Legislative Liaison

Legislative Liaison

Budget, Medicaid, Education Lead Week Three

Week 3 of the 2026 Legislative Session

The Kentucky legislative session has completed its third week, with activity picking up and priority legislation beginning to take shape.  

Friday marked day 13 of the 60-day session, and lawmakers have settled into a steady rhythm inside the new, temporary chambers of the House and Senate. More than two dozen bills moved out of committees this week, including measures on dyslexia, workplace violence, human trafficking, health care, fishing on private land, sexual assault nurses and educational pathways for teachers. 

In the House, Republicans have yet to file their biennial budget proposal, as lawmakers continue work on crafting the largest “policy document” of the legislative session. Perhaps the second largest policy being addressed this session is the state’s ever-growing Medicaid program. Louisville Rep. Ken Fleming filed HB2 this week, a 75-page bill that attempts to transform Kentucky’s Medicaid to more effectively meet the needs of Kentuckians, as well as to curtail cost overruns.

Senate Republicans continue to take aim at another priority this session, which is the oversight and management of public education. Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens filed SB1, that chamber’s top legislative priority, which is focused on modernizing governance in one of Kentucky’s largest school districts – JCPS in Louisville. The bill differentiates who is responsible for setting a school district’s direction and who is responsible for carrying it out. 

Because of inclement weather, the House and Senate are scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday at 4:00 pm EST.   

Stay Connected

• Contact Lawmakers: You can leave messages for your representatives and senators through the Legislative Research Commission’s toll-free line at 800-372-7181 or find your legislator at legislature.ky.gov using the "Find Your Legislator" tool.
• Track Bills and Meetings: Stay updated on legislative proceedings by visiting legislature.ky.gov, watching live at KET.org/Legislature, or accessing archived footage on the LRC YouTube Channel at THIS LINK or KET.org/legislature/archives.

This issue of e-Liaison contains summary information for bills that we are tracking with details on the most recent activity for each bill. We will continue to highlight timely legislative news that is important to our members in each weekly issue. If you would like to suggest that we add a bill to the e-Liaison for tracking purposes, please contact KRWA.

Keeping up with the Legislature has never been easier! The state has updated its Legislative website. From this site, you can view all bills and resolutions, contact legislators, by email and check on legislative committee schedules and calendars. You can reach a legislator in person by calling 502-564-8100 (not toll-free).

The toll-free meeting schedule information line is 1-800-633-9650. The toll-free message line is 1-800-372-7181, to leave a message for a legislator or an entire committee. The TTY message line is 1-800-896-0305. En Espanol, el nombre es 1-866-840-6574. The toll-free bill status number is 1-866-840-2835.

Every issue of e-Liaison will contain summary information for each bill that we track with a section that details the most recent activity with the bill. We will continue to highlight timely legislative news that is important to our members in each issue. If you would like to suggest that we add a bill to the e-Liaison for tracking, please contact KRWA. By clicking on the link, you will be taken to the bill summary on the LRC’s website.

The Kentucky legislature convenes in regular session on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January for 60 days in even-numbered years and for 30 days in odd-numbered years. It convenes in special sessions at the call of the governor.

The Kentucky Constitution mandates that a regular session be completed no later than April 15 in even-numbered years and March 30 in odd-numbered years.

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