As we usher in the sixth week of the 2023 Kentucky legislative session, significant progress has occurred in both the House and the Senate. Yet, both chambers still carry a heavy load with the House having filed 594 bills and the Senate with 286 bills - the large majority of which will not make it through the legislative process…or even see the light of day.

This week, several important bills made their way out of committee with some even making it to the House or Senate floor. 

A Senate bill to reduce political bias on the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) passed and now moves to the House. The bill would establish a Board of Education Nominating Committee to nominate members for the governor's selection, and would require the KBE to reflect Kentucky's population in terms of gender, minority representation and political affiliations.

Another bill overseeing the governing of KBE prohibits the board from requiring students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend school. The bill has passed a House committee and is posted in Tuesday’s House Orders of the Day.

A Senate education bill allowing homeschool students to receive Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) dollars is moving to the House. If passed, homeschooled students will be allowed to use testing in qualifying for the education dollars instead of being denied financial opportunities due to a lack of traditional public school transcripts.

Criminal justice reform was also a hot topic this week.

Senate Bill 225 seeks to improve the Persistent Felony Offender (PFO) statute by granting juries the power to decide whether or not to apply PFO enhanced penalties. The proposed reform aims to advance rehabilitation and decrease imprisonment for non-violent drug offenders, all while ensuring that individuals are held responsible for their actions.

Also, House Bill 353 aims to reduce Kentucky's high overdose rate by removing fentanyl testing strips and other drug testing equipment from being classified as paraphernalia. That legislation is expected to be heard Tuesday on the House floor.

The House passed a resolution directing Kentucky's Energy and Environment Cabinet to remove reformulated gas requirements currently only imposed on citizens of Oldham, Jefferson and Bullitt counties. The move will give those populations some much needed relief at the pump.

Passing the House and heading to the Senate is legislation protecting Kentucky’s pension systems from liberal activists seeking to inject their personal environmental, social and governance (ESG) ideology into investment decisions involving those public retirement funds. It would require the funds’ investors only consider investments reaping the largest returns rather than investing in socially or politically driven ideas.

Two-thirds of Kentucky’s 2023 legislative session is now complete, highlighting the crucial need for the House and Senate to prioritize passing each other's bills in the upcoming weeks.

Please see our updated bill tracker below: