229 Shelby

Message of Condolences

2025-12-30T15:43:00.001-05:00

Friends,

With heavy hearts, we share that Government Strategies' founder Mike Helton passed away peacefully in the early morning of December 27.

Mike's legacy is far reaching; he worked for multiple Kentucky governors and was a pioneer in government relations in the Commonwealth. His accomplishments are many, including working side-by-side with Governor Julian Carroll in the Governor's Office and becoming one of the youngest cabinet secretaries in Kentucky history at the age of 29.

Mike helped form one of the first government affairs firms in the Commonwealth. In 1999, he decided to forge his own path and founded Government Strategies. As the firm approaches 27 years in business, we are deeply grateful for Mike, his vision for our company and all he accomplished. We will miss him dearly and strive to carry on his good work.

A memorial service will be held at Hurstbourne Baptist Church in Louisville on January 6, 2026. Visitation is scheduled for 10am with the service beginning at 11am. We encourage you to read Mike's full obituary HERE.

Twitter: @dustinsmillerky

LinkedIn: dmiller10

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

2025-12-23T09:29:00.005-05:00

Our news clips will return on December 29.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

2024-12-23T21:43:00.000-05:00

We are taking a break from our newsletters for the holiday, but they will return on Friday, December 27.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

From

KY Primary Election Results

2024-05-21T22:17:00.000-04:00

2024 Primary Election Results

Kentuckians went to the polls today to determine party nominees for November elections for offices ranging from President to state legislators. In some instances, there is no challenger in November, and the outcome of today's election will determine who holds the office. As of this writing, turnout percentages were not available, but it appears voter turnout was low, which likely impacted some races.

Key takeaways from tonight's election results:

- No surprises in the federal races. All Congressional incumbents won, and both President Biden and former President Trump are the respective party nominees for President of the United States.

- In total, three incumbents in the state legislature lost their seats: Two House members (Heath and Timoney) and one Senate member (Southworth).

- "Liberty" caucus candidates' success was mixed. They performed well in Northern Kentucky and knocked off two House incumbents in West and Central KY, but lost by wide margins in other races.

House Results of Note (All House primary election results can be found on this spreadsheet)

House District 2 (Graves & part of McCracken): In a rematch from 2022, incumbent Richard Heath lost his seat to Kim Holloway, a guidance counselor. Heath currently chairs the House Agriculture Committee, which will create an open chairmanship for the next session.

House District 19 (Edmonson & part of Warren): Incumbent Michael Meredith, chairman of the Banking & Insurance Committee, easily fended off a challenge from the right from Kelcey Rock, who was publicly backed by an outside liberty group.

House District 45 (part of Fayette and Jessamine): Incumbent Killian Timoney, a public school administrator, lost his seat to a challenger from his right in Thomas Jefferson, a political newcomer. Democrats think that this seat may now be competitive in November.

House District 64 (part of Kenton): Incumbent Kim Moser, chairwoman of the House Health Services Committee and a nurse by trade, fended off her challenge from Karen Campbell, a political newcomer who is a realtor.

House District 66 (part of Boone): This Northern Kentucky open seat was vacated by current Rep. Steve Rawlings, and pitted former Rep. Ed Massey, an attorney, against T.J. Roberts, a political activist and attorney. Roberts, a liberty candidate, won by a large margin.

House District 91 (Estill, Powell, part of Madison): Incumbent BIll Wesley, a chaplain, held off a challenge from Darrell Billings, a farmer and small business owner.

Senate Results of Note: (All Senate primary election results can be found on this spreadsheet)

Senate District 1: Incumbent Jason Howell, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, successfully defeated his challenge from former state representative Lynn Bechler.

Senate District 5: Incumbent Steve Meredith, chairman of the Senate Health Services Committee and a retired hospital administrator, defeated political newcomer Thomas Ballinger.

Senate District 7: Incumbent Adrienne Southworth lost her seat and came in third to Aaron Reed, who narrowly defeated Ed Gallrein, who came in second.

Senate District 17: A seat left open by the retirement of Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, Matt Nunn, a Toyota employee, won the GOP primary over Julia Jaddock, a small business owner.

Senate District 29: Senator Johnnie Turner, an attorney, handily defeated two primary challengers to retain this seat that is in the Eastern KY coalfields.

Senate District 33: Longtime incumbent Senator Gerald Neal won a three-way Democratic primary, fending off a challenge by Attica Scott, a former House member and congressional primary candidate.

Please note that these are still considered unofficial, incomplete results until certified by the Secretary of State's office. For exact numbers on each race, please visit the Kentucky Secretary of State's website for official results.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with questions and stay tuned for our upcoming 2024 Interim Preview.

KY Legislative Update - Sine Die

2024-04-16T00:06:00.000-04:00

Sine Die Adjournment

The Kentucky General Assembly adjourned the 2024 Regular Session sine die shortly after 8:30 pm this evening. Day 60 of this 60-day budget session saw significant legislative activity that includes, but is not limited to, the following bills being delivered to the Governor before adjournment:

- SB 91: Amended from its original purpose of a remote KSP driver training program to include cleanup and technical corrections to HB 6 (state budget) & HB 1 (one-time appropriations bill).

- HB 122: Cleanup legislation for HB 8, the revenue bill, which includes language related to PVA's, tax changes impacting pipelines, and exempting some small EV charging stations from the definition of EV power dealer.

- SB 107: A Transportation Cabinet housekeeping bill amended to include the provisions of HB 19 and HB 193.

- HB 13: Kentucky Product Development Initiative Reauthorization.

- HB 829: Legislation implementing last year's medical marijuana bill that will go live in January 2025.

- HB 190: Legislation cleaning up SB 188 (PBM reform) that was passed earlier this session.

- HB 162: The Numeracy Counts legislation to improve math instruction in early grades.

- HB 499: Reform to career technical education and funding.

- HB 580: Elections reform and cleanup legislation.

The Senate also passed several resolutions confirming gubernatorial appointments, including those of Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher, Commissioner of Insurance Sharon Clark, Public Service Commissioner Mary Pat Reagan, and Commissioner of Workers Claims Scott Wilhoit.

