Under current law, the Kentucky legislature officially gavels in for 30 days in odd-numbered years and 60 days in even-numbered years. The only person with the authority to call lawmakers to Frankfort for special sessions is the governor.
In the fall, voters will weigh in on a constitutional amendment that would give lawmakers the ability to call themselves into session. Right now, they’re weighing just how that system might work, should the initiative win at the ballot. A new proposal would require the House Speaker and Senate President to jointly agree to call a special session.
And, as Senate President Pro Tem David Givens told colleagues, the proposal would also allow lawmakers to vote on bills from earlier in the year – potentially resurrecting legislation thought dead at the end of the regular session.
"We decided let a bill live on through the year. A lot of legislative bodies do this. Now, a bill still requires the same number of readings and the same number of days as it does previously, but if we were to come back around an issue that a member had filed a piece of legislation on, that legislation would already be in the hopper, be ready for readings and/or action."Senate President Pro Tem David Givens
Special sessions called by the governor typically have a limited agenda set by the governor. The change would allow lawmakers to open up what’s considered for a vote during the special sessions.
That said, the governor would maintain the power to ultimately veto legislation that comes out of the lawmaker-initiated sessions.
