KY General Assembly Week 6: Data centers, an impeachment dismissed, no budget action

Something I’ve always enjoyed about my time sitting in the legislative chambers is listening to the topics for new resolutions sponsored on any given day.

In the midst of the busyness and, often, the partisan bickering, that can define sessions, I appreciate seeing lawmakers take a moment to honor championship-winning high school teams, survivors of serious diseases, the passing of a beloved figure from their district or the accomplishments of an unsung hero from Kentucky’s past.

What I also appreciate about resolutions is that lawmakers can file them for basically any reason their hearts desire — and oh, how they file.

Consider a pair of similar resolutions — HR 62 from Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, in the House and SR 95 from Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, in the Senate — urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to “investigate and prosecute individuals implicated in criminal activities related to the Jeffrey Epstein files” and recognizes 4th Congressional District Rep. Thomas Massie for his “efforts ... in securing their public release.”

The resolutions say Kentuckians have a “vested interest in ensuring federal law enforcement upholds the rule of law, protects vulnerable individuals, pursues justice without fear or favor, and builds on the transparency achieved through the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

(In case you missed it: Massie’s push to release the Epstein files has further enraged President Donald Trump, who already disliked the Kentucky contrarian. Recently, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, who very much wants the president’s endorsement in his run for the Senate, endorsed Ed Gallrein, who is challenging Massie with Trump’s backing. Soon after, Senate candidate Nate Morris, who also very much wants the president’s endorsement, also endorsed Gallrein, which has irritated some Massie-aligned state lawmakers. It’s been a whole thing.)

This year, we’ve also got resolutions in both chambers to memorialize the victims of the November UPS plane crash in Louisville and the late Gov. Martha Layne Collins, and to establish Remember Srebrenica Day in honor of Kentucky’s Bosnian community and the victims of the genocide they fled in the 1990s.

Senate Resolution 42 honors Kentucky’s favorite soda, Ale-8-One, on its 100th birthday. Senate Resolution 65 congratulates a Somerset couple on hitting 50 years of marriage (congrats, John and Debbie!) last December. Senate Resolution 83 thanks Nick Wilt, the heroic young Louisville police officer who was seriously injured responding to the Old National Bank shooting, for his service.

In the House, Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, is the primary sponsor of a half-dozen resolutions, with topics including recognizing Hindu holidays, remembering the Holocaust, honoring the contributions of Cuban Americans and supporting Iranian protesters.

Mostly notable, however, is House Resolution 54, which would recognize March 16-20 as Neurodiversity Celebration Week in Kentucky, because it is “imperative that there be greater public awareness of the unique strengths and potential of neurodivergent people.”

This stands out because a day before filing the resolution, Grossberg accepted a settlement with the Legislative Ethics Commission in which he denied wrongdoing but admitted there could be enough evidence to find he’d violated state ethics code on two counts. In doing so, he accepted a public reprimand and $2,000 in fines.

Since 2024, Grossberg has been repeatedly and publicly accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by multiple women, including employees of a Louisville strip club that banned him for life; Grossberg and his attorney have denied any wrongdoing and instead blamed his behavior on a “neurodivergent diagnosis.”

Data center bill not discussed, being revised by sponsor

A highly anticipated policy to regulate prospective data centers in Kentucky was meant to be discussed last week in the House Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Investment.

But the committee’s chair, Rep. Josh Branscum, R-Russell Springs, passed on bringing the bill before the group Thursday morning and said its sponsor was changing parts of it based on feedback from constituents and other stakeholders.

What’s being proposed in House Bill 593 by Rep. Josh Bray is meant to establish guidelines for who covers the high cost of developing and operating data centers.

The Mount Vernon Republican’s bill would let large data centers use public utilities only if they agree to cover the transmission and infrastructure costs related to the facility’s operations. Those contracts would make sure costs incurred by building or running data centers would not be passed onto existing utility customers.

There’s also House Bill 544, or the “Kentucky Ratepayer Protection Act,” sponsored by Lexington’s Democratic Rep. Adam Moore. It’s meant to protect residents from higher utility bills that come with the additional electricity infrastructure needed to power data centers.

Regulating data centers was identified as a priority among the General Assembly’s GOP majority over the interim and at the start of this year’s legislative session. Several companies have been trying to get in on statewide incentives passed last year, and legislators are eager to capitalize on the economic potential of data centers and the artificial intelligence they may house.

-Reported by Piper Hansen

How do you take your coffee? With the president

Continuing a tradition he launched a few sessions ago, Senate President Robert Stivers hosted a “Coffee with the President” for reporters Wednesday morning at Goodwood Brewery in Frankfort, where he touched on a plethora of issues that could come up during the rest of session.

Unsurprisingly, one of the first topics to come up early in the conversation was the budget for the next biennium. Stivers said he hopes the Senate receives the document by the end of February or early March.

When asked if he liked the House starting off with a bare-bones budget, Stivers said he wasn’t going to “compliment them or criticize them.”

“It doesn’t really matter to me, just so long they get it to us with plenty of time to look at it, understand it, talk with them, talk with the administration and create our document,” Stivers said. “They have to do what they feel comfortable with within their process.”

The conversation didn’t stick to just the session though.

Stivers also talked about the upcoming May primary election, where said he doesn’t think that Trump will endorse a candidate in the race to replace outgoing Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is not seeking reelection this year.

