Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

2020 Kentucky legislative session

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Some states made changes to 2020 state legislative sessions and legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
For a full list of changes, visit: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020.
Kentucky: The Kentucky General Assembly suspended its session, effective April 8, 2020, through April 13, 2020.
Kentucky General Assembly

Seal of Kentucky.png
General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 7, 2020
Website:   Official General Assembly Page
Leadership
Senate President:  
Robert Stivers (R)
House Speaker:  David Osborne (R)
Majority Leader:   Senate: Damon Thayer (R)
House: John Carney (R)
Minority Leader:   Senate: Morgan McGarvey (D)
House: Joni Jenkins (D)
Structure
Members:  38 (Senate), 100 (House)
Length of term:   4 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:   The Legislative Department, Kentucky Constitution, Sec 29
Salary:   $188.22/day + per diem
Elections
Last election:  November 6, 2018
Next election:  November 3, 2020
Redistricting:  Kentucky General Assembly has control
Meeting place:
Kentucky State Capitol.jpg

In 2020, the Kentucky State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 7 and adjourn on April 15.

Several state legislatures suspended their sessions or otherwise limited legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Kentucky General Assembly suspended its session, effective April 8, 2020, through April 13, 2020. The legislature adjourned on April 15, 2020.[1]

Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, just as they did in 2019. Following the 2018 election, Republicans had a 28-10 supermajority in the Senate and a 61-39 supermajority in the House. Democrats controlled the governorship, meaning neither party held a state government trifecta.

At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session:
  • Republicans held a veto-proof supermajority in the Kentucky state House and state Senate.
  • Kentucky was one of 14 states with a divided government.
  • Kentucky’s governor was Democrat Andy Beshear.

    • Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state House elections.
    Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state House elections.

    Partisan control in 2020

    See also: State government trifectas

    Kentucky was one of 14 states without a state government trifectas at the start of 2020 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Kentucky was also one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Kentucky State Legislature in the 2020 legislative session.

    Kentucky State Senate

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 9
         Republican Party 29
    Total 38

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Kentucky State Senate shifted from being heavily Democratic to an even stronger Republican majority. Democrats went from having a 12-seat advantage following the 1992 elections to being at an 18-seat disadvantage after the 2018 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the Kentucky State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Kentucky State Senate election results: 1992-2018

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18
    Democrats 25 21 20 20 18 17 15 16 15 15 14 12 11 10
    Republicans 13 17 18 18 20 21 23 21 22 22 23 26 27 28
    Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

    Democrats maintained control of the state Senate throughout the 1990s but their majority began to decrease. During the 1997 legislative session, five Democrats and 18 Republicans formed a coalition to choose a new Senate president but the chamber officially remained Democratic. The 23 members elected Larry Saunders (D) as Senate president and Walter Blevins (D) as president pro tem.[2] In 1999, Sen. Dan Seum and Sen. Bob Leeper switched their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, giving Republicans a 20-18 majority.[3]

    Republicans have held consistent control of the state Senate since the party switches in 1999. Republicans slowly increased their majority in elections between 2000 and 2018. Republicans held their largest majority following the 2018 elections with an 18-seat advantage. In the Kentucky State Senate, a party needs to control 23 of 38 seats—three-fifths of the chamber—to have supermajority status. Since the 2012 elections, Republicans have held more than the 23 seats required for a supermajority. A supermajority is required to refer constitutional amendments to the ballot and pass tax increases in the legislature.[4] Only 20 votes in the Senate are required to override a veto.[5] The chamber's Republican gains from 2010 to 2016 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Kentucky House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 37
         Republican Party 61
         Vacancies 2
    Total 100

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Kentucky House of Representatives shifted from being heavily Democratic to a Republican majority. Democrats went from having a 44-seat advantage following the 1992 elections to being at a 22-seat disadvantage after the 2018 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the Kentucky House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Kentucky House of Representatives election results: 1992-2018

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18
    Democrats 72 64 64 66 64 65 57 61 65 58 55 54 36 39
    Republicans 28 36 36 34 36 35 43 39 35 42 45 46 64 61

    From 1992 to 2016, Democrats held large majorities in the chamber, the largest following the 1992 election when Democrats held a 44-seat advantage. Throughout the period, Democrats usually controlled between 54 and 72 seats, while Republicans controlled between 28 and 64 seats. Democrats also held more than the 51 seats required to override a gubernatorial veto. Democrats controlled the governor's office from 1992 to 2003 and from 2008 to 2015. Prior to the 2016 elections, two Democratic members switched their party affiliation to Republican and four special elections were held to fill vacant seats in the state House. Democrats flipped one seat in the special election and headed into the 2016 election with a 53-47 majority.

    Republicans won control of the state House from Democrats in the 2016 elections. Republicans picked up 17 seats in that election and won a 64-36 majority. Before the 2016 elections, the last time Republicans controlled the House was in 1920. Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held 64 seats, four more than the 60 seats required for a three-fifths supermajority. A supermajority is required to refer constitutional amendments to the ballot and pass tax increases in the legislature. Republicans held their super majority in the 2018 elections, despite losing three seats. The chamber's Republican gains from 2010 to 2016 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Leadership in 2020

    Kentucky State Senate

    Kentucky House of Representatives

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2020 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2020. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Kentucky state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session, there were 49 standing committees in Kentucky's state government, including 15 joint legislative committees, 15 state Senate committees, and 19 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    Senate committees


    House committees


    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Kentucky Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Mode of Revision, Kentucky Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Kentucky

    The Kentucky Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state constitution—a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. Kentucky does not feature the power of initiative for either initiated constitutional amendments or initiated state statutes.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A 60% vote is required during one legislative session for the Kentucky State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 60 votes in the Kentucky House of Representatives and 23 votes in the Kentucky Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot. The Legislature cannot add more than four constitutional amendments to one election ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to the Kentucky Constitution, the state Legislature can vote to refer a constitutional convention question to voters. A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions of the Legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. Turnout for those voting 'yes' at the election must be equal to at least 25% of the qualified electors who voted at the last general election.



    Historical context:

    • A total of 10 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Kentucky from 1995 to 2018.
    • From 1995 to 2018, the number of measures on statewide ballots ranged from zero to two.
    • From 1995 to 2018, an average of .83 measures appeared on the ballot in Kentucky during even-numbered election years. The median number of measures was one.
    • From 1995 to 2018, 90 percent (nine of 10) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during even-numbered years were approved, and 10 percent (one of 10) was defeated.


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Kentucky.

    Kentucky Party Control: 1992-2025
    Eight years of Democratic trifectas  •  Three years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D
    Senate D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R

    See also

    Elections Kentucky State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Kentucky State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The Lebanon Enterprise, "General Assembly pulls together to pass a state budget," April 8, 2020
    2. ↑ AP News Archive, "GOP Exerts Newfound Influence in Kentucky Senate," January 30, 1997
    3. ↑ Spectrum News, "Independent Sen. Leeper won't seek Democratic votes for Senate presidency," accessed November 11, 2012
    4. ↑ National Conference of State Legislators, "Supermajority Vote Requirements to Pass the Budget," accessed June 12, 2017
    5. ↑ KY Chamber, "How a bill becomes a law," accessed June 12, 2017
    v • e
    State legislatures
    Legislatures
    Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
    SLP badge.png
    2025
    2024
    2023
    Historical elections
    2022 •  2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
    Features of
    state legislatures
    State senates
    State houses
    Leadership positions
    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=2020_Kentucky_legislative_session&oldid=9947291"