Bill Tracker
The 2021 Kentucky General Assembly is now concluded. The bills listed below are among the ones KFTC prioritized, within the limits of our organizational capacity and a Republican supermajority opposed to KFTC's vision in most important ways.
To read a bill or get additional information, click on the bill number in the Summary column. If you’d like to let your legislators know what you think of any of these bills or how they voted, contact them through the Legislative Message Line at 800-372-7181 (open all year) or by email.
Check out the bill trackers and legislative priorities of our allies: ACLU-Kentucky; Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky; Kentucky Voices for Health; Forward Kentucky and the Kentucky Conservation Committee.
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KFTC SupportsVoting RightsHouse Bill 232 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Jason Nemes, Pamela Stevenson, William Lawrence and others |
Summary
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Additional Information
HB 232 is similar to legislation passed by a House committee last year that received no further consideration when the pandemic curtailed the 2020 session. It had bipartisan sponsorship and support. |
KFTC SupportsBreonna's LawHouse Bill 21 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Attica Scott & other Democrats |
Summary
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Additional Information
HB 21 was introduced in the House on January 5, and after much delay assigned to the Judiciary Committee. The committee however passed over HB 21 and instead approved Senate Bill 4, a weaker bill that addresses the issuance and execution of police warrants but does not ban no-knock warrants. SB 4, which had passed the Senate 33-0 on February 25, was amended and approved by the House, 92-5, on March 30. The Senate concurred, 34-0, with House amendments. SB 4 was signed into law by the governor on April 9. |
KFTC SupportsDeath Penalty Limit / AbolitionHouse Bill 148 Senate Bill 60 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Chad McCoy, Sen, Stephen Meredith and other Republicans and Democrats |
Summary
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Additional Information
HB 148 was approved by the House Judiciary Committee on February 24. It passed the full House, 75-16, on March 1. See how House members voted. |
KFTC SupportsHealthy Democracy: RedistrictingHouse Bill 23 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Buddy Wheatley, Kelly Flood & Attica Scott |
Summary
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Additional Information
The majority party often has used redistricting to shape districts in ways that weaken the votes of minority populations, pit sitting legislators against each other and skew the district to favor their party’s candidates. The goal of this legislation was to remove that partisanship from the process. The Kentucky League of Women Voters has been particularly active in developing HB 23. HB 23 was not assigned to a committee and ignored by legislative leaders. |
KFTC SupportsHealthy Democracy: Voting HoursHouse Bill 51 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Buddy Wheatley & others |
Summary
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Additional Information
Kentucky has one of the earliest poll closing times in the nation at 6 p.m. This would have added one hour in the evening. HB 51 was not assigned to a committee and ignored by legislative leaders. |
KFTC SupportsHealthy Democracy: Expanded Absentee VotingHouse Bill 72 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Rachel Roberts & others |
Summary
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Additional Information
"No excuse" absentee voting absentee (also referred to as mail-in voting) was widely used in the 2020 elections, but done so only under emergency orders for voters concerned about voting safely. HB 72 would have made this a part of Kentucky law. HB 72 was not assigned to a committee. No excuse absentee (mail-in) voting was specifically excluded from the voting bill that did pass (see entry below for HB 574). |
KFTC SupportsHealthy Democracy: Expanded voter registrationHouse Bill 182 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Josie Raymond |
Summary
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Additional Information
A person not previously registered could do so at the precinct of their residence on the day of an election, provided they met all qualifications to be a voter (age, residency, etc.). A person registered through their driver's license application or renewal would be required to decline if they did not meet all qualification. HB 182 was not assigned to a committee or given a hearing or vote. |
KFTC SupportsRedistrictingBill Sponsor(s): Reps. Buddy Wheatley, Attica Scott, Lisa Willner |
Summary
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Additional Information
HCR 61 was not assigned to a committee and was ignored by legislative leaders. |
KFTC SupportsBan Conversion TherapyHouse Bill 19 Senate Bill 30 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Lisa Willner / Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr with bipartisan cosponsors |
Summary
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Additional Information
Both bills had bipartisan sponsorship. Despite this, neither bill was assigned to a committee and received no consideration during the session. |
KFTC SupportsMaternal Health BillHouse Bill 27 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Attica Scott and others |
Summary
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Additional Information
HB 27 and most of the other maternal health-related bills were not assigned to committees and were ignored by legislative leaders. However, House Bill 212 did move. It requires a child and maternal fatality annual demographic analysis by race, income and geography. HB 212 was approved unanimously by the House Health & Family Services Committee on February 4 and then, after a delay, by the full House, 92-3, on March 3. It received approval by the Senate, 36-0, on March 16, and was signed into law by Gov. Beshear on March 25. |
KFTC SupportsRe-entering KentuckiansHouse Bill 497 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Kimberly Moser |
Summary
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Additional Information
HB 497 was passed by the House, 95-0, on March 5. In the Senate it was amended and approved by the Judiciary Committee on March 15 and the full Senate on March 16, 35-0. The House concurred with Senate changes, 91-0, on March 29. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Beshear on April 5. |
KFTC SupportsCivil rights protectionHouse Bill 132 Bill Sponsor(s): Nima Kulkarni, Jason Nemes |
Summary
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Additional Information
HB 132 was not assigned to a committee and denied a hearing or vote by legislative leaders. |

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