Kentucky Senate | |
---|---|
Kentucky General Assembly | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 2, 2024 (adjourned) |
Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 38 |
Political groups | Majority Minority |
Length of term | 4 years |
Authority | The Legislative Department, Section 29, Kentucky Constitution |
Salary | $188.22/day + per diem (elected before January 1, 2023) $203.28/day + per diem (elected after January 1, 2023) [1] |
Elections | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 (19 seats) |
Next election | November 3, 2026 (19 seats) |
Redistricting | Legislative Control |
Meeting place | |
Senate Chamber Kentucky State Capitol Frankfort, Kentucky | |
Website | |
Legislative Research Commission |
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. The Kentucky Senate meets at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort annually beginning in January. Sessions last for 60 legislative days in even-numbered years and 30 legislative days in odd-numbered years. [2]
Republicans have had control of the Senate since 2000. They currently hold 30 seats to Democrats' 7.
According to Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution, a senator must:
Per section 30 of the Kentucky Constitution, senators are elected to four year staggered terms, with half the Senate elected every two years.
Prior to a 1992 constitutional amendment, the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky presided over the Senate; the 1992 amendment created a new office of President of the Senate to be held by one of the 38 senators.
Additionally, each political party elects a floor leader, whip, and caucus chairman.
Current party leadership of the Kentucky Senate:
Session | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
2017–2018 sessions | 27 | 11 | 38 | 0 |
2019 session | 28 | 9 | 37 | 1 |
2020 session | 29 | 9 | 38 | 0 |
2021–2022 sessions | 30 | 8 | 38 | 0 |
January 2, 2023 [3] | 31 | 6 | 37 | 1 |
January 6, 2023 [4] | 30 | 6 | 36 | 2 |
March 2, 2023 [5] | 30 | 7 | 37 | 1 |
June 8, 2023 [6] | 31 | 7 | 38 | 0 |
Latest voting share | 82% | 18% |
Carolyn Conn Moore became the first woman to serve in the Kentucky Senate when in November 1949 she won a special election to replace her husband, J. Lee Moore, in the legislature after his death. [9] Georgia Davis Powers became the first person of color to be elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1967. Gerald Neal became the first African American ever to be elected to a leadership position in the Kentucky General Assembly in 2014. [10] Ralph Alvarado became the first Hispanic to serve in the Kentucky General Assembly when he was elected in 2014. [11]
As of 20 January 2023 [update] . [12]
Committee | Chair | Vice Chair |
---|---|---|
Agriculture | Jason Howell (R-1) | Gary Boswell (R-8) |
Appropriations & Revenue | Christian McDaniel (R-23) | Amanda Mays Bledsoe (R-12) |
Banking & Insurance | Jared Carpenter (R-34) | Rick Girdler (R-15) |
Committee on Committees | Robert Stivers (R-25) | n/a |
Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor | Max Wise (R-16) | Phillip Wheeler (R-31) |
Education | Steve West (R-27) | Gex Williams (R-20) |
Enrollment | Amanda Mays Bledsoe (R-12) | n/a |
Families and Children | Danny Carrol (R-2) | Julie Raque Adams (R-36) |
Health Services | Stephen Meredith (R-5) | Donald Douglas (R-22) |
Judiciary | Whitney Westerfield (R-3) | Phillip Wheeler (R-31) |
Licensing & Occupations | John Schickel (R-11) | Mike Nemes (R-38) |
Natural Resources & Energy | Brandon Smith (R-30) | Johnnie Turner (R-29) |
Rules | Robert Stivers (R-25) | n/a |
State & Local Government | Robby Mills (R-4) | Mike Nemes (R-38) |
Transportation | Jimmy Higdon (R-14) | Brandon J. Storm (R-21) |
Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection | Rick Girdler (R-15) | Matthew Deneen (R-10) |
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Micheal R. Williams is a Tennessee politician who formerly served in the Tennessee State Senate and was elected county mayor of Union County in August 2010.
The 2007 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 6. During this off-year election, the only seats up for election in the United States Congress were special elections held throughout the year. None of these congressional seats changed party hands. There were also several gubernatorial races and state legislative elections, and numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races in several major cities, and several types of local offices on the ballot.
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Ralph A. Alvarado is an American physician and politician and is currently serving as the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health. He served as a member of the Kentucky Senate representing the 28th District from 2015 to 2023. Upon taking office, he became the first Hispanic person elected to the Kentucky General Assembly. His father is from Costa Rica and his mother is from Argentina. He assumed office on January 1, 2015, serving until January 6, 2023, when he would resign to accept the role of commissioner.
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The 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Incumbent Democratic governor Andy Beshear won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron. If Cameron had won, he would have become Kentucky's first African-American governor.
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