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Kentucky House of Representatives

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Kentucky House of
Representatives
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General Information
Party control:   Republican
Session start:   January 7, 2025
Session end:   March 28, 2025
Term length:   2 years
Term limits:   None
Redistricting:  Legislative control
Salary:   $188.22/calendar day during session for legislators whose terms began before 2023. $203.28/calendar day for legislators whose terms began after 2023. + per diem
Members
Total:  100
Democrats:  20
Republicans:  80
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
Speaker:   David Osborne (R)
Maj. Leader:   Steven Rudy (R)
Min. Leader:   Derrick Graham (D)
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2024
Next election:  November 3, 2026

The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Kentucky General Assembly. Alongside the Kentucky State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the Kentucky state government and works alongside the governor of Kentucky to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Kentucky House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Kentucky House of Representatives meets in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky.

  • All 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. Click to read more »
  • In the November 2018 elections, the chamber's Republican majority decreased from 62-37 (with one vacant) to 61-39.
  • Kentucky has a divided government, and no political party holds a 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 October 12, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Kentucky had a divided government. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

    • This page contains the following information on the Kentucky House of Representatives.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Kentucky House of Representatives as of October 2025:

    Party As of October 2025
         Democratic Party 20
         Republican Party 80
         Other 0
         Vacancies 0
    Total 100

    Members

    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.[1][2]

    Current leadership and members

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2024[3]
    SalaryPer diem
    $188.22/calendar day during session for legislators whose terms began before 2023. $203.28/calendar day for legislators whose terms began after 2023.$182.60/day

    Swearing in dates

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

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

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    To be eligible to serve in the Kentucky House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[4]

    • 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

    Historical party control

    Republicans won control of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2016. In 2024, they won an 80-20 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Kentucky House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. 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: 1992-2024

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
    Democrats 72 64 64 66 64 65 57 61 65 58 55 54 36 39 25 20 20
    Republicans 28 36 36 34 36 35 43 39 35 42 45 46 64 61 75 80 80

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Kentucky gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2016 elections. Democrats held a trifecta from 1992 to 1999. The table below shows state government trifectas in Kentucky from 1992 to 2019.

    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

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Kentucky state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. Kentucky holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2026

    See also: Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2026

    Elections for the Kentucky House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is May 19, 2026. The filing deadline is January 9, 2026.

    2024

    See also: Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2024

    Elections for the Kentucky House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was May 21, 2024. The filing deadline was January 5, 2024.

    In the 2024 elections, Republicans maintained their 80-20 majority.

    Kentucky House of Representatives
    Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
         Democratic Party 20 20
         Republican Party 80 80
    Total 100 100

    2022

    See also: Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2022

    Elections for the Kentucky House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for May 17, 2022. The filing deadline was January 25, 2022.

    In the 2022 elections, Republicans increased their majority from 75-25 to 80-20.


    Kentucky House of Representatives
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 25 20
         Republican Party 75 80
    Total 100 100

    2020

    See also: Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Kentucky House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 23, 2020. The filing deadline was January 10, 2020.

    In the 2020 elections, the Republican majority in the Kentucky House of Representatives increased from 62-37 to 75-25.

    Kentucky House of Representatives
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 37 25
         Republican Party 62 75
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 100 100

    2018

    See also: Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2018

    Elections for the Kentucky House of Representatives took place in 2018. The closed primary election took place on May 22, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was January 30, 2018.[5]

    In the 2018 elections, the Republican majority in the Kentucky House of Representatives was reduced from 62-37 to 61-39.

    Kentucky House of Representatives
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 37 39
         Republican Party 62 61
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 100 100

    2016

    See also: Kentucky House of Representatives elections, 2016

    Elections for the Kentucky House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 17, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was January 26, 2016. All 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Democrats held a 53-46 majority with one vacancy. Republicans won control of the Kentucky House of Representatives for the first time since 1920, providing the GOP with a new trifecta in Kentucky. Republicans picked up 17 seats in the November general election, giving the GOP a 28-seat majority.

