Governor Andy Beshear has signed into law House Bill 172. This afternoon the Kentucky State Senate passed the legislation, the first bill of the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly to clear both chambers. Representative Steven Rudy (R-Paducah) sponsored the measure that pushes the filing deadline to January 25.

The change will impact candidates running in cities that do not waive a primary election. Candidates in cities that waive the May primary still have until June 7 to file the proper paperwork to run for office.

An emergency clause means House Bill 172 became law immediately upon the governor’s signature.

The previous filing deadline was the first Friday following the first Monday in January. This year, that date was Friday, January 7.

Legislators pushed back the filing deadline in response to redistricting legislation currently making its way through the General Assembly. Kentucky House, Senate, Supreme Court, and U.S. Congressional redistricting bills each cleared their first chamber today. Legislators are expected to pass them on Saturday, January 8. Today, legislative leaders announced a change to the Regular Session calendar, adding Saturday as a legislative day in order to address redistricting.

Representative Rudy testified before the Senate State and Local Government Committee on Thursday morning about HB 172. He told members that the filing deadline reverts back to the date used before legislators passed Senate Bill 60 in the 2019 session. “I was proud to carry that bill on the House floor. I think that it is still the right thing to do,” he said. “Under these circumstances, with the redistricting and the changes of the maps, we felt that we needed to move this time, and this time only.”

The bill will impact 70 cities with more than 500 elected city offices.