What your Kentucky legislators do

Every Kentucky address has two state legislators representing it: one member of the 100-seat Kentucky House of Representatives and one member of the 38-seat Kentucky Senate. Together those two chambers form the 138-member Kentucky General Assembly. This guide covers what state legislators do in state government, what they can help constituents with, and how state office differs from federal office.

Their core role

A Kentucky state legislator has three main jobs.

  • Write and pass state law. Legislators introduce bills, debate them in committee and on the floor, and vote in their chamber. Most bills are shaped in committee before they reach a full-chamber vote. The bill process guide covers each step.
  • Approve the state budget. The General Assembly passes a two-year budget in even-year sessions. The budget funds K-12 and higher education, Medicaid, state prisons, state roads, and most state agencies.
  • Serve constituents. Legislators answer questions from residents of their district and help them navigate state agencies.

House members serve two-year terms, and all 100 seats are up every two years. Senators serve four-year terms, with half the chamber elected every two years.

What state legislators can help with

Kentucky state legislators handle matters governed by state law and state agencies. Common examples:

  • Kentucky Revenue Cabinet questions and state tax issues
  • Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky driver's licenses
  • Medicaid and other state-run health programs
  • K-12 policy and Kentucky public universities
  • State parks, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and state-issued permits
  • State-level criminal justice questions, including probation and parole

What state legislators cannot help with

Federal matters go to Kentucky's members of Congress, not to state legislators.

  • Social Security, Medicare, and federal disability programs
  • Federal taxes and IRS matters
  • U.S. immigration, passports, and visas
  • Veterans Affairs benefits
  • Federal criminal cases

For federal representatives, use the official lookup at congress.gov.

State office vs. federal office

Kentuckians elect two sets of legislators. State legislators serve in Frankfort and write Kentucky law. Federal legislators serve in Washington, D.C. and write federal law.

  • Kentucky sends 6 members to the U.S. House and 2 members to the U.S. Senate. The state elects 100 members to the Kentucky House and 38 members to the Kentucky Senate.
  • A Kentucky House term is two years. A Kentucky Senate term is four years. A U.S. House term is two years. A U.S. Senate term is six years.
  • The Kentucky General Assembly can override a governor's veto with a majority of the members elected in each chamber. The U.S. Congress needs two-thirds of both chambers.

Committees

Most day-to-day work happens in committees. A committee can hold hearings, amend a bill, report it favorably to the floor, or take no action. A bill that never leaves committee never becomes law. Interim committees meet between sessions to study issues and hear testimony, but cannot pass bills. Meeting schedules are on the committee meetings page.

Where to see what your legislators are doing

  • Each member's profile page lists committee assignments, sponsored bills, and recorded votes. Start from Find my legislators or the full members roster.
  • Bills each member sponsors or votes on are on the bills page.
  • The glossary defines the terms used in status lines and profiles.

Official source

The Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (LRC) is the nonpartisan agency that staffs the General Assembly. LRC publishes the official record at legislature.ky.gov. Member profile information on this site is sourced from Open States and official Kentucky sources and may lag updates.