The House and Senate gave final passage to four redistricting bills during a rare Saturday session of the General Assembly. House Bill 2, House Bill 179, Senate Bill 2, and Senate Bill  3 now head to Governor Andy Beshear.

“Senate Bills 2 and 3 uphold the principle of equal representation, one person one vote, among the resident population and ensure each Kentuckian has an equal voice in Frankfort and Washington, D.C., ” said Senator Robby Mills (R-Henderson) who sponsored the bills. “Voters deserve to know their voice is heard in government and to know who their representatives are. It was important to provide that clarity early in the session. ”

Opponents of the legislation that redraw state House, Senate, Supreme Court, and congressional maps will likely file legal challenges. The House also gave final passage to Senate Bill 20 on Saturday. That bill requires any resident who wishes to contest the maps to file suit in their local Circuit Court.

“We made the best judgments we possibly could,” said House Speaker David Osborne (R-Prospect). “I’m sure there are a lot of majority members who are quite unhappy about some of these maps but they understood the process, they understood what we had to do and that’s how we did it.  We did it as well as we could possibly do it, and I’m proud of the map, I’m proud of the work that went into it and the way it was done.”

The governor has 10 days to sign or veto the bills or they become law without his signature.

Also Saturday, Representative Richard Heath (R-Mayfield) and Senator Jason Howell (R-Murray) introduced companion bills House Bill 5 and Senate Bill 5. They allocate $200 million to recover from the western Kentucky tornadoes on December 10, including $15 million for temporary housing and $30 million for immediate school needs.