Clock ticking in Frankfort: House Democratic leaders say Kentuckians are ‘in the dark'
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, House Democratic Caucus leaders rebuked what they called 'an appalling lack of transparency' this legislative session.
FOX 56's Bode Brooks reported that it's a crucial week for the state legislature. There are only days left for Kentucky lawmakers to work out their differences on pending legislation before a veto break.
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'We ask our chairman to really be judicious with what they do, but still, there's going to be some give and take, and there's going to be some things we don't understand the rationale for moving. So, a lot more discussions between us and them and then vice versa, they won't understand the rationale of why we would do something. So, the dialogue between the two chambers has increased, and the movement of the bills have increased,' Sen. President Robert Stivers told FOX 56 on Tuesday.
Caucus Whip Lindsey Burke of Lexington provided a look at what this movement looks like.
'Yesterday we saw a 100-page bill with major income tax changes clear committee and the house before the public could even read it online,' she said. 'Last night, there were three rewritten education bills sent to committee members after 8 p.m.'
As a result, 'our members barely know what's in these bills, and the public doesn't know at all,' as reportedly some have not been made available to the public.
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Clock ticking in Frankfort: House Democratic leaders say Kentuckians are 'in the dark'
Burke cited the following examples:
House Bill 755 made it through committee and the House on Tuesday 'in a matter of hours' before it was uploaded online.
Lawmakers were given 25 minutes to discuss Senate Bill 89; no questions were reportedly taken.
House Health Services Committee 'rushed through another rewritten bill negatively affecting reproductive care.'
'Our caucus, staff, and the public need to know what's in these last-minute bills,' Rep. Burke said. 'Only about five percent of this year's expected laws had been sent to Gov. Beshear by Friday, when there were just six working days left this legislative session. That's not how government should work. Our caucus is fighting for greater transparency and for Kentuckians to have the information they need and the voice they deserve.'
Rep. Al Gentry suggested that a former procedure, a three-day posting rule, be implemented.
'I think we need to seriously consider going back to that because it gives time for the people to see what is going to committee; give them time to come to committee if they would like to testify even or if they just would like to express their opinion,' Rep. Gentry said.
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He affirmed that several Republican members have been open to amending their legislation when necessary, but 'when we rush processes and the public does not know what's coming, people that are getting harmed are not letting us know, and there's no way to fix a bill.'
Burke attributed the time crunch to the amount of bills they're seeing this year, calling the quantity 'unprecedented.'
Click here to watch the press conference.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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