How a bill becomes a law in Kentucky
The Kentucky General Assembly — the 100-member House of Representatives and the 38-member Senate — writes state law. The rules and procedures differ from the U.S. Congress. The glossary defines the terms used below.
1. Introduction
A House or Senate member files the bill in their own chamber. Bills that raise revenue must start in the House of Representatives. Each bill receives a number — HB for House bills, SB for Senate bills.
2. Committee
The bill is referred to a committee, which can hold hearings, amend the bill, report it favorably to the floor, or take no action. Most bills that fail simply never leave committee.
3. Readings and floor vote
The Kentucky Constitution requires three readings in each chamber on separate days before final passage. After the readings the full chamber debates, may amend, and votes. Most bills need at least two-fifths of the members elected and a majority of those voting; appropriation and revenue bills need a majority of all members elected.
4. The second chamber
A bill that passes one chamber repeats the process in the other — committee, readings, and a floor vote. If the second chamber changes the bill, the first chamber must concur, or the two chambers negotiate a shared version in a conference committee.
5. The governor
The governor has ten days, not counting Sundays, to sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. On appropriation bills the governor can veto individual line items.
6. Veto override
The General Assembly can override a veto with a majority of the members elected in each chamber — 51 votes in the House and 20 in the Senate. This is a simple majority, unlike the two-thirds required in the U.S. Congress.
7. When laws take effect
Under Section 55 of the Kentucky Constitution, most new laws take effect 90 days after the General Assembly adjourns. A bill with an emergency clause takes effect as soon as it becomes law, and a bill can also name its own effective date. Acts of the 2026 Regular Session take effect on July 15, 2026, as published by the Attorney General.