What has KY Gov. Beshear vetoed this session? See the list, legislature response
Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed several bills passed by the GOP-controlled Kentucky legislature so far this year.
And, in turn, the same legislature has been swift in overriding most of the Democratic governor’s vetoes. That’s in keeping with a long-standing pattern: the legislature has overridden the vast majority of Beshear’s vetoes.
So far, Beshear has vetoed bills related to education and other government initiatives. He’s also signed most of the bills passed, and let a couple bills become law without his signature.
Here’s a list of the bills Beshear has vetoed, his stated reason for the vetoes and the legislature’s response:
House Bill 1: Education
House Bill 1 authorizes Kentucky’s participation in a federal tax credit program for people who donate to private and public school scholarship organizations. Beshear vetoed the bill, but the legislature swiftly overrode his veto.
Known as the Education Freedom Tax Scholarship program, it was created last year by Republican President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The program allows people to receive a credit of up to $1,700 on their federal income taxes for contributions they make to Scholarship Granting Organizations, or SGOs. SGOs would then use those donations to provide scholarships or cover school-related costs for private or public schools.
States must opt into the program, but the bill shifts that power from the governor to the Kentucky secretary of state, which is currently Republican Michael Adams.
Most Democrats in both chambers of the legislature voted against the bill, while all Republican members who voted were in favor.
Beshear wrote in his veto message that public dollars via tax credits should only go to public schools.
“I am, quite simply, standing up for my conviction that if we want to ensure every child gets a world-class education, the answer is not diverting students and dollars from public education, but providing sufficient resources to fix public education,” Beshear wrote.
Republican legislative leaders like Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens, R-Greensburg, countered that the money is not coming from the state budget.
“HB 1 can be a positive impact,” Givens said. “Anytime we can infuse $400-to-$600 million annually back into the economy of Kentucky, it can only be a positive (for) tax revenue.”
House Bill 314: KentuckyWired
House Bill 314 replaces the governing board and removes the executive director of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority, which runs the state’s high-speed fiber optic cable network, KentuckyWired.
Beshear called it an “unconstitutional partisan power grab” in his veto message.
Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, said that the move was necessary to get spending on KentuckyWired, a project that is expected to cost the state about $1.5 billion, under control. The project was initiated by Beshear’s father, former Gov. Steve Beshear, and advocated for by GOP U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers.
“Saying that the structure set up by Gov. Beshear’s father is costing more than planned while delivering less than expected is a severe understatement,” Williams said.
The legislature overrode Beshear’s veto in a party line vote.
Under HB 314, the network would be run by the Commonwealth Office of Technology. The network authority board, currently chaired by the governor’s cabinet secretary, would instead be chaired by the chief information officer of the Department of Education, a role currently held by David Couch, a 30-plus-year department veteran.
Senate Bill 183: ESG/advisory firms
Senate Bill 183 would regulate “proxy advisory” firms that advise investors. The bill would require those advisors to base their recommendations only on financial factors if they claim to act in shareholders’ interests; if they use other factors to guide their decisions, they’re required to disclose that clearly and explain their reasoning.
The bill aligns with state Republicans’ desire to crack down on “ESG,” short for environmental, social and governance, an investing practice that takes factors beyond maximizing returns into account.
A violation of the law would be treated as a consumer privacy law violation, enforceable by the attorney general’s office or a private lawsuit. Nearly all Republicans voted for the bill and most Democrats voted against it.
Beshear vetoed the bill Friday, March 27, on the advice of religious groups who told him they “believe it infringes on their First Amendment rights.”
“Faith-based organizations provide retirement and health care benefits to their clergy and faith workers and should be free to do so in a way that reflects their faith and teachings. Clergy and faith workers may desire to invest their retirement savings according to the same deeply-held faith-based beliefs. Senate Bill 183 threatens the constitutional right of faith-based organizations to carry out their investments as they and their members wish to,” Beshear wrote.
The legislature overrode Beshear’s veto on March 31.
Senate Bill 199: Pesticide regulation
Senate Bill 199 would block lawsuits against pesticides, stating in law that the federally required warning label on pesticides “shall be deemed a sufficient warning label” to alert consumers to any of the pesticides’ potential hazards.
Critics say would shield the pesticide industry from failure-to-warn health and environmental claims against their products even as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a major case against Monsansto’s weedkiller Roundup.
In that case, John Durnell of St. Louis sued Monsanto in 2019, blaming it for his contracting non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer. Durnell claims the company failed to adequately warn consumers of the risks of cancer from using a glyphosate-containing product, like the one it sold.
The bill did not pass neatly along partisan lines, with many GOP lawmakers in the informal Liberty wing of the party joining Democrats in voting against the bill. Many Republicans voting for the bill said that the farming community was in full support of it.
Echoing criticisms from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, Beshear wrote that the bill “tries to shield makers of dangerous pesticides from being held accountable for the harm their products cause Kentuckians.”
The Senate voted to override the veto on Tuesday and the House followed suit Wednesday with a relatively tight 56-32 vote margin. A simple majority vote of the 100-member House is required to override a veto.
House Bill 78: Liability protections for gun manufacturers
House Bill 78 would expand existing state and federal liability protections for gun manufacturers and gun dealers. It would punish people who sued gun-related businesses in violation of the liability shield, including the dismissal of their lawsuits and civil penalties that could be enforced by the attorney general.
The bill comes amid an ongoing lawsuit in Louisville related to the 2023 mass shooting at the Old National Bank that left five people dead and eight wounded.
Supporters of the bill say the gun industry must be protected from liability lawsuits that can follow deadly shootings, while critics say they wish the legislature spent more time protecting people from gun violence instead of the people manufacturing the guns.
In Beshear’s veto message, he said the legislation would punish victims of gun violence.
“Justice for victims requires our courts and our legal process to bring the facts to light so that anyone with responsibility for violent acts may be held accountable,” Beshear wrote. “HB 78 prioritizes immunity for gun dealers over the safety of the Commonwealth’s citizens.”
The bill passed largely along party lines in the House and Senate, and the General Assembly will have a chance to override the veto if they choose on April 14 or April 15.
House Bill 312: Concealed Carry
House Bill 312 would let Kentuckians carry concealed firearms at age 18 instead of 21. The bill lowers the age at which someone could apply to the Kentucky State Police for a newly created “provisional” concealed carry license.
Supporters say the bill will let young adults who are legally allowed to vote and join the military protect themselves and loved ones when they step outside their home. Critics of the bill have risen concerns over safety, particularly the risk of suicide among young adults.
The bill passed mostly along party lines.
Beshear wrote in his veto message current laws setting minimum age limits is meant to protect “our youth.”
“While I believe in the Second Amendment, Kentuckians under age 21 cannot rent a car, cannot buy alcohol, cannot buy tobacco products, cannot consume medical cannabis through vapor devices, and cannot be a State Representative or Senator,” Beshear wrote. “Yet under House Bill 312, minors under age 21 could carry concealed deadly weapons, even though federal law restricts their ability to buy handguns.”
Senate Bill 59: School districts ballot questions
Senate Bill 59 would explicitly expand the prohibition on the use of tax dollars to advocate for or against a public question on the ballot — in Kentucky, those are posed in the form of constitutional amendments — to school districts. It creates a fine structure and would make the third and subsequent offenses a misdemeanor.
The bill clearly defines staff time and digital assets as “resources,” targeting posts that upset many conservatives during 2024’s battle over Amendment 2, which would have made constitutional several “school choice” initiatives like government-funded vouchers for private schooling in Kentucky.
Drawing the ire of pro-voucher figures in the state and nation, some school districts posted against the amendment, which lost by nearly 30 points, on social media.
The bill passed mostly along party lines, with a couple Republican state senators joining Democrats in voting no.