“Think about how close the (U.S.) House is in numbers. They can’t afford to lose one vote in the House if they’re trying to get policy through,” Stivers said. ”If he alienates Andy Barr by endorsing somebody else, what does Andy Barr do? That’s a likely lost vote. ... I don’t think that he jumps into this unless he would jump into it for Andy Barr, but I don’t know that’ll happen.”

The other high-profile candidates in the GOP race besides Barr are Morris and former Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

-Reported by Hannah Pinski

Impeachment committee updates

In its fourth meeting, the House’s impeachment committee decided “not move forward” with one of the five petitions before the body: the petition filed against Marshall County Family Court Judge Stephanie J. Perlow.

Committee Chair Jason Nemes made the brief announcement after the group spent roughly 15 minutes in executive session Wednesday.

The petition filed against Perlow by a Paducah resident in December claimed the judge exhibited a “sustained pattern of jurisdictional violations, financial misconduct, and obstruction of appellate review” related to his case when it was in Perlow’s court.

Nemes, R-Middletown, and other members of the committee did not give a reason Wednesday for why they would no longer consider it and did not give updates on any of the other cases, including the recent removal petition filed against Tyler Murphy, chair of the Fayette County Public Schools Board of Education.

After the House adjourned Thursday, Nemes told the Herald-Leader that Perlow responded to the petition by the deadline set by the committee, but he could not say whether it influenced the group’s choice to not move forward with the petition.

Alongside Nemes Thursday was Rep. Joshua Watkins, D-Louisville, who said the committee is still awaiting information and responses on the other four petitions.

-Reported by Piper Hansen

More takeaways from Week 6 of the 2026 General Assembly

• Religious exceptions: A Republican-sponsored bill passed a Senate committee that would allow health care providers to refuse services that violate their “sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical principles.” Critics warn the broad legislation could harm LGBTQ patients and shift protections from patients to providers. -Reported by Austin Horn
• State worker benefits: Personnel Cabinet Secretary Mary Elizabeth Bailey warned that the GOP House budget proposal would devastate health benefits for more than 310,000 state workers, dependents and retirees. The 5% cap on employer health contributions could cause 78% premium increases and $202 million shortfall by 2028. -Reported by Austin Horn
• Child care issues: Kentucky lawmakers are pushing multiple bills to address the state’s child care crisis, which has seen rising abuse cases since COVID-19. The most ambitious measure, House Bill 6, would create training requirements, micro-centers, and strengthen quality ratings to help 28,000 parents join the workforce. -Reported by John Cheves
• Juvenile detention: Republican Sen. Danny Carroll is again proposing legislation to improve mental health care for Kentucky youths in state custody. Senate Bill 125 would create two girls-only detention centers and a mental health juvenile facility, addressing systemic failures in the problem-ridden juvenile justice system. -Reported by Hannah Pinski
• Firing professors: House Bill 490 would permit Kentucky universities to remove employees for “bona fide financial reasons” including low enrollment and program costs. Critics say it’s another attack on tenure following last year’s performance evaluation law, while supporters call it fiscal responsibility. -Reported by Monica Kast
• ‘Harassing’ first responders: Senate Bill 104 would create a 25-foot buffer zone around first responders including police, medics and ICE agents. Republicans say it protects officers, while Democrats worry it could infringe on First Amendment rights to film police. -Reported by Liam Niemeyer of the Kentucky Lantern
• Nuclear energy: Senate Republicans want to invest in nuclear energy development to compete with states like Tennessee and Texas. Senate Bill 57 would help developers cover federal permitting costs for nuclear projects, though consumer groups worry about shifting financial risks to ratepayers. -Reported by Austin R. Ramsey
• Snow days: Two Republican representatives filed bills to help school districts affected by Winter Storm Fern. House Bill 631 would provide 10 additional nontraditional instruction days, while House Bill 635 would allow variable calendars and five more calamity days for districts. -Reported by Valarie Honeycutt Spears

The above takeaways were produced with the help of an AI tool, which summarized previous stories reported and written by Herald-Leader journalists. This content was reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom. Read more on our AI policy here.

What we’re looking for in Week 7 of the 2026 General Assembly

Reminder: Monday, Feb. 16 is Presidents’ Day and the legislature is not meeting.

This week will mark the halfway point of this 60-day legislative session. Even-numbered years are often referred to as long sessions — as opposed to the 30-day short sessions in odd-numbered years — and the one thing lawmakers are required to do in these long sessions is pass a budget.

That’s because the Kentucky constitution does not allow lawmakers to enact bills raising revenue or appropriating funds in odd-numbered years “unless it shall be agreed to by three-fifths of all the members elected to each house.”

Additionally, the constitution also requires “all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.” Which means senators, much like the rest of us, are stuck waiting for the House to get a move-on. (While I was writing this Friday afternoon, I got an email saying the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee has canceled its Tuesday standing meeting.)

As a famous Florida man once said, the waiting is the hardest part. Yeah, yeah. (Yeah, yeah!) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you for following the Herald-Leader’s coverage of the Kentucky General Assembly. If you haven’t already, consider signing up for our (twice-weekly during session!) Bluegrass Politics newsletter.

Give me a shout at tduvall@herald-leader.com with any feedback, tips or ideas.

This story was originally published February 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

Tessa Duvall

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-334-0430

Tessa has been the Herald-Leader’s Politics and Public Affairs Editor since March 2024, after acting as Frankfort Bureau Chief since joining the paper in August 2022. A native of Bowling Green and a graduate of Western Kentucky University, Tessa has also reported in Texas, Florida and Louisville, where she covered education, criminal justice and policing.