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Kentucky Senate

{{Short description|Upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}

{{Infobox legislature

| background_color = {{party color|Republican Party (US)}}

|name = Kentucky Senate

|legislature = Kentucky General Assembly

|coa_pic = Seal of Kentucky.svg

| session_room = Senate Chamber - Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09173.JPG

| term_limits = None

| new_session = January 7, 2025 (adjourned)

|leader1_type = President

|leader1 = Robert Stivers (R)

|election1 = January 8, 2013

|leader2_type = President pro tempore

|leader2 = David P. Givens (R)

|election2 = January 8, 2019

| leader3_type = Majority Leader

| leader3 = Max Wise (R)

| election3 = January 7, 2025

| leader4_type = Minority Leader

| leader4 = Gerald Neal (D)

|election4 = January 3, 2023

|members = 38

|structure1 = 2023 Kentucky Senate.svg

| structure1_res = 250px

| political_groups1 =

Majority

Minority

| last_election1 = November 5, 2024
(19 seats)

| next_election1 = November 3, 2026
(19 seats)

| term_length = 4 years

| authority = The Legislative Department, Section 29, Kentucky Constitution

| salary = $188.22/day + per diem (elected before January 1, 2023)
$203.28/day + per diem (elected after January 1, 2023){{cite web |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/03/kentucky-government-salaries-what-governor-state-officials-are-paid/71328717007/ |title=How much do Kentucky's governor and other elected officials make? Here's a list |publisher=Louisville Courier-Journal |access-date=January 17, 2024 }}

| redistricting = Legislative Control

| meeting_place = Senate Chamber
Kentucky State Capitol
Frankfort, Kentucky

| website = [https://legislature.ky.gov/Committees/senate-standing-committee Legislative Research Commission]

}}

The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. The Kentucky Senate meets at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort annually beginning in January. Sessions last for 60 legislative days in even-numbered years and 30 legislative days in odd-numbered years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.csg.org/work/publications/|title=Publications – The Council of State Governments|date=February 19, 2020 }}

Republicans have had control of the Senate since 1999. They currently hold 31 seats to Democrats' 7.

Terms and qualifications

According to Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution, a senator must:

  • be at least 30 years old;
  • be a citizen of Kentucky;
  • have resided in the state at least six years and the district at least one year prior to election.

Per section 30 of the Kentucky Constitution, senators are elected to four year staggered terms, with half the Senate elected every two years.

Leadership

Prior to a 1992 constitutional amendment, the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky presided over the Senate; the 1992 amendment created a new office of President of the Senate to be held by one of the 38 senators.

=Leaders=

Additionally, each political party elects a floor leader, whip, and caucus chairman.

Current party leadership of the Kentucky Senate:

Members

[[File:Kysenate2023.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|{{center|Senate composition by district

{{Legend|#92C5DE|Held by Democrats}}

{{Legend|#F48882|Held by Republicans}}

}}]]

class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
style="vertical-align: bottom;"

! rowspan="3" | Session

! colspan="2" | Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

! rowspan="3" | Total

!

style="height: 5px;"

| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |

| style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |

| style="background:black;"|

Republican

! Democratic

! Vacant

style="font-size: 80%;" | 2015 session

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 26

| 11

! 37

| 1

style="font-size: 80%;" | 2016 session

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 27

| 11

! 38

| 0

colspan="5" |
style="font-size: 80%;" | 2017–2018 sessions

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 27

| 11

! 38

| 0

colspan="5" |
style="font-size: 80%;" | 2019 session

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 28

| 9

! 37

| 1

style="font-size: 80%;" | 2020 session

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 29

| 9

! 38

| 0

colspan="5" |
style="font-size: 80%;" | 2021–2022 sessions

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 30

| 8

! 38

| 0

colspan=5|
style="font-size: 80%;" | 2023 session

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 30

| 6

! 36

| 2

style="font-size: 80%;" | 2024 session

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 31

| 7

! 38

| 0

colspan=5|
style="font-size: 80%;" | 2025 session

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | 31

| 7

! 38

| 0

Latest voting share

! {{Party shading/Republican}} |{{Percentage|31|38|0}}

! {{Percentage|7|38|0}}

!

!

=List of current senators=

class= "sortable wikitable"

! District !! Name !! Party !! First elected !! Residence !! Counties represented

1

| Jason Howell

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2020

| Murray

| Calloway, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Lyon, Trigg

2

| Danny Carroll

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2014

| Benton

| Ballard, Carlisle, Livingston, Marshall, McCracken

3

| Craig Richardson

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2024

| Hopkinsville

| Caldwell, Christian, Muhlenberg

4

| Robby Mills

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2018

| Henderson

| Henderson, Hopkins, Union, Webster

5

| Stephen Meredith

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2016

| Leitchfield

| Breckinridge, Butler, Grayson, Meade, Ohio

6

| Lindsey Tichenor

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2022

| Smithfield

| Jefferson (Part), Oldham, Trimble

7

| Aaron Reed

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2024

| Shelbyville

| Anderson, Henry, Jefferson (Part), Shelby

8

| Gary Boswell

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2022

| Owensboro

| Daviess, Hancock, McLean

9

| David P. Givens

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2008

| Greensburg

| Barren, Edmondson, Green, Hart, Warren (Part)

10

| Matthew Deneen

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2022

| Elizabethtown

| Hardin, Jefferson (Part)

11

| Steve Rawlings

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2024

| Burlington

| Boone (Part)

12

| Amanda Mays Bledsoe

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2022

| Lexington

| Boyle, Fayette (Part), Mercer, Woodford

13

| Reginald Thomas

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 2013{{Refn|Elected in a special election.|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Lexington

| Fayette (Part)

14

| Jimmy Higdon

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2009{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Lebanon

| Larue, Marion, Nelson, Spencer, Washington

15

| Rick Girdler

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2016

| Somerset

| Clinton, Cumberland, Pulaski, Russell, Wayne

16

| Max Wise

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2014

| Campbellsville

| Adair, Allen, Metcalfe, Monroe, Taylor, Warren (Part)

17

| Matt Nunn

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2024

| Sadieville

| Fayette (Part), Grant, Kenton (Part), Scott

18

| Robin L. Webb

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 2009{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Grayson

| Boyd, Carter, Greenup, Lewis

19

| Cassie Chambers Armstrong

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 2023{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Louisville

|Jefferson (Part)

20

| Gex Williams

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2022{{Refn|Williams previously served in the senate from 1993 to 1999.|group=nb}}

| Verona

| Boone (Part), Carroll, Franklin, Gallatin, Kenton (Part), Owen

21

| Brandon J. Storm

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2020

| London

| Casey, Laurel, Lincoln, Rockcastle

22

| Donald Douglas

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2021{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Nicholasville

| Fayette (Part), Garrard, Jessamine

23

| Christian McDaniel

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2012

| Ryland Heights

| Kenton (Part)

24

| Shelley Funke Frommeyer

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2022

| Alexandria

| Bracken, Campbell, Kenton (Part), Pendleton

25

| Robert Stivers

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 1996

| Manchester

| Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, Whitley

26

| Karen Berg

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 2020{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Louisville

| Jefferson (Part)

27

| Stephen West

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2015{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Paris

| Bourbon, Fayette (Part), Fleming, Harrison, Mason, Nicholas, Robertson, Rowan

28

| Greg Elkins

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Winchester

|Bath, Clark, Fayette (Part), Menifee, Montgomery

29

| Scott Madon

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2024

| Pineville

| Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Letcher

30

| Brandon Smith

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2008{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Hazard

| Breathitt, Estill, Lee, Leslie, Magoffin, Morgan, Perry, Powell, Wolfe

31

| Phillip Wheeler

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2019{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Pikeville

| Elliott, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, Pike

32

| Mike Wilson

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| 2010

| Bowling Green

| Logan, Simpson, Todd, Warren (Part)

33

| Gerald A. Neal

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1988

| Louisville

| Jefferson (Part)

34

| Jared Carpenter

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2010

| Berea

| Fayette (Part), Madison

35

| Keturah Herron

| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

| 2024

| Louisville

| Jefferson (Part)

36

| Julie Raque Adams

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2014

| Louisville

| Jefferson (Part)

37

| David Yates

| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

| 2020

| Louisville

| Jefferson (Part)

38

| Michael J. Nemes

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2020{{Refn|name=senatespecial|group=nb}}

| Shepherdsville

| Bullitt, Jefferson (Part)

= Seating chart =

style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; text-align:center"

border=1

|

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Meredith

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Nemes

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Smith

|

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Carpenter

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Raque Adams

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Girdler

|

border=1

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Howell

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Douglas

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Boswell

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Wilson

|

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Deneen

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Elkins

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | West

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Williams

border=1

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | McDaniel

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Wheeler

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Carroll

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Mills

|

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Mays Bledsoe

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Madon

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Tichenor

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Storm

border=1

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Higdon

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Reed

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Nunn

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Wise

|

| width="80" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Neal

| width="80" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Yates

| width="80" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Thomas

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Richardson

border=1

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Stivers

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Givens

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Rawlings

| width="80" {{party shading/Republican}} | Funke Frommeyer

|

| width="80" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Herron

| width="80" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Berg

| width="80" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Chambers Armstrong

