First Week of GA25 Recap
How Kentucky Conservation Committee Reviews Legislation
The above lists of bills contain legislation that KCC wishes to bring to your attention, generally on issues involving the environment such as energy, land conservation, fish and wildlife, climate change, voter rights and related issues. Each bill is reviewed by our two lobbyists and presented to our KCC Board of experts, where they provide additional insights on any given bill based on their professional background. And then each bill is graded on a five-point scale from “Strong Support” to “Strong Oppose.” Bills that receive a strong ranking are ones where our lobbyists prioritize for direct engagement. We urge you to review our lists regularly and then contact your lawmakers to let them know your position on these bills. We also share our analysis with KCC partner organizations and they are free to post them to their members.
Time to Engage With Your Lawmakers
As we are here awaiting more snow in Kentucky, California battles one of the largest natural disasters in their history, likely amplified by climate change, it is a reminder of why we do the work we do. We urge all of our members, allies and partner groups to build that relationship with lawmakers in your district. Even if you are snowbound in the current winter weather, many lawmakers can do virtual meetings and many are also available to meet you in their home districts. And you can always reach out by sending them an email during the break before the second part of the session begins. Also note that during the break between Sessions I and II, lawmakers are still holding working committee meetings, so don’t hesitate to try to schedule appointments in Frankfort with your lawmakers during that period as well.
KCC is Here to Help
The Kentucky Conservation Committee is always here to assist you when meeting with lawmakers or helping you to develop talking points on the issues you care about. Please do not hesitate to contact us. And just remember, you can always view the General Assembly and many committee meetings online through Kentucky Educational Television’s online streaming.
General Assembly 2025: Recap of Part I
The main substance of this first part of the legislative session was spent on making progress to cut the state’s income tax through House Bill 1, the re-filing of bills that were not passed in the previous sessions, and establishing the rules of the Assembly. HB 1 would cut the state income tax rate from 4% to 3.5% starting in 2026. It cleared the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on Wednesday and advanced off the House floor Thursday with a 90-7 vote after proponents staved off nearly a dozen floor amendments.
During this first week of the General Assembly, many lawmakers in the minority party also raised questions on the most recent round of rule changes for the operating procedures of the House and Senate, where several commented that the changes would further erode transparency to the public. We want to thank the Kentucky League of Women Voters for building on their thorough report from last year on the challenges of legislative transparency in Kentucky. This is an issue that nonprofit lobbyists such as KCC face directly all during the session—which is why it is important that we have our boots on the ground in Frankfort during the entire session. We urge you to read their two reports on legislative transparency entitled “How Can They Do That” (Parts 1 and 2). We want to particularly thank Rep. Lindsey Burke (the new Minority Whip) for her persistence in highlighting the challenges of working under the rules established by the majority party, resulting in many bills being held in the House and Senate Committee on Committees the previous year, never seeing the light of day.
State of the Commonwealth
During the past week, Governor Beshear also gave his State of the Commonwealth Address, where he highlighted the many significant economic development initiatives, particularly those that are helping to drive the electric vehicle industry. He also highlighted progress made in addressing drinking water issues in rural areas through the Cleaner Water Program, where he is proposing to add $500 million in grants to counties and local governments. He also highlighted the progress made in rebuilding communities that were impacted by natural disasters in Kentucky, and is proposing to add $75 million to the Eastern Kentucky SAFE fund to continue their rebuilding efforts. Link to the Governor’s full address here.
Federal updates
We want to make sure our members and supporters are aware of efforts to pass federal legislation to protect and restore the Ohio River Basin, through the introduction of the Ohio River Restoration Program Act. We want to thank U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey for his work on this important initiative. More here.
And Finally…Don’t Forget to Join us on January 26th for the KCC Annual Meeting and Legislative Summit
We hope you will join us: Kentucky Conservation Committee’s 2025 Legislative Summit and Annual Meeting, where we will be updating you on the present and emerging environmental issues we will be working on this year, as well as a “deep dive” on the bills filed during the General Assembly for you to take action on.
Our special guest will be Alice Driver. Dr. Driver will focus on themes from her newly released book, Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking on America's Largest Meatpacking Company. We hope this guest will inspire you on this issue and how advocacy can drive change.
The conference will take place at Kentucky State University and will highlight pressing issues affecting the state, bringing together policymakers, advocates, and community leaders to discuss critical legislative priorities related to the environment and conservation. The conference is open to the public and free to KCC members. We encourage all KCC members and supporters to attend.
