FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky General Assembly begins its 2024 legislative session Jan. 2, 2024. Known as a “long session,” lawmakers are charged with passing a two-year state budget in addition to any other legislation they wish to take up.

There are several key dates to keep in mind as the legislative session approaches:

Dec. 31 - Deadline for Kentucky voters to switch party affiliations for 2024

Jan. 2 - The 2024 General Assembly convenes

Jan. 3 - The first batch of pre-filed bills entered from lawmakers into the public record will be posted to the Legislative Research Commission’s website

Jan. 3 - Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., will deliver the “State of the Commonwealth” address at 7 p.m. ET from the Kentucky House of Representatives chamber in Frankfort

Jan. 5 - 4 p.m. ET filing deadline for any candidates who wish to appear on May 2024 primary ballot in Kentucky

The governor and lawmakers have shared some of their priorities for the upcoming session. A week into his second term, Beshear revealed his $136.6 billion budget plan. His budget includes an across-the-board 11% pay raise to all school employees. It also fully funds teacher pensions and increases SEEK funding by 18%. It includes a proposal for universal pre-K for all 4-year-olds in the state.

The Democratic governor also proposed beefing up the state’s law enforcement apparatus, including the addition of two female-only juvenile detention centers and a pay raise for Kentucky State Police troopers.

Republican lawmakers, who hold a supermajority in Frankfort, unveiled one of their priority bills called the Safer Kentucky Act. Its provisions include creating a three-strike law for violent felonies, tightening restrictions on groups that raise money for bail and enhancing penalties for several crimes.

The draft bill would make street camping, such as on streets or under bridges, a crime. The proposal also bans state dollars from going toward housing programs that don’t require someone to seek treatment for substance abuse. 

“The street camping provisions are in place to protect the rights of property owners, public spaces and business owners across the commonwealth,” State Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, said during a December interim committee meeting in Frankfort.

According to state law, the legislature convenes in even-numbered years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January and must pass a two-year state budget. They meet for 60 legislative days and cannot extend beyond April 15. In odd-numbered years, sessions may not last over 30 legislative days and cannot extend beyond March 30.

Mason Brighton contributed to this report.