The Kentucky General Assembly Simplified

The government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is comprised of three branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. This post will take a short look at the overview of the legislative branch. The legislative branch, or General Assembly, is the convergence of both the State Senate and House of Representatives. It is broken down as follows in its current incumbent status

Kentucky General Assembly

 

Senate 

Kentucky has 38 State Senate members: 14 (Democrats), 23 (Republicans), 1 (Independent). Length of term: 4 years.

House of Representatives

Kentucky has 100 State House members: 54 (Democrats), 45 (Republicans), 1 Vacant.  

Length of term: 2 years. The Kentucky legislature convenes in regular session on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January for 60 days in even-numbered years and for 30 days in odd-numbered years. It convenes in special sessions at the call of the governor. The Kentucky Constitution mandates that a regular session be completed no later than April 15 in even-numbered years and March 30 in odd-numbered years.

To better understand the duties and processes of each of these Houses, refer to these references: Kentucky Constitution

Rules of Procedure for the 2014 Regular Session of the House or Representatives

Rules of Procedure for the 2014 Regular Session of the Senate

In subsequent posts, we'll take a deeper look at how it comes together. Hope to see you then.