LEGISLATIVE SESSION: More Than 500 Bills Filed in First Two Weeks of Session

Tuesday, January 20th marked the tenth day of the 60-day Session and legislators are off to a busy start. During the first two weeks of legislative action, more than 500 bills have been filed this session: 410 bills in the Kentucky House and 91 filed in the Senate.  Senate Bill (SB) 7 is the only legislation that has passed a Chamber thus far, aiming to address the local issuance of drivers license documents throughout the state. Dozens of bills related to K-12 education, Constitutional amendment proposals related to property tax exemptions, and housing policies have been filed.

Members of Commerce Lexington’s policy team, including Public Policy Council Chair, Branden Gross, Partner at Dentons, along with Andi Johnson and Anthony Allen, met with Kentucky House Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade.

The primary purpose of this 60-day Session is passage of Kentucky’s next biennial budget.  Last Wednesday, Governor Andy Beshear gave his State of the Commonwealth Address, which highlighted key provisions of the Executive Branch’s budget requests. These included increased spending for the affordable housing trust fund, teacher pay, and universal pre-kindergarten. Democrat leadership in the Kentucky House introduced two bills, House Bill (HB) 303 and HB304, containing the Governor’s proposed biennial budget to the legislature.  However, Kentucky House and Senate Republican leadership have signaled that the Governor’s requests are unlikely to gain traction in either of their respective Chambers.

The state budget process begins in the House, and budget bills have yet to be filed by the House Republican Majority Caucus.  Given revenue projections and ongoing economic uncertainty, budget leaders are expected to take a leaner approach compared to two years ago. 

Commerce Lexington is working with local and regional leaders to advocate for public-private investment in high-impact regional projects for the upcoming 2026 biennial budget, including the Bluegrass Airport Terminal Expansion, a new Lexington Children’s Museum, a new performing arts center, investments in regional business parks to increase shovel ready land for jobs and infrastructure to expediate housing construction in Lexington’s Expansion Area 3 (Athens Boonesboro Road corridor), as well as public education and workforce investments at the University of Kentucky, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, and Eastern Kentucky University.

Commerce Lexington is also closely monitoring legislation related to our 2026 Policy Priorities including:

• Talent attraction: Proposed three-year, $5M investment in talent attraction marketing to position Kentucky as a premier place to live and work.  
• Economic development: Sustained investment in the Kentucky Product Development Initiative, which has already resulted in 18 job site development grants across the 9-county region.
• Housing access and affordability: Support for increased infrastructure investment and streamlined regulatory reforms that help address Lexington’s housing shortfall.   

To start the Session, Commerce Lexington’s policy team is meeting with Kentucky House and Senate Leadership, key committee chairs and members, and legislators from the Greater LEX region to elevate policy priorities. The policy team will also continue to monitor legislation and advocate on behalf of Greater LEX’s business community in Frankfort as the Session continues to build momentum.