Kentucky House of Representatives
| Kentucky House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 8, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Greg Stumbo, (D) |
| Majority Leader: | Rocky Adkins, (D) |
| Minority leader: | Jeffrey Hoover, (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 100 |
| Democratic Party (54) Republican Party (45) Vacant (1) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | The Legislative Department, Kentucky Constitution, Sec 29 |
| Salary: | $186.73/day + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (100 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (100 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Kentucky legislature has control |
Meeting place: | |
Contents |
Sessions
Section 36 of The Legislative Department of the Kentucky Constitution establishes when the Kentucky General Assembly, which the House is a part of, is required to meet. Regular Sessions convene on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January. Sessions in odd numbered years can last no more than 30 legislative days and must be concluded by March 30. Sessions in even numbered years can last no more than 60 legislative days and must be concluded by April 15. The governor may call additional special sessions.[4]
Bills may be filed at anytime the House and Senate Senate Clerks' offices are open. [5]
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 8 through March 26.
Major issues
Legislators are expected to address reforms to the states tax code, pension plans for governmental retirees, and legalization of casino style gambling. Additionally, they will also have to revisit redistricting, as plans passed last year were rejected by the state Supreme Court.[6]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House was in session from January 3 through April 9.
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the Senate was in session from January 4 through March 9, and reconvened for a special session on March 14. The session was called to an early end by Senate President David Williams on March 9, 12 days sooner than the originally scheduled end date of March 22. [7] On March 9, Governor Steve Beshear called to re-convene on March 14 for a special legislative session, focused on balancing the state's Medicaid budget. [8] The House adjourned the special session on March 25, however, the Senate is set to return on April 6. [9]
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the House of Representatives was in session from January 5th to April 15th.
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of Kentucky House of Representatives were held in Kentucky on November 6, 2012. All 100 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was January 31, 2012. The primary election day was May 22, 2012.[10]
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Kentucky House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 91 |  Gary Wayne Herald |
1.1% | 12,530 | Ted Edmonds |
| District 13 |  James Glenn, Jr. |
1.6% | 15,731 | Bill Barron |
| District 27 | Jeff Greer |
2% | 14,800 | Dalton Jantzen |
| District 49 | Russell Webber |
5.6% | 21,453 | Linda Belcher |
| District 50 | David Floyd |
6.9% | 21,298 | Dick Heaton |
| District 88 | Robert J. Benvenuti III. |
7.9% | 24,013 | Reginald Thomas |
| District 62 | Ryan Quarles |
8.1% | 22,965 | Charlie Hoffman |
| District 16 | Martha King |
8.5% | 15,004 | Chris Hightower |
| District 76 | Ruth Palumbo |
9.2% | 19,028 | Richard Marrs |
2010
Elections for the office of Kentucky House of Representatives were held in Kentucky on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was January 26, 2010 and the primary election day was on May 18, 2010.
Incumbents ran in 95 out of the 100 districts. Districts without an incumbent running are 10, 32, 37, 52, and 81.
In 2010, candidates running for state house raised a total of $7,620,093 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [11]
| 2010 Donors, Kentucky House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Kentucky House Democratic Caucus Campaign Cmte | $586,199 |
| Rocky Adkins for State Senate Transfer from Filer No 214456 | $200,915 |
| Kentucky Education Association | $108,250 |
| Kentucky Republican Party | $102,468 |
| Kentucky Optometric Association | $97,800 |
| Kentucky House Republican Caucus Campaign Cmte | $85,714 |
| Francis, Allan D | $68,603 |
| Kentucky Hospitals Circle of Friends | $60,350 |
| Dennis Keene for State Representative Campaign | $57,348 |
| Kentucky Association of Realtors | $52,250 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Kentucky House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[12]
- At least 24 years of age at the time of the election
- A citizen of Kentucky
- Resided in the state 2 years preceding the election
- Resided in the district for the last year
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the House, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The Governor must call for an election if the House is not in session. The House Speaker must call for an election if lawmakers are in session[13]. All nominating deadlines for special elections are 28 days before the election[14].
