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Votes at a glance: major bills the Kentucky Senate passed April 1, 2026
Summary
The Senate approved a range of bills — Medicaid reform (HB2), budget bills (HB500, HB504, HB503), Kentucky State University measure (SB185), school governance (SB4), gaming reform (HB904), and multiple energy, transportation and appropriations items — with recorded roll calls and adopted free‑conference reports.
On April 1 the Kentucky Senate cleared a broad slate of legislation; key final outcomes recorded on the floor included:
- House Bill 2 (Medicaid): Passed as amended (32 yays, 5 nays). The Senate adopted a committee substitute and a title amendment prior to passage.
- Senate Bill 185 (Kentucky State University): Final passage recorded as 37 yays, 0 nays; senators praised the partnership framework and House amendments.
- House Bill 500 (Executive Branch budget): Free conference committee report adopted; final passage recorded (roll call recorded on floor with unanimous or near‑unanimous support as read on the floor).
- House Bill 504 (Judicial Branch budget): FCCR adopted and bill passed; funding increases for judgeships, courthouse projects and other judicial operations included.
- House Bill 503 (Legislative branch budget): FCCR adopted and bill passed; increments and compensation study funding included.
- Senate Bill 4 (School governance): Passed after extended debate; opponents said the bill codified precincts into statute and reduced local redistricting authority (recorded vote: 28 yays, 7 nays as read on the floor).
- House Bill 904 (Gaming): Passed as amended after committee substitute (24 yays, 13 nays); debate focused on fantasy sports, fixed‑odds wagering for horse racing, protections for the horse industry and questions about advertising/contract language that could affect national broadcasting.
- Additional measures passed during the session included: SB100 (energy planning), SB110 (motor vehicles), HB10 (constitutional transitions), HB257 (education assessment), HB571 (light shields for agriculture), HB568 (public adjusters), HB757 (revenue measures) and several others; the clerk reported multiple conference committee adoptions and deliverables to the governor.
The Senate also adopted numerous free conference committee reports, appointed conference committees where needed and read enrollment reports. Several bills were enrolled and prepared for delivery to the governor that evening.
Provenance: Each outcome is recorded in the legislative transcript in the floor’s reports, free conference committee adoptions, sponsor explanations and roll calls (see floor segments where each measure was taken up and the clerk announced the recorded result).
