By Friday, the General Assembly had reached the one-quarter mark of this year’s session. With momentum building around key priorities, we’re working diligently to advance meaningful legislation.
Budget begins its journey
Speaking of quarters, there are about 60 billion of them in Kentucky’s $15 billion biennial budget. This week, the House filed House Bill 500, its initial draft of the spending plan. The bill now begins its path through the legislative process. The Senate will take a disciplined, deliberate approach to the proposal, guided by our caucus and the professional budget staff supporting our efforts.
As Chair of the Agriculture Committee, I felt it was important to file Senate Bill (SB) 5 to sustain the procurement of Kentucky-grown agricultural produce. Essentially, the bill creates opportunities for a local school board or local school district in any of the United States Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Programs to purchase Kentucky-grown agricultural products, abiding by federal law. It also defines "agricultural product" and "Kentucky-grown agricultural product." This legislation forges a direct connection between education and our state’s agricultural sector. I partnered with Agricultural Commissioner Jonathan Shell to build on the work he has already done across Kentucky, solidifying that work in legislation.
Complementing what’s included in SB 5 is Senate Joint Resolution 23, a product of the 2025 Interim Make America Healthy Again Kentucky Task Force. SJR 23 establishes Kentucky as a "Food is Medicine" state and directs state agencies to advance nutrition‑based health strategies to help prevent and manage chronic diseases. The resolution affirms the role of nutrition as a core component of medical care and public health policy, encourages coordination among health systems, local food producers, hospitals and community partners to pilot programs like medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions for
high‑risk populations, and supports efforts to evaluate health outcomes, cost savings and other impacts. The initiative builds on collaboration between agriculture and health care stakeholders to expand access to healthy, locally produced foods and improve long‑term health across the commonwealth.New priority bills filed in the Senate
Education remains a top priority in the Senate. This week, two education-focused bills—SB 2 and SB 4—were filed. SB 2 aims to ensure fair compensation by prohibiting school district administrators from receiving percentage raises that exceed the average percentage raise awarded to classroom teachers in the same district. SB 4 strengthens school leadership by creating a five-year development program for new principals, to better prepare them without creating additional costs for school districts.
The Senate passed several key measures this week:
SB 181 is another education-focused bill that clarifies and strengthens Kentucky’s student safety law passed unanimously in 2025 by making sure schools, families and volunteers clearly understand what communication is allowed and what is not. The bill defines inappropriate private electronic communication while clearly excluding appropriate contact like virtual instruction, public posts, school phone calls and messages that include a parent. It improves rules around parental consent forms and makes clear that students cannot be excluded from activities if a parent chooses not to give consent. It also reinforces abuse prevention training, bans nondisclosure agreements tied to misconduct and requires that investigations continue even if someone resigns.
SB 17 makes targeted updates to Kentucky law governing Court‑Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs to improve oversight, streamline governance, and reflect current practice. The bill lowers the minimum size of local CASA boards from 15 to 12 members, removes the requirement for compliance with national CASA standards, and clarifies that oversight rests with the Department for Community-Based Services. SB 17 makes conforming changes across child welfare statutes to ensure consistency, support strong local programs, and strengthen protections for vulnerable children. The bill also narrows who is prohibited from serving on local citizen foster care review boards by limiting the restriction to employees of the Department for Community Based Services.
SB 20 updates Kentucky law governing optional city officer training incentive programs by clearly defining “excess credit hours” as hours earned beyond 15 in a calendar year and allowing cities to set different base incentive amounts for different types of city officers by ordinance. The bill also removes statutory minimum and maximum payment amounts, giving cities greater flexibility and local control in structuring their training incentive programs.
SB 68 strengthens safety at the Kentucky Horse Park by giving the Horse Park Commission clearer authority to remove or bar individuals who pose a risk to guests, staff or participants. Under the bill, the commission president could eject or exclude people who have been restricted from Olympic, Paralympic or equestrian activities by the U.S. Center for SafeSport or whose behavior threatens safety or security. The measure also clarifies the commission’s oversight authority and allows it to establish rules for ejections and exclusions. SB 68 aims to protect visitors and preserve the park’s reputation by aligning state policy with national sport safety standards.
Military Kids Day announced: The Kentucky Senate will host Military Kids Day on Thursday, February 19, bringing together children and grandchildren of current and former military service members for a day of learning and recognition at the Capitol campus. Each session, this day allows us to recognize the quiet sacrifices made by the children of those who serve. Their contribution to our nation’s strength deserves our thanks. Due to ongoing renovations, space is limited to 150 participants. I strongly encourage families here in our district to register early.
Parents or guardians may apply by emailing Senate Clerk Donna Holiday at donna.holiday@kylegislature.gov with the child’s name and age and the parent’s name. Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. An application form and more information on this event are available at: legislature.ky.gov/LRC/Pages/Military-Kids-Day.aspx
Looking ahead: As the General Assembly moves into week five, committees will keep reviewing bills and budget discussions will grow more detailed. We remain focused on passing laws that support Kentucky families, protect students, strengthen public services and ensure the responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
It’s an honor to represent you in Frankfort. I look forward to continuing my dedication to Calloway, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Lyon, and Trigg Counties and representing my communities in District 1. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can always contact me at 502-564-8100 or by email at jason.howell@kylegislature.gov.Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, represents the 1st Senate District, including Calloway, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Lyon, and Trigg Counties. Howell serves as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and co-chairs the Tobacco Settlement Committee. He is vice chair on the License and Occupation Standing Committee and the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committees. He is a member of the Senate Committees on Banking and Insurance, and Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor. Additionally, Howell serves on the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee and the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee.
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