Week 13 Legislative Update

Sen. Steve Rawlings (District 11)
As the 2026 Legislative Session enters its final days, we are wrapping up our work—sending legislation to the governor and preparing to return for the final step in the process. This is where months of work come together and every bill is finalized before becoming law, with the legislature fulfilling its responsibility to the people.

The focus now shifts to the veto period. The governor has 10 days to sign or veto legislation, and we will return for the final two days of the session to review those decisions and, if necessary, override vetoes to ensure the will of the people is upheld. 

We will also return on April 14 and April 15 for the final two legislative days, where additional bills will continue to be finalized and sent to the governor’s desk.

These final days are a critical part of the process. They ensure the work Kentuckians sent us here to do is completed and that every piece of legislation is fully considered before it takes effect.

Over the past week, we took major steps to finalize a responsible budget that prioritizes core government functions and avoids unnecessary expansion.

We approved a balanced two-year budget that continues strong support for education, fully funds pensions and brings greater oversight to Medicaid—one of the fastest-growing areas of government spending. In total, the budget directs more than $32 billion toward essential services.

At the same time, we limited spending growth in other areas to ensure long-term stability and protect taxpayers from unsustainable government growth.

Over the next two years, we increased per-pupil funding by 2 percent and committed an additional $500 million to strengthen our pension system, continuing the progress made through disciplined fiscal management.

In total, SEEK funding alone exceeds $7 billion, with additional support directed toward classrooms and student services, ensuring resources are focused where they are most needed.

Medicaid continues to be one of the fastest-growing areas of our budget, now accounting for roughly $6 billion in state funding each year second only to K-12 education.

This budget takes steps to increase oversight, improve accountability and control costs, while protecting services for those who rely on the program.

As a meaningful investment in Kentucky’s future, we passed House Bill 900 to invest $1.7 billion in one-time funds into infrastructure and economic development without creating new recurring obligations or expanding government long term.

Just over a decade ago, this reserve fund sat at zero. Today, responsible budgeting has allowed us to rebuild those reserves and use them wisely without putting future budgets at risk.

I will be sharing more details soon on how these investments will directly benefit our region.

We also finalized a fully funded road plan that focuses on delivering projects that are ready to move forward, rather than overpromising and underdelivering.

Importantly, this plan lives within our means. By comparison, the governor’s proposal included projects totaling more than 400 percent of available dollars.

This week’s final legislative days ran late into the evenings as we worked to finalize legislation and deliver it to the governor’s desk while preserving our authority to review and override vetoes if necessary.

I was proud to see Senate Bills 59 and 189 pass both chambers and be delivered to the governor this week. Each of these measures takes a commonsense approach to protecting taxpayers and consumers ensuring public dollars are used appropriately and that new financial technologies operate with clear safeguards in place.

Senate Bill 59 strengthens enforcement of Kentucky’s existing ban on taxpayer-funded ballot advocacy by establishing real penalties for violations. This ensures public funds are used for legitimate purposes—not to influence elections and reinforces the principle that government should remain neutral when it comes to ballot questions.

Senate Bill 189 addresses the growing use of crypto ATMs by establishing a clear regulatory framework that includes licensing requirements, consumer protections and safeguards against fraud. The bill sets standards for transparency, limits fees and requires identity verification, helping ensure Kentuckians can use this technology with greater confidence.

Taken together, these bills are about accountability protecting taxpayers, strengthening trust in government and making sure emerging industries operate responsibly and transparently.