Kentucky General Assembly

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Kentucky General Assembly

Seal of Kentucky.png
General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 8, 2019
Website:   Official Legislature 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: Ray Jones (D)
House: Rocky Adkins (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 Legislature has control
Meeting place:
Kentucky State Capitol.jpg
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of Kentucky. It is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the upper Kentucky State Senate and the lower Kentucky House of Representatives.

Section 33 of the Kentucky Constitution requires that the General Assembly divide the state into 38 Senate and 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.

Kentucky has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of May 09, 2019, there are 22 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

In the 2018 election, Democrats had a net gain of six trifectas and Republicans had a net loss of four trifectas. Prior to that election, there were 26 Republican trifectas, eight Democratic trifectas, and 16 divided governments.

See also: Kentucky House of Representatives, Kentucky State Senate, Kentucky Governor

Elections

2020

See also: Kentucky State Senate elections, 2020 and Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office of Kentucky State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020.

Elections for the office of Kentucky House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020.

Sessions

Section 36 of The Legislative Department of the Kentucky Constitution establishes when the General Assembly 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.[1][2]

Bills may be filed at anytime the House and Senate Clerks' offices are open.[3]

2019

See also: Dates of 2019 state legislative sessions

In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 8, 2019, through March 29, 2019.

2018

See also: 2018 Kentucky legislative session and Dates of 2018 state legislative sessions

In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 2, 2018, through April 14, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, click here.

2017

See also: Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions

In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2017, through March 30, 2017. The legislature held a veto session from March 16 to March 27.

Role in state budget

See also: Kentucky state budget and finances
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The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[9][10]

  1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in July of the year preceding the start of the biennium.
  2. State agencies submit their budget requests in October.
  3. Agency hearings are held in November and December.
  4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the legislature on the 15th legislative day (this deadline is moved up to the 10th legislative day for governors serving a second term).
  5. The state legislature adopts a budget in April. The biennium begins July 1.

Kentucky is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[10]

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the legislature is required to adopt a balanced budget.[10]

Cost-benefit analyses

See also: Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative Cost-Benefit Study
Map showing results of the Pew-MacArthur cost-benefit study

The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative is a joint project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that works to partner with states in implementing cost-benefit analysis models.[11]. The initiative released a report in July 2013 concluding that cost-benefit analysis in policymaking led to more effective uses of public funds. Looking at data from 2008 through 2011, the study's authors found that some states were more likely to use cost-benefit analysis, while others were facing challenges and lagging behind the rest of the nation. The challenges states faced included a lack of time, money, and technical skills needed to conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses. Kentucky was one of 11 states that made rare use of cost-benefit analysis in policy and budget processes.[12]

Ethics and transparency

Following the Money report

See also: "Following the Money" report, 2015

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer-focused nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., released its annual report on state transparency websites in March 2015. The report, entitled "Following the Money," measured how transparent and accountable state websites were with regard to state government spending.[13] According to the report, Kentucky received a grade of B and a numerical score of 86, indicating that Kentucky was "Advancing" in terms of transparency regarding state spending.[13]

Open States Transparency

See also: Open States' Legislative Data Report Card

The Sunlight Foundation released an "Open Legislative Data Report Card" in March 2013. Kentucky was given a grade of F in the report. The report card evaluated how adequate, complete, and accessible legislative data was to the general public. A total of 10 states received an A: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.[14]

Dual employment and financial disclosure requirements

State ethics regulations regarding dual public employment and income disclosure for legislators vary across the United States. A January 2015 report by the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) concluded that legislators in 33 states are not permitted to maintain additional paid government employment during their terms in office.[15] The NCSL published a report in June 2014 that counted 47 states with disclosure requirements for outside income, business associations, and property holdings. The exceptions to these disclosure categories were Idaho, Michigan, and Vermont.[16] Click show on the right side of the table below to compare state policies:

Partisan balance 1992-2013

Who Runs the States Project
See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Kentucky
Partisan breakdown of the Kentucky legislature from 1992-2013

Kentucky State Senate: From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Kentucky State Senate for the first nine years while the Republicans were the majority for last 13 years.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Kentucky State House of Representatives: During every year from 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Kentucky State House of Representatives.

Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 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 had 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 to 2013.

Partisan composition of Kentucky state government(1992-2013).PNG

SQLI and partisanship

To read the full report on the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) in PDF form, click here.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Kentucky state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Kentucky has been in the bottom-10 of the SQLI ranking regardless of its Democratic trifecta or years under divided government. The state’s highest ranking came in 1998 and 1999 (43rd) under a Democratic trifecta, while the state’s lowest ranking came in between the years 2003 and 2011 (48th) under divided government. As a result of the 2016 elections, Kentucky became a Republican trifecta for the first time in 96 years.

  • SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 45.00
  • SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A
  • SQLI average with divided government: 47.31
Chart displaying the partisanship of Kentucky government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Legislators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$188.22/day$158/day

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.[17]

Salary transparency

As of early January 2011, spending data for every branch of Kentucky government are available online. This data can be found on the Kentucky Legislature home page, under the Legislative Branch Expenditures tab.

According to Bobby Sherman, director of the Legislative Research Commission (LRC), the state legislature has considered this release for years.[18]In August, Senate President David Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo directed LRC staff to form the website. All legislative leaders approved the website on October 6, 2010.[19]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Kentucky legislators assume office the first day of January after their election.

Senate

The Senate is the upper house of the General Assembly.

Terms and qualifications

According to Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution, a state 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.

Per section 30 of the Kentucky Constitution, senators are elected to four year staggered terms, with half the Senate elected every two years. Each member represented an average of 114,194 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[20] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 106,362.[21]

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.

Current make-up

Party As of May 2019
     Democratic Party 9
     Republican Party 29
     Vacancies 0
Total 38

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Kentucky State Senate from 1992 to 2013.
Partisan composition of the Kentucky State Senate.PNG

House of Representatives

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 state 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 November following a regular session of the General Assembly. Each member represented an average of 43,394 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[22] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 40,418.[23]

Current make-up

Party As of May 2019
     Democratic Party 39
     Republican Party 61
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Kentucky State House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
Partisan composition of the Kentucky State House.PNG

Veto overrides

Veto Override Graphic-Republican Party.png

See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Kentucky are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? A majority of members in both chambers.

A simple majority of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 51 of the 100 members in the Kentucky House of Representatives and 20 of the 38 members in the Kentucky State Senate. Kentucky is one of six states that requires a majority vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

Authority: The Executive Department, Section 88 of the Kentucky Constitution.

"Every bill which shall have passed the two Houses shall be presented to the Governor. If he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to the House in which it originated, which shall enter the objections in full upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, a majority of all the members elected to that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be considered, and if approved by a majority of all the members elected to that House, it shall be a law; but in such case the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the members voting for and against the bill shall be entered upon the journal of each House respectively."

Joint legislative committees

See also: Public policy in Kentucky

In Kentucky, interim joint committees are created from the standing committees of both houses after the regular session has ended. They study issues in-depth and work on bills for the next regular session, which allows them to be immediately acted on.[24] A list of those committees can be found here.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, "Kentucky Constitution - Section 36," November 7, 2000
  2. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, homepage," accessed June13, 2014
  3. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, "Rules of Procedure for the 2014 Regular Session of the Senate," January 7, 2014 and Kentucky Legislature, "Rules of Procedure for the 2014 Regular Session of the House or (sic) Representatives," January 7, 2014
  4. ↑ WFPL, "Political Tension Starts Early in the Kentucky State House," January 6, 2016
  5. ↑ WKYT, "KY State legislature convenes as parties fight for power," January 5, 2016
  6. ↑ The Enquirer, "Ky. heroin bills raise hope, face skepticism," January 5, 2015
  7. ↑ wfpl.org, "What to Expect from the 2014 Kentucky General Assembly," January 7, 2014
  8. ↑ The Associated Press, "Lawmakers start Ky. session aiming for cooperation," January 8, 2013
  9. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Experiences with Annual and Biennial Budgeting," updated April 2011
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Summer 2008," accessed February 21, 2014
  11. ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, "State Work," accessed June 6, 2014
  12. ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, "States’ Use of Cost-Benefit Analysis," July 29, 2013
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 U.S. Public Interest Research Group, "Following the Money 2015 Report," accessed April 4, 2016
  14. ↑ Sunlight Foundation, "Ten Principles for Opening Up Government Information," accessed June 16, 2013
  15. ↑ National Council of State Legislatures, "Dual employment: regulating public jobs for legislators - 50 state table," January 2015
  16. ↑ National Council of State Legislatures, "Ethics: personal financial disclosure for state legislators: income requirements," June 2014
  17. ↑ USA Today, "How state lawmakers pump up pensions in ways you can't," April 16, 2012
  18. ↑ Kentucky.com, Kentucky legislature's expenses posted online, January 13, 2011
  19. ↑ Kentucky.com, "Kentucky legislature's expenses posted online," January 13, 2011
  20. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," April 2011
  21. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
  22. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," April 2011
  23. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
  24. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, "Committee Information," accessed June 13, 2014
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