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Kentucky House opens session, declares quorum and refers dozens of early‑2026 bills to committees
Summary
The Kentucky House convened Jan. 15 in Frankfort, declared a quorum of 95 members, approved the previous day's journal, and the Committee on Committees and the Health Services Committee reported referrals and recommendations for a large set of bills, including health‑related measures and a resolution directing withdrawal of a CMS waiver application.
The Kentucky House of Representatives convened in Frankfort on Jan. 15, 2026, declared a quorum of 95 members present and moved quickly through routine business, approving the Jan. 14 journal and referring a wide package of bills to standing committees for consideration.
Speaker 1 announced the session and the Clerk recorded attendance, saying, "There being 95 members present, the quorum was declared, and the house is now open in session and ready to proceed." The House approved a motion to excuse absent members and a separate motion to suspend the rules to allow members to cosponsor bills or file vote modifications, both taken "without objection."
The Health Services Committee reported it had met and recommended passage of several items, including House Bill 178, relating to a psychiatric collaborative care model, and House Bill 280, a healthcare measure reported to pass with House Committee Substitute 1. The committee also recommended that House Joint Resolution 24 — which directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to withdraw a waiver application submitted on June 25, 2025, to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement a mandatory community engagement program — pass with a committee substitute and an amendment to title.
Separately, the Committee on Committees reported an extensive set of referrals, assigning individual bills to policy committees including Agriculture; Appropriations and Revenue; Banking and Insurance; Economic Development and Workforce Investment; Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs; Health Services; Judiciary; Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations; Local Government; Postsecondary Education; Primary and Secondary Education; Small Business and Information Technology; State Government; Transportation; and Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection. The clerk also announced committee membership changes, naming Representative Burke to Appropriations and Revenue and moving Representative Gentry to additional assignments while removing others from specified committees.
The clerk said all measures receiving favorable committee reports would be considered as having their first reading and placed on the calendar for further action.
The House stood in recess briefly for a meeting of the Committee on Committees and Rules and later adjourned until 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.