As noted previously, we will send a full session wrap-up report later this week.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. We appreciate your partnership in Frankfort this legislative session.

2023 Kentucky Election Results

2023-11-07T22:13:00.002-05:00

2023 Kentucky Election Results

All eyes were on Kentucky today as Democratic incumbent Governor Andy Beshear fought to keep his seat against sitting GOP Attorney General Daniel Cameron in what was the most expensive Governor's race in the state's history.

Up until the week before the election, most polls showed Governor Beshear holding the lead. However, last week, a poll came out showing the race neck-and-neck headed into election day. Ultimately, Governor Beshear was able to hold the Governor's Mansion by a 53%-47% margin (based on unofficial results). Most notably Beshear won several key counties including: Boyle, Bourbon, Scott, Madison, Henderson, Warren, and Daviess.

In terms of the election's outcome on the 2024 General Assembly, we'll likely continue to see the Republican-led legislature face off with the Governor, which will likely include differing opinions about many budget and legislative priorities. This means the Legislature will continue to do their most important work before the veto recess period in order to preserve their veto override power.

Additionally, the down-ticket races held few surprises as Republicans continue to control all seats (all results unofficial as of 10pm):

Attorney General: Republican Russell Coleman, former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, beat sitting Democratic Kentucky House member Pamela Stevenson, a retired Air Force colonel, by a 58%-42% margin.

Secretary of State: Sitting Republican incumbent Secretary Michael Adams held off a challenge from Democratic State House member Buddy Wheatley by a 61%-39% margin. Adams was also the leading vote-getter of any candidate based on unofficial results.

Auditor of Public Accounts: Term-limited Republican State Treasurer Allison Ball won her race against Democrat Kim Reeder, a tax attorney, by a 61%-39% margin.

Commissioner of Agriculture: Former Republican State House Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Shell, a farmer, handily won his race against Democrat Sierra Enlow, an economic development advisor, by a 59%-41% margin.

State Treasurer: Republican Mark Metcalfe, the sitting Garrard County attorney, won his challenge against Democrat Michael Bowman, who was the 2019 Democratic nominee for State Treasurer, by a 57%-43% margin.

HOUSE SPECIAL ELECTION

Earlier this summer, Representative Lamin Swann of the 93rd District in Fayette County passed away unexpectedly. Democrat Adrielle Camuel, a school administrator, came out ahead with a 58%-42% margin in the fight against Republican Kyle Whalen, a home builder.

LOOKING AHEAD

Stay tuned for an upcoming session preview from Government Strategies in which we'll delve a little deeper into the nuances of the election results and their implications for Kentucky.

2023 KY PRIMARY RESULTS

2023-05-16T22:29:00.000-04:00

2023 KY PRIMARY RESULTS

Kentuckians went to the polls today to vote in the 2023 Primary, casting ballots for party nominees ahead of the November General Election. This year's ballot consisted of the state-wide constitutional officers, including the Governor, and an open State Senate seat in the 28th District.

In the Commonwealth's top race, Governor Andy Beshear easily defeated token opposition pulling more than 90% of the vote. This fall, he will face Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who came out on top in a competitive race for the GOP nomination.

For more information on each candidate listed below, please refer to our Primary Election Preview. Just a reminder that the election results reported below are unofficial, with 95% reporting as of this writing.

Governor

Democrats

Governor Andy Beshear 91%

Geoff Young 5%

Peppy Martin 4%

Republicans

Daniel Cameron 48%

Ryan Quarles 22%

Kelly Craft 17%

Eric Deters 6%

Mike Harmon 2%

Alan Keck 2%

6 others combined for 3%

Secretary of State

Republicans

Michael Adams 64%

Steve Knipper 26%

Allan Maricle 10%

Democrats

Buddy Wheatley (unopposed)

Auditor of Public Accountants

Republicans

Allison Ball 72%

Derek Petteys 28%

Democrats

Kim Reeder (unopposed)

Commissioner of Agriculture

Republicans

Jonathan Shell 57%

Richard Heath 43%

Democrats

Sierra Enlow 59%

Mikael Malone 41%

State Treasurer

Republicans

Mark Metcalf 51%

Andrew Cooperrider 29%

OJ Oleka 20%

Democrats

Michael Bowman (unopposed)

Attorney General

Republicans

Russell Coleman (unopposed)

Democrats

Pamela Stevenson (unopposed)

28th State Senate District

Republican candidate, Greg Elkins, defeated the Democratic nominee Robert Sainte and independent Richard Henderson. Elkins won the race with 50 percent of the votes. This seat was vacated by Ralph Alvarado, who resigned earlier this year after an appointment by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.

We will have more election analysis in the days ahead.

2022 Kentucky Election Results

2022-11-08T23:43:00.000-05:00

2022 ELECTION RESULTS

Kentuckians went to the polls today to vote on a lengthy ballot for a midterm election that saw a few surprising developments:

1. Constitutional Amendments BOTH (Appear to Be) Voted Down

2. 5 State House Incumbents Beaten (All Democrats)

3. GOP supermajorities GROW in State House by 5 seats & State Senate by 1 seat

4. TWO New Faces on State Supreme Court

5. GOP sweeps Federal Races; Except for McGarvey

See below for the unofficial election results available at the time of this writing.

Constitutional Amendments

Both constitutional amendment proposals approved during the 2022 Regular Session were on the ballot today and both appear to be narrowly defeated with 80% of the vote in as of 11:00pm EST.

Amendment 1 (NO 54%-YES 46%)

Would have changed the legislative session's meeting dates and allowed the General Assembly to call themselves into a special session. This ballot question was very long and may have confused voters as there was a campaign in opposition to the amendment that linked it to higher pay for legislators.

Amendment 2 (NO 53%- YES 47%)

Would have provided that nothing in the state constitution protects or secures a right to abortion. There were active media and initiative GOTV campaigns on both sides of this issue.

State Legislative Elections

Going into tonight's election results, most were predicting the GOP to grow their supermajorities in the State House and Senate, but the size and the number of incumbents that might lose were the big unknowns.

Pre-election, Republicans controlled the House (75-25) and the Senate (30-8). Those margins increased today, with Republicans gaining 5 Seats in the House, giving them an 80-20 supermajority, and gaining 1 Seat in the Senate, giving them a 31-7 supermajority.

