen>{{cite book |last=McQueen |first=Keven |others=Ill. by Kyle McQueen |title=Offbeat Kentuckians: Legends to Lunatics |chapter=William Goebel: Assassinated Governor |year=2001 |publisher=McClanahan Publishing House |location=[[Kuttawa, Kentucky]] |isbn=0-913383-80-5 }}</ref> The General Assembly, however, wielded the final authority in election disputes. With a majority in both houses, the Democrats attempted to invalidate enough votes to give the election to Goebel. During the contentious days that followed, an unidentified assassin shot Goebel as he approached the state capitol.<ref name=woodson>{{cite book |last=Woodson |first=Urey |title=The First New Dealer |publisher=The Standard Press |location=[[Louisville, Kentucky]] |year=1939}}</ref>
As Goebel hovered on the brink of death, chaos ensued in Frankfort, and further violence threatened. Taylor, serving as governor pending a final decision on the election, called out the [[militia]] and ordered the General Assembly into a special session, not in Frankfort, but in [[London, Kentucky]], a Republican area of the state.<ref name=mcqueen /> The Republican minority naturally heeded the call and headed to London. Democrats predictably resisted the call, many retiring to [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] instead. Both factions claimed authority, but the Republicans were too few in number to muster a [[quorum]].<ref name=woodson />
Goebel died four days after receiving the fatal shot, and the election was eventually contested to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]], who ruled the General Assembly's actions legal and made Goebel's [[Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky|lieutenant governor]], [[J. C. W. Beckham]], governor of the state.<ref name=klotter>{{cite book |author-link=James C. Klotter |last=Klotter |first=James C. |title=William Goebel: The Politics of Wrath |year=1977 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=[[Lexington, Kentucky]] |isbn=0-8131-0240-5}}</ref>
==Houses==
The General Assembly is [[bicameral]], consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives.<ref name=kyconst>{{cite web |url=http://lrc.ky.gov/lrcpubs/IB59.pdf |title=The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Informational Bulletin No. 59 |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |date=October 2005 |access-date=2007-10-09 |archive-date=March 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302210933/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/lrcpubs/ib59.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The House and Senate chambers are on opposite ends of the third floor of the capitol building, and legislators have offices in the nearby Capitol Annex building.
Section 33 of the Kentucky Constitution requires that the General Assembly divide the state into [https://legislature.ky.gov/Public%20Services/GIS%20contents/SH001A09c.pdf 38 Senate] and [https://legislature.ky.gov/Public%20Services/GIS%20contents/HH001M01c.pdf 100 House] districts. Districts are required to be as nearly equal in population as possible. Districts can be formed by joining more than one county, but the counties forming a district must be contiguous. Districts must be reviewed every 10 years and be re-divided if necessary.
Under the state constitution, only three counties may be divided to form a Senate district—[[Jefferson County, Kentucky|Jefferson]] ([[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]), [[Fayette County, Kentucky|Fayette]] ([[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]]) and [[Kenton County, Kentucky|Kenton]] ([[Covington, Kentucky|Covington]]).
===Senate===
{| class=wikitable align="right" width="20%"
|+ Current composition of the Kentucky Senate (2024)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/senate/senmembers.htm |title=Senate Members |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-date=June 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606223136/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/senate/senmembers.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
! colspan=2 align=center valign=bottom | Affiliation
! valign=bottom | Members
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
|{{party shading/Republican}}| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
|{{party shading/Republican}} align=center | 31
|-
| {{party color cell|Democrat Party (United States)}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center | 7
|-
| colspan=2 |  &nbsp;'''Total'''
| align=center | &nbsp;'''38'''
|}
The Senate is the [[upper house]] of the General Assembly.
====Terms and qualifications====
According to Section 32 of the [[Kentucky Constitution]], a senator must:
*be at least 30 years old;
*be a citizen of Kentucky;
*have resided in the state at least 6 years and the district at least 1 year prior to election.