| width="80" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Webb

border=1

|

border=1

|

|

|

| colspan="3" {{party shading/Republican}} | President
Stivers

|

|

|

2023 special elections

  • On February 21, 2023, a special election was held to fill the vacant 19th district Senate seat left by Morgan McGarvey.{{Cite web |title=Ky. 19th Senatorial District special election to be held. |url=https://www.wave3.com/2023/01/09/ky-19th-senatorial-district-special-election-be-held/ |access-date=January 22, 2023 |website=www.wave3.com|date=January 9, 2023 }} The seat opened up after McGarvey ran and won the U.S. House seat in Kentucky's 3rd congressional district. Democratic candidate Cassie Chambers Armstrong defeated Republican candidate Misty Glin to become Senator.
  • On May 16, 2023, a special election was held to fill the vacant 28th district Senate seat left by Ralph Alvarado. The seat opened up after Alvarado was appointed the 15th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health.{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2023 |title=Alvarado sworn in as health commissioner in Tennessee |url=https://www.winchestersun.com/2023/01/19/alvarado-sworn-in-as-health-commissioner-in-tennessee/ |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=The Winchester Sun}} The candidates were Greg Elkins (R) of Winchester, Robert Sainte (D) of Winchester, and former Kentucky State Representative Richard Henderson (I) of Mt. Sterling. Republican candidate Greg Elkins defeated Sainte and Henderson to become Senator.

History

Carolyn Conn Moore became the first woman to serve in the Kentucky Senate when in November 1949 she won a special election to replace her husband, J. Lee Moore, in the legislature after his death.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CCEfAAAAIBAJ&pg=6808,1057422&dq=caroline+moore+kentucky+legislature&hl=en|title=From senate to housemother, Mrs. Moore is mother of 110|last=Oswald|first=Sharon|date=January 5, 1977|work=The Tuscaloosa News |page=8|access-date=March 15, 2010|location=Tuscaloosa}} Georgia Davis Powers became the first person of color to be elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1967. Gerald Neal became the first African American ever to be elected to a leadership position in the Kentucky General Assembly in 2014.{{cite web|author=Lawrence Smith|url=http://www.wdrb.com/story/27529878/louisville-state-senator-becomes-first-african-american-elected-to-leadership-in-general-assembly |title=Louisville state senator becomes first African-American elected to leadership in KY legislature |publisher=wdrb.com |date=December 2, 2014 |access-date=July 16, 2018}} Ralph Alvarado became the first Hispanic to serve in the Kentucky General Assembly when he was elected in 2014.{{Cite web |title=Ralph Alvarado |url=https://cof.org/person/ralph-alvarado |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=cof.org|date=October 28, 2020 }}

Standing committees

class="wikitable"

!Committee

!Chair

!Vice Chair

Agriculture

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Jason Howell

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Gary Boswell

Appropriations and Revenue

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Christian McDaniel

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Amanda Mays Bledsoe

Banking and Insurance

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Jared Carpenter

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Rick Girdler

Committee on Committees

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Robert Stivers

|none

Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Phillip Wheeler

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Shelley Funke Frommeyer

Education

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Stephen West

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Lindsey Tichenor

Enrollment

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Matt Nunn

|none

Families and Children

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Danny Carroll

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Amanda Mays Bledsoe

Health and Services

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Stephen Meredith

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Craig Richardson

Judiciary

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Brandon J. Storm

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Phillip Wheeler

Licensing and Occupations

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Julie Raque Adams

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Jason Howell

Natural Resources and Energy

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Brandon Smith

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Gex Williams

Rules

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Robert Stivers

|none

State and Local Government

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Michael J. Nemes

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Greg Elkins

Transportation

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Jimmy Higdon

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Donald Douglas

Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Matthew Deneen

|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Aaron Reed

Past composition of the Senate

{{Main|Political party strength in Kentucky}}

See also

Notes

{{Reflist|group=nb}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.lrc.ky.gov/senate/senmembers.htm Kentucky Legislature Senate Members] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606223136/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/senate/senmembers.htm |date=June 6, 2012 }} official government website
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20110521012123/http://www.votesmart.org/official_state_legislator.php?type=office&state_id=KY&criteria=upper State Senate of Kentucky] at Project Vote Smart
  • {{Ballotpedia|Kentucky_State_Senate}}

{{Kentucky legislative districts}}

{{Kentucky Senate}}

{{United States legislatures}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|38|11|12.4|N|84|52|33.5|W|type:landmark_region:US-KY|display=title}}

Category:Kentucky General Assembly

Category:State upper houses in the United States