Week 5 Legislative Update
Sen. Steve Rawlings (District 11)
The fifth week of the 2026 Legislative Session marked steady progress in Frankfort. We’ve now crossed the one-third mark of this 60-day session, and the Senate continues moving legislation with a clear purpose: protect individual liberty, respect taxpayers, and keep government accountable to the people it serves.
Across Kentucky, families desire the same things—safe communities, excellence in education, and a government that knows its limits. That belief guides my work in the Senate. Government works best when it is transparent, restrained, and focused on its core responsibilities.
Budget Update
The House has not yet delivered a final budget proposal to the Senate. A placeholder bill has been filed, but the real work begins once the House completes its process. Until then, the Senate Budget Preparation and Submission Committee is reviewing materials and preparing for detailed comparisons. The budget must be built carefully, with a focus on priorities, not politics. I will continue to keep you informed as the process moves forward. Preliminary budget materials are available at legislature.ky.gov.
Education, accountability, and local control
Education remains one of the Senate’s top priorities, with six of the ten Senate priority bills filed this year focused on improving how schools are governed and how education dollars are spent.
One of those bills is Senate Bill 1, which addresses governance in Kentucky’s largest school districts by clearly defining roles and responsibilities. It reinforces accountability while preserving local control and avoiding a state takeover.
Another key measure is Senate Bill 3, legislation filed to strengthen transparency and accountability in local school district budgeting. SB 3 establishes clear timelines, requires public budget presentations, and expands online access to financial information so parents and taxpayers can see where their money is going.
The bill also requires disclosure of superintendent compensation and leave policies and sets a minimum reserve requirement to promote responsible planning. SB 3 does not add bureaucracy—it restores trust by putting sunlight on spending and decision-making.
In addition, the Senate filed Senate Bill 9, a priority bill focused on housing growth. The legislation gives local governments and private developers more flexibility to work together on infrastructure and redevelopment, reducing barriers to construction and allowing communities, not just Frankfort, to decide how they grow.
Bills passed by the Senate this week
Alongside priority legislation, the Senate passed several bills that reinforce public safety, support small businesses, and remove unnecessary red tape:
- Senate Bill 5 cuts red tape that has slowed farm-to-school programs, giving schools more freedom to buy Kentucky-grown food from local farmers.
- Senate Bill 12 Senate Bill 12 proposed updates to Kentucky’s trauma care laws aimed at addressing workforce shortages in rural hospitals. After hearing extensive concerns from emergency room doctors in our district and weighing their guidance carefully, I voted no on the bill.
- Senate Bill 18 modernizes podiatry laws to ensure consistent, commonsense regulation of medical professionals.
- Senate Bill 48 strengthens accountability in re-entry supervision for certain non-violent offenders, improving public safety while ensuring proper oversight.
- Senate Bill 73 expands opportunities for home-based entrepreneurs by recognizing traditional, small-scale production practices.
- Senate Bill 102 allows experienced retired Kentucky State Police troopers to return to duty on a contract basis, helping fill staffing gaps without expanding bureaucracy.
- Senate Bill 132 strengthens local authority to regulate massage therapy businesses and enforce licensing requirements.