Redistricting
Redistricting is handled by the General Assembly. By tradition rather than law, each chamber devises its own map, which is submitted as a bill and subject to a vote like other legislation. The Governor wields veto power.
2010 census
Kentucky received local census data on March 17, 2011. The state's population grew 7.4 percent to 4,339,367, with the central region's population gaining at the expense of the remainder.[15]
At the time of redistricting, the Assembly was split, with Democrats controlling the House and Republicans controlling the Senate. Without a costly special session called, the Assembly began the redistricting process for legislative boundaries in January 2011. On January 20, Governor Steve Beshear (D) signed the state's legislative redistricting maps into law. Each chamber drew its own maps; the Governor criticized Senate Republicans for drawing partisan maps, but did not chasten the House's plan. House Republicans filed suit on the 26th on the grounds that the Democrats' map divided counties needlessly. The circuit court overturned the new legislative districts on February 7, citing excessive population disparities and division of counties. Expediting the Republicans' appeal, the Kentucky Supreme Court heard oral arguments on February 24, upholding the lower court's decision the same day.
Representatives
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 54 | |
| Republican Party | 45 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | |
| Total | 100 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Kentucky State House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum, deciding points of order, and signing all writs, warrants, subpoenas and other processes. The House elects a Speaker Pro Tempore to preside over the body when the Speaker is absent.[16][17]
Current leadership
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2012, members of the Kentucky legislature are paid $188.22/day. Additionally, legislators receive $135.30/day per diem tied to 110% of the federal rate.[18]
The $188.22/day that Kentucky legislators are paid as of 2011 is an increase over the $180.54 they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $108.90/day in 2007 to $135.30/day in 2011.[19]
Pensions
Legislative pensions in Kentucky are equal to 2.75% to 5% of the salary multiplied by the number of years served, while regular state pensions equal 1.1% to 2.5% of salary multiplied by years served. Starting in 2005, retiring legislators holding full-time jobs with the state could base their legislative pension on this higher salary, rather than their actual legislative salary.[20]
When sworn in
Kentucky legislators assume office the first day of January after their election.
Current members
Standing committees
Kentucky House of Representatives has 19 standing committees:
- Agriculture and Small Business
- Appropriations and Revenue
- Banking and Insurance
- Committee On Committees
- Economic Development
- Education
- Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs
- Enrollment
- Health and Welfare
- Judiciary
- Labor and Industry
- Licensing and Occupations
- Local Government
- Natural Resources and Environment
- Rules
- State Government
- Tourism Development and Energy
- Transportation
- Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Safety
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
During every year from 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Kentucky State House of Representatives.
Across the country, there were 579 Democratic and 482 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Kentucky, the Kentucky State Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
- Official website of the Kentucky House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ "Kentucky General Assembly" Front Page, March 12, 2009
- ↑ The Legislative Department, Kentucky Constitution, Section 36 and Kentucky legislature home page
- ↑ Senate Rule 51 and House Rule 51
- ↑ Kentucky.com, "Lawmakers start Ky. session aiming for cooperation," January 8, 2013
- ↑ WHAS11.com, Legislative session set to end on Wednesday, 8 March 2011
- ↑ Courier-journal.com, Senate President David Williams says Governor Steve Beshear called senators 'fat guys', 10 March 2011
- ↑ "WHAS.com, House lawmakers end special legislative session, 24 March 2011
- ↑ Kentucky Board of Elections "2012 Election Calendar"
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Kentucky House 2010 Campaign Contributions
- ↑ Candidate Qualification Information
- ↑ Kentucky Legislative Research Commission "Kentucky Election Code"(Referenced Statute 118.730)
- ↑ Kentucky Legislative Research Commission "Kentucky Election Code"(Referenced Statute 118.730)
- ↑ Kentucky State Data Center, retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ↑ 2010 Kentucky House of Representatives Rules 26-28
- ↑ Kentucky House Leaders
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
- ↑ USA Today, "How state lawmakers pump up pensions in ways you can't," April 16, 2012
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