Under section 30 of the [[Kentucky Constitution]], senators are elected to four year staggered terms, with half the Senate elected every two years.
====Leadership====
Prior to a 1992 constitutional amendment, the [[Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky]] presided over the Senate; the 1992 amendment created a new office of [[President of the Senate]] to be held by one of the 38 senators.
*President (elected by full body): [[Robert Stivers]] (R-25)
*President Pro-Tempore (elected by full body): David P. Givens (R-9)
Additionally, each party elects a [[floor leader]], [[Whip (politics)|whip]], and [[caucus chair]].
{| class=wikitable
|+ Current party leadership of the Kentucky Senate<ref name="Senate leadership">{{cite web |url=https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/default.aspx |title=Legislators - Legislative Research Commission|publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref>
|-
!
! |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
|-
! scope=row|Floor Leader
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Damon Thayer]] (R-17)
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[Gerald Neal]] (D-33)
|-
! scope=row|Whip
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Mike Wilson (Kentucky politician)|Mike Wilson]] (R-32)
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[David Yates (politician)|David Yates]] (D-37)
|-
! scope=row|Caucus chair
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Julie Raque Adams]] (R-36)
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[Reggie Thomas]] (D-13)
|}
===House of Representatives===
{| class=wikitable align="right" width="20%"
|+ Current composition of the Kentucky House of Representatives (2024)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/house/hsemembers.htm |title=House Members |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212054754/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/house/hsemembers.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
! colspan=2 align=center valign=bottom | Affiliation
! valign=bottom | Members
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
|{{party shading/Republican}}| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
|{{party shading/Republican}} align=center | 80
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center | 20
|-
| colspan=2 |  '''Total'''
| align=center | '''100'''
|}
The House of Representatives is the [[lower house]] of the General Assembly. Section 47 of the Kentucky Constitution stipulates that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives.
====Terms and qualifications====
According to Section 32 of the [[Kentucky Constitution]], a representative must:
*be at least 24 years old;
*be a citizen of Kentucky
*have resided in the state at least 2 years and the district at least 1 year prior to election.
Per section 30 of the [[Kentucky Constitution]], representatives are elected every two years in the November following a regular session of the General Assembly.
====Leadership====
*Speaker (elected by full body): [[David Osborne (politician)|David Osborne]] (R-59)
*Speaker Pro Tempore (elected by full body): [[David Meade]] (R-80)
Additionally, each party elects a floor leader, whip, and caucus chair.
{| class=wikitable
|+ Current party leadership of the Kentucky House of Representatives<ref name="House leadership">{{cite web |url=https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/default.aspx |title=Legislators - Legislative Research Commission |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref>
|-
!
! |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
|-
! scope=row|Leader
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Steven Rudy]] (R-1)
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[Derrick Graham (politician)|Derrick Graham]] (D-57)
|-
! scope=row|Whip
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Jason Nemes]] (R-33)
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[Rachel Roberts (politician)|Rachel Roberts]] (D-67)
|-
! scope=row|Caucus chair
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Suzanne Miles]] (R-7)
| {{party shading/Democratic}}|[[Cherlynn Stevenson]] (D-88)
|}
==Standing committees==
'''Senate Standing Committees and Chairs'''
* AGRICULTURE, Sen. Jason Howell
* APPROPRIATIONS & REVENUE, Sen. Christian McDaniel
** Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development and Tourism, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection: Sen. Gary Boswell
** Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on Education: Sen. Matthew Deneen
** Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance, and Public Protection: Sen. Michael J. Nemes
** Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services: Sen. Donald Douglas
** Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary: Sen. Gex Williams
* BANKING & INSURANCE, Sen. Jared Carpenter
* COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES, Sen. Robert Stivers II
* ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM, AND LABOR, Sen. Max Wise
* EDUCATION, Sen. Stephen West
* ENROLLMENT, Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe
* FAMILIES & CHILDREN, Sen. Danny Carroll
* HEALTH SERVICES, Sen. Stephen Meredith
* JUDICIARY, Sen. Whitney Westerfield
* LICENSING, OCCUPATIONS, & ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS, Sen. John Schickel
* NATURAL RESOURCES & ENERGY, Sen. Brandon Smith
* RULES, Sen. Robert Stivers II
* STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT, Sen. Robby Mills
* TRANSPORTATION, Sen. Jimmy Higdon
* VETERANS, MILITARY AFFAIRS, & PUBLIC PROTECTION, Sen. Rick Girdler
'''House Standing Committees and Chairs'''
* AGRICULTURE, Rep. Richard Heath
* APPROPRIATIONS & REVENUE, Rep. Jason Petrie
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Protection, Tourism, and Energy, Rep. Chris Fugate
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Rep. Chris Freeland
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services, Rep. Danny Bentley
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice, Public Safety, & Judiciary, Rep. Patrick Flannery
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance, Rep. Ken Fleming
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Rep. Bobby McCool
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Investment, Rep. Kim Banta
** House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation, Rep. Ken Upchurch
* BANKING & INSURANCE, Rep. Michael Meredith
* COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES, Rep. David W. Osborne
* ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & WORKFORCE INVESTMENT: Rep. Josh Branscum
* EDUCATION: Rep. James Tipton
* ELECTIONS, CONST. AMENDMENTS & INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS: Rep. Kevin D. Bratcher
* ENROLLMENT: Rep. Thomas Huff
* FAMILIES & CHILDREN: Rep. Samara Heavrin
* HEALTH SERVICES: Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser
* JUDICIARY: Rep. Daniel Elliott
* LICENSING, OCCUPATIONS, & ADMIN REGS: Rep. Matthew Koch
* LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Rep. Randy Bridges
* NATURAL RESOURCES & ENERGY: Rep. Jim Gooch Jr.
* RULES: Rep. David W. Osborne
* SMALL BUSINESS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Rep. Phillip Pratt
* STATE GOVERNMENT: Rep. David Hale
* TOURISM & OUTDOOR RECREATION: Rep. Kim King
* TRANSPORTATION: Rep. John Blanton
* VETERANS, MILITARY AFFAIRS, & PUBLIC PROTECTION: Rep. Walker Thomas
==Legislative Research Commission==
The Kentucky General Assembly is served by a 16-member nonpartisan agency called the [[Legislative Research Commission]] (LRC). Created in 1948, the LRC provides the General Assembly with staff and research support including committee staffing, bill drafting, oversight of the state budget and educational reform, production of educational materials, maintenance of a reference library and Internet site, and the preparation and printing of research reports, informational bulletins and a legislative newspaper. It is led by the elected leadership of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] parties in both the Kentucky House of Representatives and the Kentucky Senate, while the agency is run on a day-to-day basis by a [[executive director|Director]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Org_Adm/LRC/aboutlrc.htm |title=About the Legislative Research Commission |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |access-date=2007-01-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210142414/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/org_adm/lrc/aboutlrc.htm |archive-date=2006-12-10 }}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Kentucky}}
*[[Kentucky Senate]]
*[[Kentucky House of Representatives]]
*[[List of Kentucky General Assemblies]]
*[[Government of Kentucky]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://legislature.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx Kentucky Legislature Home Page]
*[http://www.lrc.ky.gov/statrev/frontpg.htm Kentucky Revised Statutes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224225144/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/statrev/frontpg.htm |date=December 24, 2018 }}
*[http://www.ket.org/legislature/ Kentucky Educational Television General Assembly page]
{{Kentucky legislative districts}}
{{Kentucky State Senators}}
{{Kentucky House of Representatives}}
{{United States legislatures}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Kentucky General Assembly| ]]
[[Category:Bicameral legislatures]]