The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve the principle of equal representation. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits. The Kentucky House of Representatives convenes at the State Capitol in Frankfort.
History The first meeting of the Kentucky House of Representatives was in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1792, shortly after statehood. During the first legislative session, legislators chose Frankfort to be the permanent state capital.
After women gained suffrage in Kentucky, Mary Elliott Flanery was elected as the first female member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. She took her seat in January 1922, and was the first woman elected to a Southern state legislature.
In 2017, the Republicans became the majority party in the House. They now hold a four-fifths supermajority in the chamber.
Powers and legislative process
Section 47 of the Constitution of Kentucky stipulates that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the state House of Representatives.
Membership Current composition
SessionParty (Shading indicates majority caucus)TotalVacantRepublicanDemocratic 2015 session46 54 1000 2016 session 50 964 2017 session 6436 1000 2018 session 62 982 2019 session 6139 1000 2020 session37 982 2021 session75251000 2022 session24991 2023 session80201000 2024 session78982 2025–2026 sessions80201000Latest voting share
Terms and qualifications According to Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution, a state representative must: be a citizen of Kentucky, be at least 24 years old at the time of election, have resided in the state at least 2 years and the district at least 1 year prior to election. Per section 30 of the Kentucky Constitution, representatives are elected every two years in the November following a regular session of the General Assembly.
Leadership The speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives is the chief presiding officer of the Kentucky House. The speaker's official duties include maintaining order in the House, recognizing members during debate, appointing committee chairs and determining the composition of committees, and determining which committee has jurisdiction over which bill. Traditionally, the speaker has also served as chair of the Rules Committee and the Committee on Committees.
When the speaker is absent from the floor or otherwise unavailable, the speaker pro tempore fills in as the chief presiding officer of the House.
In addition to the speaker and speaker pro tem, each party caucus elects a floor leader, a whip, and caucus chair.
Leaders Position Name Party Residence District Speaker of the House David Osborne Republican Prospect 59 Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade Republican Stanford 80 Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy Republican Paducah 1 Majority Whip Jason Nemes Republican Louisville 33 Majority Caucus Chair Suzanne Miles Republican Owensboro 7 Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson Democratic Louisville 43 Minority Whip Joshua Watkins Democratic Louisville 42 Minority Caucus Chair Lindsey Burke Democratic Lexington 75
List of current representatives DistrictNamePartyStartResidenceCounties1Republican2005PaducahBallard, Carlisle, Fulton, Hickman, McCracken2Republican2025MayfieldGraves, McCracken3Republican2019PaducahLivingston, McCracken4Republican2023EarlingtonHopkins5Republican2021MurrayCalloway, Trigg6Republican2019BentonLyon, Marshall, McCracken7Republican2013OwensboroDaviess8Republican2017HopkinsvilleCaldwell, Christian, Trigg9Republican2007PembrokeChristian10Republican2021IrvingtonBreckinridge, Hardin11Republican2025HendersonHenderson12Republican1995ProvidenceCrittenden, McLean, Union, Webster13Republican2021OwensboroDaviess14Republican2019HartfordDaviess, Hancock, Ohio15Republican2023MorgantownButler, Muhlenberg16Republican2017ElktonChristian, Logan, Todd17Republican2023Bowling GreenWarren18Republican2019LeitchfieldGrayson, Hardin19Republican2011OaklandEdmonson, Warren20Republican2023Bowling