06/05/2026
While the General Assembly’s regular session is when bills are filed, debated, and voted on, the interim months give lawmakers time to study how policies are working in practice, hear from state agencies and local leaders, review data, and prepare for the issues that may return in the next session.
This week, legislators began that work for the 2026 interim across various committees and policy areas.
The Public Pension Oversight Board reviewed Kentucky’s upcoming actuarial audit process, return-to-work rules for retired teachers and public employees, and 2026 legislation affecting public retirement systems.
The Interim Joint Committee on Education heard updates on early literacy outcomes, the Read to Succeed Fund, Workforce Pell Grants, Cooperative Extension programs, and Kentucky’s 2026 Academic Standards for Social Studies.
The Interim Joint Committee on Transportation discussed road funding, the impact of the temporary motor fuels tax reduction, local transportation grants, electronic vehicle titling, work zone safety, and the I-65 Central Corridor project in Louisville.
Numerous Budget Review Subcommittees also met this week. Health and Family Services reviewed Kentucky’s Rural Health Transformation work, including efforts around maternal care, behavioral health, dental access, EMS response, chronic disease prevention, and health data infrastructure. Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Protection examined Kentucky’s economic development strategy, incentive programs, workforce training tools, project compliance, and efforts to bring jobs and investment to communities across the commonwealth.
The Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue received updates on Northern Kentucky University’s Votruba Young Scholars Academy, state funding issues affecting dual enrollment programs, and Kentucky’s taxation of financial institutions.
The Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture reviewed the condition of Kentucky’s farm economy, including commodity trends, farm lending, input costs, interest rates, and the financial pressures facing producers.
The Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy discussed PFAS monitoring in drinking water, the Waste Tire Program, tire cleanup in waterways, and Kentucky’s long-term energy planning through the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission.
These meetings are an important part of legislative oversight. The decisions made in Frankfort affect classrooms, roads, farms, health care access, local governments, public employees, utility costs, and the economic future of our communities.
During the interim, Kentucky’s Senate Democrats will follow these discussions closely, ask questions, listen to Kentuckians, and work to keep the focus where it belongs: on the people and communities of the commonwealth.
For more information, including meeting materials and presentations provided to legislators by state agencies, organizations, and stakeholder groups, visit the Legislative Research Commission’s interim committee page: https://legislature.ky.gov/Committees/interim-joint-committee