Republicans managed their gain in House seats by beating 5 Democratic incumbents and winning one open seat previously controlled by a Democrat. On the other side Democrats flipped one seat, a GOP open seat that was newly redistricted to Lexington. This Senate spreadsheet and House spreadsheet has a full list of winners in bold, but a few of those key House races to bring to your attention:

20th - Jackson (R) flip over Minter

28th - Bauman (R) flip over C. Miller

31st - Witten (R) flip in (D) open seat

37th - Callaway (R) flip over Donahue

65th - Dietz (R) flip over Wheatley

93rd - Swann (D) flip in open seat

94th - Justice (R) flip over Hatton

TAKEAWAYS: After the incumbent losses in the primary and a large number of legislative retirements this year we have 31 new members of the 138-member General Assembly (25 in House & 6 in Senate). We all have a lot of new people to get to know.

After this election, more than 80 percent of the House and over 70 percent of the Senate are members with less than 10 years of experience in the Kentucky General Assembly. A major loss of institutional knowledge comes with young blood, and while we'll see many new ideas come with the new members, much groundwork will need to be done to educate the caucuses.

Now that elections are over, the House and Senate caucuses will meet in the next few weeks to elect their new leadership teams. The House Republicans will be electing a new Majority Whip with the retirement of Rep. Chad McCoy; the House Democrats will need to fill two vacancies left by retiring Minority Floor Leader Joni Jenkins and Minority Whip Angie Hatton, who lost her election; and the Senate Democrats are losing leaders with Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey's election to Congress and the retirement of their Minority Whip Dennis Parrett.

Supreme Court Races

Kentucky has a seven-member Supreme Court elected in individual districts so a majority–four of the districts–were up for election tonight and there will be some new faces on the court.

- 1st District: Justice Nickell was unopposed.

- 2nd District: Thompson defeated Alcott; open seat

- 4th District: Bisig defeated Bowman; open seat

- 6th District: Incumbent Keller defeated Fischer

We would encourage you to review this spreadsheet for more information but wanted to highlight this as the Supreme Court can often have a huge impact on issues affecting your business or organization.

Federal Races

In most states, a U.S. Senate race and an open Congressional seat would lead the headlines on election night, but an anticipated strong win for U.S. Senator Rand Paul and easy win in the 3rd Congressional District for Morgan McGarvey, Kentucky's newest congressman didn't make for much drama. Here are the Federal race unofficial winners:

U.S. Senate: Republican incumbent Rand Paul

U.S. House District 1: Republican incumbent James Comer

U.S. House District 2: Republican incumbent Brett Guthrie

U.S. House District 3: Former state senator Democrat Morgan McGarvey; won open seat

U.S. House District 4: Republican incumbent Thomas Massie

U.S. House District 5: Republican incumbent Hal Rogers

U.S. House District 6: Republican incumbent Andy Barr

Looking Ahead

Stay tuned for additional updates from Government Strategies about the results of caucus leadership elections, 2023 committee makeup, and more in our 2023 Session Preview.

LRC Study on Alternative Ratemaking Mechanisms

2022-11-02T22:01:00.000-04:00

The Legislative Research Commission in Frankfort yesterday released its study on Alternative Ratemaking Mechanisms put together by LRC staff. You can access a copy HERE.

KY Gov. Beshear Calls Special Session

2022-08-23T17:47:00.001-04:00

Good afternoon,

Earlier today Gov. Beshear announced his call for the convening of a Special Session of the Kentucky General Assembly to address relief from the recent Eastern KY flooding. The session will begin no earlier than noon ET on Wednesday, August 24. However, both House and Senate leaders have announced they will convene at 3:00pm ET. The Special Session is expected to adjourn on Friday, August 26.

You can find a PDF of the proclamation here.

The Special Session's focus will be narrow, only addressing the following items per the Governor's call:

• Establishes, appropriates funding to, and provides for the administration of the Eastern Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies (EKSAFE) fund;

• Amends the statute relating to the West Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies (WKSAFE) fund, in particular by extending the date of the fund through June 30, 2026; and

• Provides relief to Eastern Kentucky school districts impacted by the flooding emergency, in particular by relaxing requirements relating to the number of student attendance days, leave for teachers, and remote instruction, and provides relief to Western and Eastern Kentucky school districts impacted by the tornado and flooding emergencies by setting forth new requirements relating to average daily attendance for SEEK funding.

In order to get the legislation to the Governor by Friday, we expect the legislature to use an expedited legislative process where bills with mirroring language will simultaneously proceed through both the House and Senate before culminating in a single bill.

You can watch the proceedings live on KET at www.ket.org/legislature.

We will continue to provide updates throughout the session.

KY Primary Election Results from Government Strategies

2022-05-17T23:45:00.000-04:00

KENTUCKY PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS

Kentuckians went to the polls today for the 2022 primary elections to determine party nominees for the general election in November. While most incumbents won their primary elections handily this evening, some did succumb to the political rhetoric levied by their opponents and the outside groups that stormed Kentucky these past few weeks with political ads in mailboxes and on the airwaves.

This primary season was marked by the strong emergence of so-called "liberty caucus" candidates. These candidates were especially strong in more urban areas, marking a notable change in the activist base in the Republican party with many primary elections focusing on very right-leaning issues.

Northern Kentucky especially saw a rise in the liberty caucus candidates, and several prominent House Republican incumbents fell to their far-right opponents. Judiciary Chairman Ed Massey, Licensing & Occupations Chairman Adam Koenig, and Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation Committee Chairman Sal Santoro could not overcome their primary challengers. In total 6 incumbents lost their election bids: 5 GOP members (Koenig, Santoro, Massey, Bechler, Kirk-McCormick) and 1 Democrat member (Burch).

With several prominent House chairmen losing their primary elections or retiring from the body there will be many new faces leading key committees, including: State Government, Licensing & Occupations, Banking & Insurance, Budget Review on Transportation, and Judiciary.

