2026 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I look forward to joining the NKY NAACP Branch and Kentucky Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman to celebrate the life and enduring legacy of Dr. King. This annual tradition is a demonstration of the unwavering commitment to equality, justice, and community empowerment in our Northern Kentucky community.

Kentucky's 2026 General Assembly Kicks Off

Legislative Update #1

The 2026 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly gaveled in on January 6. For the first time in more than a century, we convened in a new location - a temporary building while the Kentucky State Capitol building undergoes an extensive renovation. The temporary structure is on the east side of the Capitol Annex near the Rose Garden.

Unfortunately there is no space for visitors, but the public can still engage with the legislative process. Legislative proceedings are livestreamed in the Capitol Annex in Rooms 149, 154, 169 and 171. Those wishing to follow at home can continue to do so on KET or the LRC's YouTube page.

There were a couple changes in House Minority leadership - Rep. Joshua Watkins, D-Louisville, is the new Minority Whip and Lindsay Burke, D-Lexington, took over as Minority Caucus Chair. Rep. Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville, will continue to serve as Minority Floor Leader.

The le gislative calendar is updated daily online. Constituents can contact lawmakers via the General Assembly’s Message Line at 1-800-372-7181. Kentuckians with hearing loss can use Kentucky Relay by dialing 7-1-1. La línea telefónica en español para obtener información legislativa es 1-866-840-6574.

The House will have until March 4 to introduce new bills. The Senate deadline is March 2.

The Budget

The biggest issue we will address this year is the obligation to approve the state’s spending plan for the next two years. The Governor released his budget proposal, focused on pre-K for all and other investments in education, creating & attracting jobs, helping Kentuckians with rising costs, infrastructure investment, public safety, fully funding Medicaid and protecting health care, and investing in our state employees and retirees, while maintaining fiscal responsibility in the face of significant cuts from the Federal government.

House bills for Kentucky's budget are expected to be filed soon. The Democratic Caucus has pushed for budget items that align with Governor Beshear's proposal.

In District 67, I have advocated for funding for hillside repairs in Dayton to facilitate housing, to transform the Purple People Bridge into a signature Northern Kentucky landmark, and to ensure Northern Kentucky University is funded on par with other state colleges to facilitate its continued success, among other priorities important to our region.

The Highway Plan and Road Fund

In addition to the general budget, the legislature will allocate funding for the next two years of our Highway Plan. The major projects that I have prioritized in District 67 include additional funding for the 4th Street Bridge to expedite construction timelines, redesign of the Wilder interchange at I-275 and Route 9 / AA Hwy, and improvements to I-275 East merging with I-471 North. I have requested to remove funding for a proposed roundabout at Highland and Grand in Ft. Thomas. While outside the district, I have also advocated funding completion of Hwy 536 for access from the AA Hwy to I-75. This project would significantly improve congestion in Northern Campbell County on US 27, I-471, and I-275. Additionally, there are numerous smaller road improvement and redesign projects I advocate for to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety throughout the district.

House Democratic Platform

Kentucky House Democrats unveiled our legislative agenda for 2026, outlining a plan to help working families struggling with rising costs of living.

"A Common Vision for the Commonwealth" focuses on five key areas:

No Hungry Kentuckian
Affordable and Accessible Health Care
An Affordable Kentucky Home
Strong Schools
A Fair Shot for Families.

Members of our caucus have and will be filing a number of bills aligned with our platform. Further details on our platform are available on Facebook and was covered in the media.

My Bills

In addition to supporting our caucus platform, I have sponsored several bills aiming to improve quality of life and fairness for Northern Kentuckians:

HB 37 seeks to restore a defined pension (Tier 2 benefits) for State Police and hazardous duty employees in local police, fire, and other departments. We need to ensure our dedicated public servants are fairly compensated and that we remain competitive compared to surrounding states. This has been a multi-year effort and I have been working toward bipartisan solutions to advance this measure.

HB 38 would allow historic taverns to sell packaged liquor at special events such as tastings. This is meant to support the vibrancy of our historic districts in our river cities.

HB 39 is intended to curtail unfair advantages of large, so-called computer-assisted-wagering groups (CAWs) when betting on horses, at the expense of everyday patrons. Racing is a vital industry to Kentucky's workers, tourism industry, and our public image. We must be a leader in the integrity and transparency of gambling on horse racing. This issue was covered in BloodHorse Daily.

HB 40 would ensure that elementary and secondary schools have free feminine hygiene products available. This is intended to provide basic levels of health and dignity on our schools. Such measures have been shown to have an impact on attendance and educational success.

HB 42 would require UK and UofL to play football annually, to play basketball annually at certain times of year (men and women), and to regularly schedule other state schools such as NKU in high-profile sports. College athletics has become a big business, and these events are important to communities around the Commonwealth. In this era of NIL, we want our flagship schools to be competitive at the highest levels, but we can't forget that these taxpayer supported institutions exist to advance the interests of all Kentuckians.

HB 263 looks to permit health care practitioners at schools to prescribe and dispense glucagon to kids in a diabetic emergency without a prescription. The language from this bill has been incorporated into HB 280 sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, which has favorably passed out of committee and is expected to pass the house.

You can find details of all the bills that I sponsor and cosponsor on the LRC website.