Kentucky GOP senators praise laws to go into effect Friday
FRANKFORT — Celebrating the passage of a swath of GOP policies this year, Senate Republican leaders, joined by constitutional officers, on Wednesday highlighted laws that will go into effect Friday.
The senators also unveiled the temporary quarters where lawmakers will convene while the Capitol undergoes renovations over the next few years. The new building stands next to the Capitol Annex in Frankfort.
It is unclear at this point if the Republican-controlled General Assembly will need to reconvene before January for a special session to allocate more dollars toward Kentucky communities recovering from storm damage in recent months, the Republican senators said. In 2026, the General Assembly will deliberate the next two-year state budget.
Most laws the General Assembly passed earlier this year are set to take effect Friday, as per the Kentucky Constitution. Bills that aren't general appropriates or have emergency causes go into effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns.
The new laws include:
Senate Bill 2, which ends hormone treatments for transgender inmates in Kentucky prisons.
Senate Bill 19, which requires public schools to observe a daily moment of silence and permits off-campus 'moral instruction.'
Senate Bill 84 says that Kentucky courts should interpret laws without referring to a state agency's interpretation of them, much like the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down the precedent of the Chevron deference at the federal level.
House Bill 45 aims to limit foreign influence in Kentucky elections for ballot measures, like a constitutional amendment.
House Bill 342 requires high school students to take a financial literacy course before graduating.
Senate Republican Floor Leader Max Wise, of Campbellsville, said that the more than 100 new laws are 'each a product of thoughtful policy making' through the legislative process.
'Together, they reflect the core concern priorities embraced by the Kentucky General Assembly, the supermajorities, and those priorities — lowering taxes, better schools, safer communities and a government that serves the people,' he said.
Legislators are in the midst of the interim session, where committees with House and Senate members meet to discuss policies and review reports ahead of the next legislative session. Some of those groups also include special task forces, like the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Kentucky Task Force. Senate President Robert Stivers pointed to the group as a way to study how to make health care more accessible at a time when Medicaid funding is in the national spotlight. A U.S. House bill approved last month included a $793 billion cut to Medicaid funding over the next decade and is now in the U.S. Senate.
Stivers said that focusing on supporting farm-to-table agriculture programs could be a way to promote 'healthier lifestyles' naturally with fresh produce on Kentucky tables.
'This will help with the A1C, the blood pressure, all the other health care indices that we have that are poor in this state,' Stivers said.
Weeks ago, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said he would likely call a special session of the legislature to allocate more funding to communities affected by storms earlier this year, including tornadoes. However, the Senate leaders were not sure if a session would be needed at this point.
'We're waiting to see what the governor's numbers are and the money that has been allocated for these specific events and see how the executive branch has been addressing them,' said Senate Republican Caucus Chair Robby Mills, of Henderson. 'There was quite a substantial amount of storm damage. It does take time to recover. And we've got a few months until we're back in session.'
The General Assembly approved a bill to set up a state aid fund for response to floods before it adjourned this year. That included raising a cap the legislature had placed on emergency spending by the Beshear administration without lawmakers' approval.
Stivers said if Beshear needs more money, lawmakers can do a one-day session to approve funds. The Senate pPresident had previously vowed that lawmakers were ready to provide any necessary funding for recovery.
After this year's session adjourned, legislative furniture and items were moved into the temporary chamber, and Stivers added that the space would be functional if a special session is called before January.
'It will be ready July 1, flip the switch and have anything necessary done in it that we need to do,' Stivers said.
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