There were no upsets among Senate incumbents, as Senator Donald Douglas defeated his opponent in the 22^nd Senate District which was expected to be a close race. Former state senator, Gex Williams, won a crowded Republican primary in the 20^th Senate district and will face Teresa Barton in November.

The main Congressional seat in question was that of retiring Chairman John Yarmuth, whose sudden retirement quickly opened the door for State Senate Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey. McGarvey faced off against State Representative Attica Scott, who had announced for the seat before Yarmuth's retirement. McGarvey won the race by a wide margin and will likely be the favorite in the General Election this fall.

Last week we previewed some of the most competitive state House and Senate races, and we've outlined the results of those races below.

House Races (All House primary winners can be viewed in this spreadsheet in bold*)

*Results for House District 41 and House District 43 were still outstanding at this writing.

- District 1: Republican House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy, a farm store owner from Paducah, handily won his race against Christopher Tucker, a farmer from Clinton.

- District 12: Representative Jim Gooch, an insurance agent and the current House Natural Resources & Energy Committee chairman from Providence, emerged victorious against Representative Lynn Bechler, a retiree from Marion in the Republican primary. Their individual districts were combined during redistricting this year – one of four races that pit incumbents against each other.

- District 18: Representative Samara Heavrin, one of the youngest members of the House majority and a small business owner, held off a challenge from Jacob Clark, a minister from Leitchfield, in the Republican primary. This was considered one of the most competitive primary races.

- District 24: House Appropriations and Revenue Vice Chairman Brandon Reed beat his challenger Courtney Gilbert of Hodgenville, who is a music teacher. Notably, Gilbert is the sister of State Senator Adrienne Southworth, considered one of the most far-right state senators in office.

- District 30: Longtime Louisville Democratic Representative Tom Burch, a retiree who has served in the House nearly continuously since 1972, could not overcome a strong challenge from Daniel Grossberg, an entrepreneur.

- District 59: Republican Speaker of the House David Osborne, a business owner, easily won his primary against Bridgette Ehly, a homemaker.

- District 60: Representative Sal Santoro of Union, a small business owner, lost his Republican nomination to fellow Union resident, former speech pathologist Marianne Proctor.

- District 66: Representative Ed Massey of Hebron, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was unseated by Steve Rawlings, an attorney from Burlington in the Republican primary.

- District 69: Representative Adam Koenig of Erlanger, the chairman of the House Licensing and Occupations Committee, lost in his challenge from Steven Doan, an attorney also from Erlanger, in the Republican primary. Doan was endorsed by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. This was the most competitive House primary race this May.

- District 97: Sitting Republican Representative Bobby McCool, a retired teacher from Van Lear, beat out Rep. Norma Kirk-McCormick, a retiree from Inez, for the newly drawn District 97 that paired two incumbents against each other.

Senate Races (All Senate primary winners can be viewed in this spreadsheet in bold)

- District 22: Senator Donald Douglas of Nicholasville, a physician, faced a tough challenge from Andrew Cooperrider, a business owner from Lexington, in the Republican primary. Congressman Massie endorsed Cooperrider over incumbent Douglas, who made waves early in the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns by refusing to close down his business or enforce health mandates.

- District 34: Senate Banking & Insurance Chairman Jared Carpenter, a builder and farmer from Berea, easily bested his challenger from the right, Rhonda Goode, a fitness instructor from Richmond.

Two open seats had several primary candidates, and the winner of these will each face a Democratic challenger in the fall:

- District 20: Gex Williams, a business consultant and former state senator, emerged victorious in the four-way primary for this open seat. Gex Williams is considered one of the liberty caucus candidates.

- District 24: Shelley Funke Frommeyer, a financial planner, won the three-way primary for the seat formerly held by Senate Economic Development Chairman Wil Schroder, who retired this year.

Please note that these are still considered unofficial, incomplete results until certified by the Secretary of State's office. For exact numbers on each race, please visit the Kentucky Secretary of State's website for official results.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with questions and stay tuned for our upcoming 2022 Interim Preview.

2022 KY Session Ajourns

2022-04-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

Sine Die Adjournment

The 2022 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly came to a close this evening shortly after 6pm when the House and Senate adjourned sine die. Before they adjourned the legislature gave final passage to several bills, including:

HB 604 - HB 1 - Budget clean up

HB 659 - HB 8 - tax and revenue clean up

HB 573 - Addressing health care workers

HB 490 - Transportation/Road Project clean up

HB 92 - Opioid abatement settlement funding formula

SB 90 - Criminal diversion for low level offenders

SB 163 - KEES scholarships for felons

HB 44 - Student mental health that contains SB 1 fix
SB 178 - Alcohol and drug counselors that contains KEHP pharmacy database and postpartum Medicaid coverage
SB 167 - Override of Governor's veto on library board governance
SB 180 - Merging the Labor & Education and Workforce Cabinets

As in all sessions many bills don't make it across the finish line for passage and here are a few of the more notable bills not considered in the session's final days:

HB 606 - Sports wagering

HB 608 - Outlawing illegal gambling machines

HB 475 - Constitutional amendment on local government tax reform

The legislature will stand in adjournment until January 3, 2023 unless called into special session by the Governor. We expect the Interim Joint Committees to begin meeting in June.

We will have a final session report out to you this weekend.

KY Legislative Update - Day 59

2022-04-13T23:04:00.000-04:00

And Then There Was One

The General Assembly ended Day 59 just after 10pm on Wednesday after a busy day that saw a significant amount of floor action. When all was said and done the House and Senate overrode gubernatorial vetoes on 29 bills in full and 21 budget line-item vetoes. They also took action on half a dozen concurrences, appointment and reports of several conference committees, and positioned several bills for committee action on Thursday.

Heading into the day there were a few outstanding items needing action and all still need action on the session's final day to make it to the Governor's desk, including:

House Bill 475 (Local tax reform)

House Bill 608 (Gray machines)

House Bill 659 (Historic tax credits; potential vehicle for tax fixes)

Senate Bill 163 (Expanding KEES access)

Senate Bill 90 (Criminal Diversion)

House HB 490 (Counterfeit Airbags; potential vehicle for road project fixes)

House Bill 44 (Mental Health in Schools; potential for SB 1 fix)

We expect several committees to meet on the session's final day, including Senate Appropriations & Revenue, Senate Transportation & Senate Judiciary.

