Republican Sens. Steve Rawlings and Shelly Funke-Fromeyer speak on the Senate floor following opening day adjournment. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
Kentucky lawmakers are expected to propose more than 1,000 bills this year, and several wasted no time by filing legislation on the first day of the 60-day session.
On Tuesday, Republicans filed bills to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in Kentucky public schools and to have the state honor the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Meanwhile, Democrats, who hold a small minority in the statehouse, filed a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage.
High-priority bills are still to come, including legislation for the next two-year state budget.
On the Republican side, Sen. Lindsey Tichenor of Smithfield filed a bill to prevent Kentucky public schools from having any DEI programs, with legal action possible from the Kentucky attorney general’s office if violated. Senate Bill 26 prohibits schools from using resources for DEI offices, training, or employees whose roles advance DEI. Tichenor gained 11 Republican co-sponsors on Tuesday.
Tichenor previously presented the proposal in committee during the interim, arguing it would “eliminate the wasteful, ineffective and divisive DEI initiatives” in K-12 schools.
Sen. Steve Rawlings, R-Burlington, filed Senate Bill 31 to designate Oct. 14 each year as “Charlie Kirk Day” in honor of the right-wing activist who was assassinated at Utah Valley University in September. Kirk’s birthday is Oct. 14.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA to mobilize conservative youth and young adults on high school and college campuses. He often visited campuses to discuss hard-right topics, including anti-LGBTQ positions and encouraging young women to leave careers for home life. He also hosted a daily radio show and podcast.
Rawlings’ bill says Kentuckians would be encouraged to “reflect on the principles he championed, participate in educational events promoting civic engagement, and honor his legacy as a martyr for truth and liberty.”
Senate Democrats hold a press conference before the 2026 legislative session. Democratic Whip Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, of Louisville, speaks about a lack of affordable child care. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
Meanwhile, Democratic Whip Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong of Louisville filed a resolution to honor Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, who was killed along with her husband, Mark, in June, and a resolution to condemn all acts of political violence.
Lexington Sen. Reggie Thomas, Democrats’ caucus chair, said at a Tuesday morning press conference he would file Senate Bill 16 on the first day of session to increase Kentucky’s minimum wage from the federal rate of $7.25 an hour to $10 an hour. The legislation would also move the state toward a $15 an hour minimum wage by 2030.
Thomas said 30 states, including five neighboring Kentucky, have a higher minimum wage than the federal rate.
“We don’t have to be tied to the federal minimum wage,” Thomas said. “Thirty other states have acknowledged that. Why should we be different? There’s no reason why Kentucky should be at the bottom in terms of saying what our workers should be paying.”
Senate Democratic Floor Leader Gerald Neal of Louisville said Thomas’ bill would be a “primary position of the caucus,” and Democrats will try to sway Republicans to support it. Democrats begin this session with six members to the Republicans’ 32.
Temporary chambers
Room 149 in the Capitol annex has been designated as the House Gallery during the 2026 legislative session. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
Tuesday was the first time the Senate and House convened in temporary quarters near the Capitol Annex while the Capitol undergoes multi-year renovations.
Rules in both chambers were updated to reflect that neither the House nor Senate will have in-person galleries for public viewing.
In the Senate, Republican Floor Leader Max Wise of Campbellsville summarized changes, including removing references to the gallery, limiting floor guests to lawmakers, immediate family, staff, and reporters. The Senate approved the rules in a voice vote with no objections.
Two House Democrats expressed concern about shortening the daily order of motions, petitions, and communications from 30 minutes to 15, but the rules were adopted. Republican House Floor Leader Rep. Steven Rudy of Paducah said the limit was due to no floor guests this year. Most House changes were similar to the Senate.
More to come
The House must review impeachment petitions received last year, including one filed by Louisville attorney and GOP official Jack Richardson against Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine.
House Speaker David Osborne said lawmakers are discussing forming a committee to handle citizen petitions. On the Goodwine petition, Stivers said Senate Republicans will “say nothing about it” while the House considers it.
“We should wait for the House to come up with some type of dispositive action, because we will be the jury, the trier of facts, so we should not in any way weigh in to express an opinion one way or another,” Stivers said. “That would be, from my perspective, totally inappropriate and improper.”
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has pushed for state-funded universal pre-K ahead of session, but it must clear the GOP-controlled legislature. Stivers called it a “flawed concept,” adding that while Republicans agree access to child care is important, universal pre-K is not the solution.
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