Beshear wrote in his veto message the bill violated the First Amendment and would have unintended consequences.
“It would prohibit members of the General Assembly from speaking from their annex offices or on state or public property about constitutional amendments set to appear on the ballot. Many state legislators used these and other state resources in 2022 when Kentucky voters defeated (anti-abortion) Amendment 2, and again in 2024 when voters in all 120 Kentucky counties rejected a change to the Kentucky Constitution that would have allowed public dollars to flow to private schools,” Beshear wrote.
Sen. Steve Rawlings, R-Burlington, who sponsored the bill, begged to differ.
“This veto misses the mark and misrepresents what Senate Bill 59 actually does. The bill does not silence anyone’s First Amendment rights; it reinforces a basic principle that taxpayer dollars should never be used for political advocacy. Public officials are free to speak, campaign and express their views, but they should not be doing so on the taxpayer’s dime,” Rawlings wrote in a statement.
Senate Bill 173: increased Medicaid oversight
Senate Bill 173 would create a process similar to the current review of administrative regulations for lawmakers to find deficient amendments to the state health plan submitted to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by the executive branch.
The bill was passed along party lines with Democrats voting no.
Beshear, in his veto message, called it another “legislative power grab.”
“The bill gives two legislative committees the power to review and find deficient the Medicaid state plan and the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program state plan, even when the legislature is not in session and does not exist. Through Senate Bill 173, the General Assembly once again ignores the clear ruling of the Kentucky Supreme Court in 1984 that filing regulations like those to implement these state health plans are executive branch functions that the legislature cannot interfere with,” Beshear wrote.
Givens, the Senate president pro tempore, who sponsored the bill, wrote that the additional oversight is necessary. Medicaid costs are projected to continually increase in the coming years.
“Decisions tied to the state health plan affect Medicaid policy, access to care and the long-term fiscal outlook for the commonwealth,” Givens said. “SB 173 creates a thoughtful and transparent process that allows policymakers to review significant amendments and ensure they align with the policy direction set by the General Assembly.”
House Bill 139: Election law
HB 139, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, makes sweeping changes to Kentucky’s election laws. That includes adding provisions that would restrict accepted voter IDs and allow private voter information to be shared with the federal government.
The bill also increases how much donors can contribute to Kentucky political campaigns and committees.
While the original version of HB 139 just cleaned up current election statute, the Senate turned it into a “Christmas tree bill,” which is when lawmakers attach separate measures representing the “ornaments” on a tree.
All Senate Democrats voted against the bill. During debate, they raised concerns over removing Social Security and food assistance cards from the list of acceptable secondary voter IDs and allowing judicial candidates to share their political party affiliation and viewpoints.
Beshear said he vetoed the bill because it “makes it more difficult for Kentuckians to vote, erode(s) the independence of judiciary elections, expand(s) the authority of the State Board of Elections to share sensitive voter information with the federal government and gives part-time legislators more authority to shift campaign funds between accounts than ever before in our history.”
Other vetoes
- House Bill 379 from Rep. Shane Baker, R-Somerset, passed unanimously and made minor changes to the state’s postsecondary education system. Beshear vetoed it on April 6 because it would require the Kentucky Department of Revenue to collect debts on behalf of Kentucky’s public universities, which he said would be more costly to taxpayers.
- Senate Bill 65 from Sen. Steve West, R-Paris, would nullify certain administrative regulations, including one allowing prescriptions of GLP-1s in the state’s Medicaid program. Beshear vetoed it, calling it a “legislative overreach” and against the constitution, also claiming that its effect on GLP-1 drugs was misrepresented.
- House Bill 669, from House Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade, R-Stanford, would require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to determine if each child in the cabinet’s custody is receiving or eligible for federal benefits within 60 days after entry. Beshear said he vetoed it because it would do away “with more than $11 million per year in critical funding the cabinet relies on to support youth in foster care.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 3:47 PM.