The General Assembly gavels back in for the final day of the 2022 Session on Thursday when they will adjourn Sine Die before midnight. The Senate and House will convene at 10am.

You can watch the proceedings of the final day of the Kentucky General Assembly live on KET at ket.org/legislature.

We will send an update tomorrow evening upon Sine Die adjournment and a final session report this weekend.

Session Update - Day 58

2022-03-30T23:54:00.000-04:00

Day 58 of the 60-day Legislative Session came to an end at approximately 11pm this evening, starting the veto recess that will last until the General Assembly reconvenes on April 13 & 14 to consider any gubernatorial vetoes--of which there may be several--and wrap up unfinished business. Before adjourning this evening, the General Assembly did bring several pieces of major legislation to final passage, including:

House Bill 1 - The state's executive branch budget

House Bill 7 - Public Assistance Reform

House Bill 274 - Transportation Improvement Districts

House Bill 315 - Broadband Infrastructure

House Bill 499 - Employee Childcare Assistance Partnership

House Bill 607 - Pari-mutuel wagering

House Bill 745 - Product Development Initiative

The General Assembly will return on April 13 at 11am ET (Senate) and 12pm ET (House) for the 59th day of session.

If you have any questions regarding this legislation or any other bills, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. A more in-depth report of this week's actions will be distributed this weekend.

Session Update – Day 57

2022-03-29T23:28:00.000-04:00

Session Update – Day 57

Today, on day 57 of 60 of the 2022 Session, the legislative activity in Frankfort was high as the budget conference committee met to finalize the next biennial budget, the tax reform plan was unveiled, and several committees passed last-minute bills. Legislators are under a time crunch as they must pass bills by midnight tomorrow to maintain their ability to override gubernatorial vetoes.

Budget Update

The House Bill 1 Conference Committee has finalized the state's executive branch budget and outlined some points during a final public meeting today. You can find the final House Bill 1 budget language here. We have also attached a document highlighting some of the components of HB1.

The legislature did send to the Governor the biennial transportation budget, House Bill 241, as well as its companion bill in the biennial road plan, House Bill 242, that outlines road projects for the next two years.

Tax Reform

The Senate also approved changes to House Bill 8, the tax reform bill. These changes were agreed to by members of the HB 1 Conference Committee as they negotiated the budget. This version removed a few services from the initial House version, including financial planning services, marina usage, and advertising. The Senate version also changed the income tax reduction and amended the triggers that would reduce the income tax. There is no mandatory reduction, but an assessment will be made in September 2022 and if the financial conditions of the Commonwealth meet the new triggers outlined in the bill, then a 0.5 percent reduction could occur in January 2023. The tax rebate proposed earlier this session by the Senate, Senate Bill 194 was not included in the final agreement.

Bill Awaiting Action

House Bill 7 (Public Assistance Reform)

House Bill 8 (Tax Reform)

House Bill 274 (Transportation Improvement Districts)

House Bill 315 (Broadband)

House Bill 499 (Employer Childcare Assistance Partnership)

House Bill 607 (Pari-mutuel wagering)

House Bill 608 (Gray machines)

House Bill 745 (Product Development Initiative Program)

The House and Senate will convene at 10am ET. The proceedings can be watched live on ket.org/legislature.

We will continue to update you on the happenings of these last days of the 2022 Session, including providing the final version of the state budget when it becomes available. Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

WKY Relief Fund - Team KY Official Website

2021-12-12T22:15:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon,

We appreciate everyone's outreach regarding how you can help those affected by the tornados across Kentucky.

Governor Beshear announced the launching of the official Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund. These donations go directly to those affected in Western Kentucky.

You can access the relief fund website here.

If you have any questions or are looking to provide in-kind assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team.

2022 Standing Committee Schedule Released

2021-12-08T10:42:00.001-05:00

2022 Standing Committee Schedule Released

This week the Kentucky General Assembly released the schedule for the 2022 Senate and House Standing Committees. The committees, held during the 2022 Legislative Session, will also begin the first week of January.

To access the full committee schedule, please follow this link.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

2021 Special Election Results

2021-11-02T21:13:00.001-04:00

2021 Special Election Results

This evening the polls closed in 10 counties as voters in Central Kentucky participated in a special election to fill three vacant legislative seats. All the seats, which were previously held by Republican legislators, remained in the majority party's hands:

The 22nd Senate District seat, previously held by the late Tom Buford, includes Garrard, Jessamine, Mercer, and Washington counties and part of Fayette County. Dr. Donald Douglas (R), Senator-elect, is the lead medical doctor at the Tony Delk IMAC Regeneration Center. Senator-elect Douglas won the district with approximately 72% of the vote.

The 51st House District seat, previously held by the late Bam Carney, includes all of Taylor and Adair Counties. Representative-elect Michael "Sarge" Pollock (R) is an insurance advisor. He won the district with approximately 74% of the vote.

The 89th House District seat, previously held by Robert Goforth, includes all of Jackson County and parts of Laurel and Madison Counties. Representative-elect Timmy Truett (R) is the principal of McKee Elementary School and owner of Truett's Pumpkin Patch in Jackson County. He won the district with 72% of the vote.

With Republicans holding all three seats, there are no changes to the makeup of either chamber. The Senate maintains a 30-8 Republican majority and the House maintains a 75-25 Republican majority.

All 100 State House seats and half of the State Senate Seats will be on the ballot in 2022. We'll have more information on next year's elections and the impact of redistricting in future updates.

Special Session - Sine Die Update

2021-09-09T23:50:00.001-04:00

Special Session - Sine Die Update

The General Assembly completed their work tonight for the 2021 Special Legislative Session and have adjourned Sine Die. But not before sending the Governor four bills, two of which he signed and two that he vetoed. Subsequently, the General Assembly voted to override those vetoes bringing all four bills into law.

