Committee backs bill to create Office of Election Investigations in attorney general’s office

A Kentucky House committee on [date not specified] reported House Bill 455 with favorable recommendation. Sponsored by Representative Patrick Flannery, the bill would create an Office of Election Investigations and Security within the Kentucky Attorney General’s office to receive complaints, confirm receipt, review allegations, conduct investigations and make prosecutorial referrals; the proposal also includes a voter fraud hotline and legislative oversight provisions.

"Today, I present House Bill 455, which establishes the office of election investigations the attorney general," Representative Patrick Flannery said in presenting the measure. Flannery told the committee he intended to codify procedures that the Attorney General’s office already handles in practice so the process is "process dependent, not people dependent." He said the bill creates a new section in KRS 15 to set out duties, complaint acknowledgment, allegation review and referral processes.

Committee members asked about costs and overlap with existing offices. Representative Lacott asked whether the bill would increase the Attorney General’s office costs to employ investigators; Flannery replied the office already has authority and the bill codifies an existing practice rather than creating a fully new, separate infrastructure. Representative Hancock asked whether the public-integrity office already handles these matters; Flannery said the bill would create a statutory office or division dedicated to election matters.

Supporters framed the bill as improving voter confidence by providing a consistent statutory process for handling election complaints. Representative Callaway, explaining his yes vote, said, "One of the best ways to increase voter turnout is to increase the voter trust in the system." Critics argued the bill duplicates existing functions and increases government size: Representative Marzian said he would vote no, calling the measure duplicative and saying he preferred smaller government.

The committee proceeded to a roll call vote after limited discussion; the chair announced the bill "passed with favorable expression." The transcript does not record a detailed fiscal note or a final numeric roll-call tally in a single explicit count.

If enacted, the bill would amend KRS 15 to add a new office and associated processes; the transcript does not provide full statutory text or a detailed cost estimate. The committee did not record additional directions to staff or timelines for implementation in the transcript.