GreenWarren21Republican2023EdmontonAdair, Cumberland, Metcalfe, Monroe22Republican2021ScottsvilleAllen, Simpson, Warren23Republican2017GlasgowBarren24Republican2025HodgenvilleGreen, Hart, LaRue25Republican2023ElizabethtownHardin26Republican2024Mount WashingtonBullitt, Hardin27Republican2019BrandenburgHardin, Meade28Republican2023LouisvilleJefferson29Republican2025LouisvilleJefferson30Democratic2023LouisvilleJefferson31Republican2023LouisvilleJefferson32Democratic2019LouisvilleJefferson33Republican2017MiddletownJefferson, Oldham, Shelby34Democratic2023LouisvilleJefferson35Democratic2019LouisvilleJefferson36Republican2023FishervilleJefferson37Republican2023LouisvilleBullitt, Jefferson38Democratic2023LouisvilleJefferson39Republican2021NicholasvilleFayette, Jessamine40Democratic2019LouisvilleJefferson41Democratic2025LouisvilleJefferson42Democratic2025LouisvilleJefferson43Democratic2021LouisvilleJefferson44Democratic2023ShivelyJefferson45Democratic2025LexingtonFayette, Jessamine46Democratic2017LouisvilleJefferson47Republican2021Turners StationCarroll, Henry, Owen, Trimble48Republican2021LouisvilleJefferson, Oldham49Republican2019ShepherdsvilleBullitt50Republican2023BardstownNelson51Republican2021CampbellsvilleMarion, Taylor52Republican2013MonticelloMcCreary, Pulaski, Wayne53Republican2015TaylorsvilleAnderson, Spencer54Republican2016DanvilleBoyle, Casey55Republican2011HarrodsburgJessamine, Mercer, Washington56Republican2021VersaillesFranklin, Jessamine, Woodford57Democratic2025FrankfortFranklin58Republican2021WaddyShelby59Republican2005ProspectOldham60Republican2023UnionBoone61Republican2019Dry RidgeBoone, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton62Republican2025GeorgetownScott63Republican2019Fort MitchellBoone, Kenton64Republican2017Taylor MillKenton65Republican2023EdgewoodKenton66Republican2025BurlingtonBoone67Democratic2025NewportCampbell68Republican2023AlexandriaCampbell69Republican2023ErlangerBoone, Kenton70Republican 2021MaysvilleBracken, Harrison, Mason, Robertson71Republican2021Mount VernonLaurel, Madison, Pulaski, Rockcastle72Republican2019ParisBourbon, Fleming, Nicholas73Republican2021WinchesterClark, Fayette74Republican2015WellingtonBath, Menifee, Montgomery75Democratic2023LexingtonFayette76Democratic2025LexingtonFayette77Democratic2015LexingtonFayette78Republican2017FalmouthBoone, Campbell, Kenton, Pendleton79Democratic2023LexingtonFayette80Republican2013StanfordGarrard, Lincoln, Pulaski81Republican2019RichmondMadison82Republican2023WilliamsburgLaurel, Whitley83Republican2021Russell SpringsClinton, Pulaski, Russell84Republican2017ChaviesBreathitt, Owsley, Perry85Republican2021SomersetLaurel, Pulaski86Republican2021CorbinKnox, Laurel87Republican2019MiddlesboroBell, Harlan88Republican2025GeorgetownFayette, Scott89Republican2021McKeeJackson, Laurel, Lee, Madison, Wolfe90Republican2019LondonClay, Laurel, Leslie91Republican2021RavennaEstill, Madison, Powell92Republican2017SalyersvilleKnott, Magoffin, Pike93Democratic2023LexingtonFayette94Republican2025Fleming-Neon Harlan, Letcher, Pike95Democratic2019MartinFloyd, Pike96Republican2021Olive HillBoyd, Carter, Lewis97Republican2019Van LearJohnson, Martin, Pike98Republican2025RussellBoyd, Greenup99Republican2020MoreheadElliott, Morgan, Rowan100Republican2021AshlandBoyd, Lawrence
Seating chart Miles Bray Bridges Petrie Pollock Thomas Sharp Flannery Elliott Bowling Bauman Willner Jackson McPherson Fleming Duvall Stalker Wesley Truett Fugate Hodgson Bivens Burke Massaroni Osborne Fister Riley Upchurch Raymer Aull Roberts Grossl Gordon D. Lewis McCool Calloway Proctor Griffee Rabourn Rudy Hale Clines Thompson Moore Lawrence Branscum Smith Blanton Stevenson Gentry Whitaker Bojanowski S. Lewis Heavrin Witten Hancock Maddox Meade Koch Banta Huff Dietz Moser Dotson Tate Neighbors Wilson Gooch Kulkarni C. Lewis Nemes Freeland Watkins Meredith Marzian Doan Callaway Hart Baker Lehman Johnson Lockett Tackett Laferty White King Roarx Hampton Tipton Dossett Donworth Chester-Burton Brown Imes Decker Holloway Camuel Bratcher Payne Grossberg Williams SpeakerOsborne
Past composition of the House of Representatives
See also Kentucky General Assembly Kentucky Senate List of Kentucky General Assemblies Government of Kentucky
References
External links Legislative Research Commission