Thus, this third and final day of the 2021 Special Session was, as expected, busy and chaotic. As anticipated, the General Assembly used procedural strategy to shorten the normal 5-days required to pass a bill down to three days speeding up the session. Ultimately, the following proposals became law:

EDUCATION: Senate Bill 1/House Bill 1 received much debate in both the House and the Senate. These bills nullify regulations mandating masks by the KY Department of Education and provide instruction flexibility to school districts. Some legislators felt the bill did not go far enough in giving flexibility to schools, while others felt it went too far by allowing for mask mandates on the local level. Several amendments to try and both broaden and shrink the parameters of the bill were filed, but ultimately none were adopted. Senate Bill 1, was the vehicle passed by the Senate 28-8 and the House 70-25. Vetoed by Governor & Overridden by Senate 22-6 & House 69-24 - September 9

HEALTHCARE: Senate Bill 2/House Bill 2 were also hotly contested. These identical bills do away with emergency regulations filed by the administration related to masking and provide assistance to healthcare organizations for testing and treating COVID. None of the floor amendments, many of which could have impacted employer's rights, were not adopted. Senate Bill 2 was the vehicle passed by the Senate 26-10 and the House 69-24. Vetoed by Governor & Overridden by Senate 23-5 & House 69-22 - September 9

APPROPRIATIONS: Senate Bill 3/House Bill 3 appropriates $69 million in ARPA funding to relieve pressures in healthcare, long term care, and education systems. They also provide more funding for COVID testing, monoclonal antibody treatment, and "test and stay" COVID testing for schools. One of the least controversial measures during this special session, the Senate bill passed without amendments in the Senate 36-0 and the House 84-8. Signed by Governor - September 9

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES (Senate Bill 5/House Bill 5): These bills appropriate $410 million from the budget reserve trust fund to finance KEDFA forgivable loans and training grants for companies investing more than $2 billion in Kentucky. The language allows the state to provide incentives on the front end, to compete with states that are able to provide cash incentives. According to legislators there have been discussions involving specific companies for this incentive, but any company investing over $2 billion would qualify. Senate Bill 5 passed without amendment in the Senate 30-3 and the House 91-2. Signed by Governor - September 9

EMERGENCY ORDERS: House Joint Resolution 1, likely the most important piece of legislation to come from the special session, passed the General Assembly and was sent to the governor for his signature on Tuesday, the first day of the special session. HJR 1 extends many of the Governor's COVID executive orders through January 15. HJR includes the extension of liability protections for employers, passed earlier this year as SB 5. Other issues addressed include the extension of a state of emergency order for Nicholas County due to flooding. Signed by Governor - Tuesday, September 7

Also considered today, but not receiving final passage was Senate Joint Resolution 3 sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, which recognized a positive COVID-19 antibody test as equivalent to having been vaccinated against COVID-19. The resolution was filed on Tuesday and passed from committee and the full Senate by a vote of 26-10, but was never acted upon in the House.

Special Session Update - Day 2

2021-09-08T21:47:00.001-04:00

Special Session Update - Day 2

The second day of the special legislative session began with the Senate and the House briefly gaveling in before adjourning for the day. Today's action focused on committee meetings as the General Assembly moved bills quickly through the legislative process. The General Assembly hopes to conclude their business tomorrow, recessing for the veto period while Governor Beshear considers any vetoes.

We have summarized the bills below, but first a quick note on the political dynamics. The emotional undercurrents of the COVID issue are impacting the session as members are hearing from their constituents about masks, vaccines, and local control. Their constituents' vitriol has been reflected in votes and in speeches before committees and on the floor. It doesn't appear that there will be enough fissures to derail any of the bills, though it got close on House Bill 1 in the House Education Committee today.

EDUCATION (SB 1 & HB 1): The House & Senate Education Committee passed a modified version of the filed bills. Section 7 of the bill, which encouraged vaccine incentives in the school system, was completely removed. Changes were also made to Sections 10 and 11 regarding the Teacher Retirement System due to potential legal issues with the originally proposed language. The bill passed the Senate Committee easily, but the House Committee failed to pass the bill in its first attempt by one vote. The House committee reconvened this afternoon and the bill was passed by a 3-vote margin, though members still expressed concerns about the bill. The floor debate on these bills should be interesting as multiple amendments have been filed.

HEALTHCARE & HEALTHCARE FACILITIES (SB 2 & HB 2): Senate Bill 2 removes the ability to implement a statewide mask mandate, encourages public health, vaccine, and monoclonal antibody treatment campaigns on a local level, and outlines methods to allow visitors in long-term care facilities. Senate Bill 2 passed committee today but had some slightly different language on the monoclonal antibody treatment than House Bill 2, which passed the committee on Tuesday. Thus HB 2 was recommitted and will be before the House Health & Welfare Committee tomorrow morning. Senate Bill 2, along with its House counterpart House Bill 2, saw several amendments filed for consideration tomorrow that many consider to be threatening to employer rights. Specifically:

SFA 5 to SB2: Would make mandating a COVID-19 vaccine or proof of vaccine a violation of the Civil Rights Act

SFA 6 to SB2: Would prevent a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employers; would set certain rules to ensure any "mandate" follows set steps for allowing broad exemptions from any vaccine.

SFA 7 to SB2: Any employer that receives state funds cannot mandate a COVID-19 vaccine.

ARPA APPROPRIATIONS (SB 3 & HB 3): The House & Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committees favorably considered Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 3 respectively today. These bills appropriate funding to battle COVID-19, especially in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and schools. No committee amendments were adopted, but floor amendments have been filed including House Floor Amendment 1 (HFA1) to HB 3 would prevent any employer that receives state resources from mandating a COVID-19 vaccine.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES (SB 5 & HB 5): These bills appropriate $350 million from the budget reserve trust fund to KEDFA to finance forgivable loans for companies investing more than $2 billion in Kentucky. The language allows the state to provide incentives on the front end, so Kentucky can compete with states that are able to provide cash incentives. The bills also include language to appropriate training funds to KCTCS for onsite employee training for companies locating in Kentucky above that $2B threshold, as well as other training grant opportunities. According to legislators there have been discussions involving specific companies for this incentive, but any company investing over the $2 billion mark would qualify. Both bills passed their respective committee unanimously.

