Bluegrass Politics: The Kentucky General Assembly is back in session. Here’s what to know
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This is the Feb. 5 edition of the Bluegrass Politics newsletter. Sign up here to get the latest news from the Kentucky General Assembly delivered to your inbox for free.
Happy Part II of the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly to all those who observe the occasion!
The legislature got right down to business Tuesday and made quick work of passing an income tax cut in a bipartisan fashion in the Senate. If the bill becomes law — which seems likely! — it will lower Kentucky’s individual income tax rate from 4% to 3.5% in 2026.
Other things we’re watching for this short session: any efforts to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education; any GOP-led efforts to bolster the Trump agenda in Kentucky, similar to what our neighbors in Tennessee have been working on; and any legislative response to the recent lawsuit filed by a group of students over public school education.
Politics reporter Austin Horn also took a close look at the legislative lobbying numbers for 2024 and found that spending topped 2023’s record of $25.5 million. With more than $28 million spent last year, Austin found that 502 groups spent at least $20,000 lobbying the legislature, and of those, 140 spent at least $50,000.
He also listed the top 50 highest-paid legislative lobbyists in the commonwealth at the bottom of this story.
With two more weeks of new bills still ahead of us, we’ll be paying close attention to what lawmakers file. A couple of bills we’ve already dug into this week: an effort to centralize local tax collection (more interesting than it sounds, believe it or not!) and a Democrat’s long-shot attempt to require the safe storage of guns around kids.
Trump, tariffs and bourbon
It’s been little more than two weeks since President Donald Trump moved back into the White House, unleashing a flurry of executive orders and sweeping changes along the way.
Herald-Leader Washington Correspondent Dave Catanese reports that Gov. Andy Beshear was one of a handful of Democratic governors who had a phone call with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last week on ways to better combat President Donald Trump’s dizzying raft executive actions and cabinet appointments.
“His advice both publicly and on the call was to focus less on the president himself and more on how his recent policies make it harder for families to pay the bills at the end of the month,” a Beshear spokesperson said.
Beshear also posted a letter Monday urging Kentucky’s congressional delegation to stand up to Trump’s tariffs because of the potential retaliatory tariffs or restrictions on bourbon, among other things. About 23,000 Kentuckians work in bourbon, which is often referred to as a “signature industry” in the commonwealth.
Sen. Mitch McConnell was on CBS’ “60 Minutes” Sunday night, where he also spoke out against Trump’s tariffs and more.
“It will drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it’ll be paid for by American consumers,” McConnell said. “I mean, why would you want to get in a fight with your allies over this?”
We’re also got a look at what happens to Kentucky if the federal Department of Education is weakened or eliminated, as well as an update on reported Immigration, Customs and Enforcement actions in Kentucky.
Headlines you may have missed
Some other quick bits of news before you go:
House Democratic Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville, filed to raise money for a potential 2026 Senate campaign last Friday with the Federal Elections Commission. The move does not guarantee that she will run, but allows her to begin raising money to take a shot at the seat currently held by McConnell.
Former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis argued in a federal appeals court that she should not be liable for damages to a gay couple she denied a marriage license to in 2015. Her attorney also believes Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, should be overturned.
Sen. Rand Paul said he believes people who came to the United States unlawfully should be allowed to stay and work in exchange for not gaining citizenship or the right to vote.
Louisville prosecutors have dropped the “unlawful camping” charge of a woman who was cited while in labor. The woman has previously sought to have that law thrown out as unconstitutional.
A London man said local officials intercepted and opened a package containing a response to his open records request regarding the fatal police shooting of Douglas Harless in December. Officials say they mistakenly forgot to redact private information before sending the package.
That’s it for this week. For the latest live legislative coverage, follow us on Twitter/X and Bluesky.
Thanks for reading!
