COVINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky state lawmakers kicked off the interim session with a series of meetings in Covington. 

What You Need To Know

  • Lawmakers started interim committee meetings this week, including a series of meetings in Covington

  • The meetings centered on a broad number of subjects, ranging from diabetes to the Brent Spence Bridge

  • Senate leaders say there will be a discussion about gun safety ahead of next year’s session, although the specifics aren’t clear yet<

Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens (R-Greensburg) said the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce invites lawmakers to Covington every other year to kick off the interim session.  

“There’s great value in changing it up a little, getting legislators out in parts of the state that maybe they but for otherwise not have come to,” he said.

The meetings Thursday included several broad subjects, along with briefings on projects like the Brent Spence Bridge.

Givens said after the budget last year, they’ll be spending a lot of time focusing on the economy.

“Is the economy staying as robust and sound as it was? What’s the unemployment rate? Are we seeing workers returning back to work in Kentucky?” he said. “We’ve talked a lot about workforce participation.”

Givens said election security could also take up some time in the lead-up to the 2023 race for governor and other statewide offices.

There could also be some talk about new gun laws after multiple mass shootings the past month, although Givens said it’s too early to tell exactly what lawmakers will do.  

“I don’t have a crystal ball that says this is what’s going to happen because there’s 138 great ideas that come running at us every session,” he said. “And I’m not certain what those ideas will crystallize to be, but I’m already hearing some conversations starting now around gun safety, mental health.”

The legislature only meets for session during the first three or four months of the year, which is the only time they can actually pass laws.

Givens said they have a lot more time now to talk about the issues.

“If there’s a burning issue that a constituent has that they feel is important, that it be talked about, now’s a great time to reach out to someone representing you in this ongoing experiment that we refer to as a representative democracy,” he said.

The interim meetings will continue throughout the summer and fall until the next session starts in January.

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