LEGISLATOR COMPENSATION (SB 4 & HB 4): The Senate passed SB 4 out of committee yesterday; the House has yet to pass the bill out of its State Government Committee. The bill would prevent legislators from receiving legislative pay on necessary veto days during a special session. It is estimated to cost the Commonwealth $72,000 a day to hold a special session.

As we noted yesterday, two other bills were filed: Senate Bill 6 and Senate Bill 7. These bills are very similar to Senate Bill 2 and Senate Bill 3, respectively. They are not expected to move forward at this point.

Special Session - Day 1 Update

2021-09-07T22:20:00.000-04:00

Special Session - Day 1 Update

The Kentucky General Assembly convened this morning for the first day of the special session. Governor Beshear and legislative leaders worked over the past few weeks to reach agreement on the agenda for the special session. It's expected that the session will conclude by week's end, as legislative leaders have indicated they hope to finish the business at hand on Thursday.

Both the House and the Senate filed the same legislation focusing on these issues. There is a procedural strategy behind this action - a bill is required to be given three readings in each chamber on separate days unless those readings are procedurally dispensed with. In order to avoid using the procedural process, the General Assembly believes simultaneously passing these identical bills through the legislative process at the same time in each chamber fulfills their duties in the legislative process and thus allowing them to conclude their business on Thursday.

House Joint Resolution 1 - Final Passage

The most noteworthy action today was the introduction and final passage of HJR 1, sponsored by Speaker Osborne. HJR 1 extends many of the Governor's COVID executive orders through January 15. HJR includes the extension of liability protections for employers, passed earlier this year as SB 5. Other issues addressed include the extension of a state of emergency order for Nicholas County due to flooding. Certain procedural rules were waived so that the resolution could pass both chambers and be delivered to the Governor's desk for consideration today. It is expected he will sign HJR 1 this evening.

Other Bill Introductions and Actions

EDUCATION: SB 1 & HB 1 - Nullifies regulations mandating masks by the KY Department of Education and provides instruction flexibility to school districts. SB 1 passed the Senate Education Committee. Multiple floor amendments were filed to both bills from members of both parties.
HEALTHCARE & FACILITIES: SB 2 & HB 2 - Does away with emergency regulations filed by the administration related to masking and provides assistance to healthcare organizations testing for and treating COVID. HB 2 passed the House Health and Family Services committee. Multiple floor amendments were filed to both bills.
AARPA APPROPRIATION: SB 3 & HB 3 - Appropriates funding to relieve pressures in healthcare, long term care, and education systems. Provides more funding for COVID testing, monoclonal antibody treatment, and "test and stay" COVID testing for schools; it also reduces ARPA funding to the Unemployment Services beginning in FY 22. SB 3 will be heard tomorrow in the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee. Multiple floor amendments were filed to both bills.
LEGISLATOR COMPENSATION: SB 4 & HB 4 - Prevents lawmakers from receiving compensation for necessary veto days during a special session. SB 4 passed the Senate State & Local Government Committee.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES: SB 5 & HB 5 - Funding economic development projects that exceed $2 billion investment. SB 5 will be heard tomorrow in the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee.
SB 6 - Very similar to SB 2, SB 6 provides healthcare-related COVID-19 measures including allowing all visitors in long-term care facilities, establishing COVID-19 antibody treatment centers, and creating incentives for vaccine promotion in healthcare settings
SB 7 - Very similar to SB 3, SB 7 appropriates funding to assist with COVID pressures throughout the healthcare, long term care, and education systems. It also cuts the appropriated ARPA funding to the Unemployment Services.

Tomorrow the Senate convenes at 9am and the House convenes at 10. Various House and Senate legislative committees will be meeting to continue moving the bills that were introduced today. You can watch all the legislative proceedings live on the KET-KY channel, or online on KET or the LRC's YouTube channel.

Interim Session Set to Begin

2021-05-31T23:17:00.000-04:00

Interim Session Set to Begin

Legislators will return to Frankfort on June 1 as the Interim Session of the Kentucky General Assembly gets underway. A quick refresher on the Interim Session:

Committees meet jointly as House and Senate legislative committees combine to create the Interim Joint Committees.
These committees will meet monthly to discuss issues that will be considered during the next session and to receive updates on issues from the past session.
No votes are taken. The Interim is a time for taking testimony, studying issues, and forging compromises in advance of the next legislative session.

Schedule & Monitoring

The Legislative Research Commission published the Interim schedule for the remainder of the year and the full calendar can be found here. Access to the Capitol and Capitol Annex remains restricted, so the majority of these legislative meetings will be livestreamed on KET or the LRC's YouTube channel. We will be monitoring the meetings and providing updates on issues of interest.

Key Issues

The long-term impacts of COVID-19 will continue to dominate the policy discussion this summer. We expect legislative discussions around the impact on COVID to run the gambit from K-12 learning loss to the allocation of Kentucky's remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The focus of the 2022 Legislative Session will be the biennial budget for FY23 and FY24, but the redistricting of legislative seats based on the new census data will also play a major role in the tone of the 2022 Session. Due to the timing of the census data release and the reliance on that data to create the new legislative districts, the candidate filing deadline—usually the first week of January—could be impacted. We expect to learn more as that deadline nears.

COVID Lingers

Even with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions across the state, the Legislative Research Commission is likely to continue enforcing restricted access into the Capitol Annex. This means in-person access to legislative committees will be limited to legislators and those testifying in committees, and all legislator visits must be scheduled and approved ahead of time to gain access to the building.

The Government Strategies team will continue providing you updates on items of interest discussed by the Interim committees, relevant political news, and general updates as the legislative focus shifts to preparing for the 2022 Session. Even with limited access to the Capitol and Annex, we anticipate a surge of activity as legislative activity and lobbying returns to normal.

We Are On Twitter

In addition to our regular email updates, we are excited to announce our new Twitter account to help us with real-time news distribution, sharing updates and happenings from our clients, and keeping up with all-things Kentucky Legislature. Follow us at @GovStrategiesKY and stay tuned as we develop this new communication outlet.

Announcement - Jena Scott Joins Firm

2021-05-13T15:10:00.001-04:00

JENA SCOTT JOINS GOVERNMENT STRATEGIES

Scott brings wide range of experience in communications, public policy, and political strategy

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 13, 2021) - Government Strategies today announced that Jena Scott has joined the firm to lead its client and external communications and provide support to the firm's direct lobbying and advocacy PR practices.

