Legislators passed 22 KLC initiatives in the 2022 session covering 26 legislative agenda items. Measures address many issues important to cities including peace officer powers of constables, recruiting and retaining quality public safety personnel, and protecting city streets from overweight vehicles.

Both chambers adjourned Thursday evening sine die, meaning they will not return to the Capitol until January 3, 2023, or upon a special call from the governor.

KLC Executive Director/CEO J.D. Chaney and Director of Public Affairs Bryanna L. Carroll thanked the representatives and senators who championed KLC measures and promised to continue pushing for revenue diversity during the interim.

“It is disappointing that after years of research and study, the Senate failed to act upon House Bills 475 and 476,” Chaney said. “The inability to pass these measures deprives Kentuckians of the opportunity to decide whether their local governments should be able to move beyond the antiquated methods currently used to fund vital services.”

“Kentucky needs to modernize if we do not want to be left behind,” Carroll stressed, “especially in communities that border our neighboring states. We will continue to meet with legislators to discuss how to move forward and advance the state’s shift toward a more equitable, consumption-based revenue model.”

The final KLC initiative legislators passed Thursday night clarifies how Kentucky will distribute opioid settlement funds. Earlier, Chaney testified in support of House Bill 92 at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.

Representative Danny Bentley (R-Russell) sponsored the measure that included a Senate committee amendment by Senator Phillip Wheeler (R-Pikeville) that created a backstop fund to guarantee local governments can pay required legal fees. Both chambers passed the amended bill, sending it to the governor.