    Kentucky House of Representatives
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 53 36
         Republican Party 46 64
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 100 100

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Kentucky General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The governor must call for an election if the General Assembly is not in session. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election if lawmakers are in session.[12] All nominating petitions must be filed at least 56 days before the election.[13]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Kentucky Rev. Stat. § 118.730-§118.770

    District map

    See also: Kentucky state legislative districts

    The state of Kentucky has 138 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 38 districts and the state House has 100 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Kentucky

    In Kentucky, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. District maps may be vetoed by the governor.[14]

    Guidelines adopted in 1991 stipulate that congressional districts ought to be contiguous. In addition, county lines and communities of interest should be maintained if possible. These guidelines are not statutory; consequently, they may be amended by the legislature at its discretion.[14]

    The Kentucky Constitution requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous ... and preserve whole counties where possible."[14]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in Kentucky after the 2020 census

    Upon completion of the 2020 census, Kentucky will draft and enact new district maps. According to Joe Sonka of the Louisville Courier Journal, the "Kentucky General Assembly kicked off the first day of its 2022 legislative session Tuesday [January 4, 2022], with Republicans in both chambers filing redistricting bills that are expected to speed to final passage by Saturday [January 8, 2022]."[15]

    Sonka continued, "The redistricting bills are expected to speed to final passage on Saturday [January 8, 2022] and head to the governor's desk for his signature, though the deadline for candidates to file for office is Friday [January 7, 2022]. [Senate President Robert] Stivers said he expects both the House and Senate to pass identical bills this week to push back the filing deadline a few weeks, saying he expects both chambers to waive the required three readings of bills to pass both in one day. A Senate committee will take up the two redistricting bills Wednesday [January 5, 2022] morning, while a House committee at noon will take up the House redistricting bill, one that pushes the filing deadline back to Jan. 25 and another that redistricts the Kentucky Supreme Court.[15]

    2010

    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.[16]

    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.

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Kentucky House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Kentucky by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 Kentucky legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 7, 2025, and adjourn on March 28, 2025.



    About legislative sessions in Kentucky

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[23] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    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.[24][25]

    Bills may be filed at any time during the House and Senate Clerks' office hours.[26]

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    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."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Kentucky state budget and finances
    Kentucky on Public Policy Logo-one line-on Ballotpedia.png
    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    Budgets • Civil liberties • Education • Elections • Energy • Environment • Healthcare • Pensions

    The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[27]

    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 by November 15.
    3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the legislature 10 legislative days after it convenes in early January.
    4. 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.[27][28]

    The governor is statutorily required to submit a balanced budget proposal. The legislature is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget.[27]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in Kentucky state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Kentucky House of Representatives has 19 standing committees:

    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.


    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

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, "Rules of Procedure for the 2014 Regular Session of the House or (sic) Representatives," January 7, 2014 (Referenced Rules 26-28)
    2. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, "House of Representatives Leadership - 2014," accessed June 13, 2014
    3. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
    4. ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate Qualification Information," accessed December 16, 2013
    5. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2018 Kentucky Election Calendar," accessed June 1, 2017
    6. ↑ Follow the Money, "Kentucky 2010 - Candidates," accessed June 13, 2014
    7. ↑ Follow the Money, "Kentucky 2008 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    8. ↑ Follow the Money, "Kentucky 2006 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    9. ↑ Follow the Money, "Kentucky 2004 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    10. ↑ Follow the Money, "Kentucky 2002 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    11. ↑ Follow the Money, "Kentucky 2000 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    12. ↑ Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, "Kentucky Revised Statutes," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 118.730)
    13. ↑ Kentucky General Assembly, "Kentucky Revised Statutes," accessed February 28, 2025 (Statute 118.770)
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 All About Redistricting, "Kentucky," accessed April 29, 2015
    15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Courier Journal, "Kentucky legislature kicks off 2022 session with plan to redraw congressional districts," January 5, 2022
    16. ↑ Kentucky State Data Center, accessed July 11, 2012
    17. ↑ The Lebanon Enterprise, "General Assembly pulls together to pass a state budget," April 8, 2020
    18. ↑ WFPL, "Political Tension Starts Early in the Kentucky State House," January 6, 2016
    19. ↑ WKYT, "KY State legislature convenes as parties fight for power," January 5, 2016
    20. ↑ The Enquirer, "Ky. heroin bills raise hope, face skepticism," January 5, 2015
    21. ↑ wfpl.org, "What to Expect from the 2014 Kentucky General Assembly," January 7, 2014
    22. ↑ The Associated Press, "Lawmakers start Ky. session aiming for cooperation," January 8, 2013
    23. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    24. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, "Kentucky Constitution - Section 36," November 7, 2000
    25. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, homepage," accessed June13, 2014
    26. ↑ 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
    27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    28. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
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