Government Strategies is a full-service government relations firm with decades of experience. The firm helps clients meet their government affairs goals by blending key relationships with tools such as advocacy communications, grassroots network development, association and coalition management, bill analysis and drafting. Government Strategies' business model focuses on merging these skills to develop long-term relationships with clients and provide winning results.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have Jena join Government Strategies," said Rachel Bayens, a Government Strategies partner. "She has significant and unique experience in communications and public policy strategy in Kentucky and will be an outstanding addition to our team."

Scott most recently served as the Communications Manager for the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers. She has a diverse professional background with a wide range of experience in communications, public policy, and political strategy. She previously held the Deputy Communications Director role for the Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus.

"I am honored to join the team at Government Strategies," said Scott. "Their commitment to results and tireless advocacy for their clients is unparalleled. I look forward to complimenting their client services with my knowledge of advocacy communications, the state legislative process, and the needs of Kentucky's largest industries."

Scott's focus will be on client communications, legislative activity, grassroots networking, and public relations.

Government Strategies was founded in 1999 and has directed the government relations strategy for some of Kentucky's largest corporations and most influential trade associations.

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For more information about Government Strategies, please visit www.govplan.com.

Other members of Government Strategies pictured below:

Rachel Bayens

Dustin Miller

Mike Shea

Prentice Harvey

Mike Helton

KY Legislative Update - Sine Die

2021-03-31T06:36:00.000-04:00

Sine Die

The Kentucky General Assembly brought the 2021 Regular Session to a close on its final legislative day just before midnight tonight. Before adjourning sine die, the legislature addressed several matters of significance the last two days that could be divided into two categories: Veto Overrides & Unfinished Business.

Veto Overrides

The Governor vetoed 20 bills and one joint resolution in whole and vetoed line items in HB 192, HB 195, HB 249, HB 320, HB 405, and HB 413 that the House and Senate had to consider overriding on the final two days of session. In the end they took action to override vetoes on 19 of 20 bills, except for SB 63, and the one resolution vetoed in whole. They also overrode line item vetoes in 4 of the 6 bills that contained them, except for HB 405 & HB 413.

Notable veto overrides included:

- HB 563 - This bill will bring school choice to Kentucky through education opportunity accounts that allow for dollars to be used for private schools and it addressed open borders between public schools as well.

- HB 320 - The bill appropriates $250 million for broadband and allows electric cooperatives to capitalize broadband affiliates to bring unserved and underserved areas of the state.

- HB 192 - The Executive branch budget is always the biggest issue in any session it is considered and this one is no different.

Unfinished Business

There were several matters addressed on the session's final days and it is important to note that the General Assembly has adjourned and will not have the option of overriding any vetoes that may be issued over the next 10 days on these bills by Governor Beshear. Those notable bills that made up the unfinished business of the session's final two days included:

- SB 4 - A priority issue for the General Assembly was addressing law enforcement's use of "no-knock" warrants in the wake of the Breonna Taylor incident in Louisville last spring.

- SB 5 - A bill that was introduced early in the session and a priority issue for the General Assembly was to address COVID-19 liability relief for business, education and health care interests.

- HB 178 - Reorganization of the KY Board of Education including adding a teacher and student representative to the Board.

- HB 382 - A supplemental appropriation bill that appropriated $575 million (federal funds) to Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, $140 million (general funds) for all day Kindergarten, an additional $50 million (federal funds) for broadband specific to economic development projects and some language provisions dealing with consumer complaints related to broadband.

- HB 574 - An omnibus revision to Kentucky's election laws that will change the way Kentuckians vote in 2022 when they go to the polls.

- SB 36 - Appropriates $250 million (federal funds) for drinking water and wastewater grants to be administered through the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority.

- HB 556 - Provides a revolving loan fund for rural hospitals, but also adds several appropriations: $58 million (federal funds) for Capitol renovation, $10 million (general funds) for the West End Opportunity Zone, $127 (federal funds) million for school construction, $75 million (general funds) vocational school construction, $15 million (federal funds) for remote inmate arraignment, and additional appropriations for jails and diversion programs.

- HB 321 - Syncs the state tax filing deadlines with the federal tax filing deadlines, but also sets up a special taxing arrangement for the West End Opportunity Zone, restructures the dates on a historic structure tax credit, and deals with cigarette tax administration.

We will be reviewing the General Assembly's actions over the next couple of days and will provide you an end of session report by week's end.

KY Legislative Update - Time for Recess

2021-03-17T00:53:00.001-04:00

Time For Recess

The General Assembly completed their 28th legislative day just before midnight on March 16 commencing the Veto Recess. The Governor will have until March 27 to veto any bills before the legislature reconvenes on March 29 & 30 for the final two legislative days of the 2021 Session.

Before adjourning tonight the legislature brought final passage to several bills, most notably:

HB 563 - School Choice - Creates education opportunity accounts that can be used to pay for a list of academic expenses including out of district tuition and private school tuition as well as creating a tax credit for charitable contributions into these accounts

HB 320 - Broadband - A measure to appropriate $250 million of federal funding for broadband deployment and to allow electric distribution cooperatives to capitalize broadband deployment was passed unanimously through the House and Senate after a Senate committee substitute was adopted.

HB 413 - Unemployment Insurance - Legislation to freeze the employer tax rate, suspend the employer surcharge, and other changes that will address increasing employer costs due to COVID-19.

HB 249 - The "revenue" bill that moves alongside the budget that contains several tax administration and compliance changes along with tax policy changes.

HB 126 - A bill to increase Kentucky's felony theft threshold to update for inflation and provide some minimal criminal justice reform

HB 372 - Legislation that provides a sales and use tax exemption for data centers passed with an amendment that allows for a remote worker tax credit.

HB 405 - A supplemental appropriations bill that contains KSP salary changes, AG staffing increases, a $2 increase in Childcare Assistance Program amongst others.

Please note that many bills that were passed with changes tonight have not yet been made publicly available. We will review and update you in our weekly report later this week.