One of the last-minute proposals that could have a direct effect on Lexington is a floor amendment filed by House Speaker David Osborne late Wednesday on a bill originally dealing with at-home swimming pools.
The amendment now shifts the focus to city's ability to set policy surrounding short term rentals, such as Airbnbs and VRBOs. Lexington has gone through several phases of study and policy tweaks to arrive at its current rules.
"You've seen a lot of neighborhoods, especially in sort of the downtown area, be upset about a lot of unhosted units popping up and, in their mind, taking up the housing that is in their neighborhoods," CivicLex's Adrian Bryant told WUKY in November.
In response, Lexington placed density limits on short term rentals, but that decision might be overturned if the new language takes effect.
J.D. Cheney, who heads up the Kentucky League of Cities, says there is a delicate balance to be struck on the issue, and any action by the state is likely to frustrate local policymakers.
"There's property owner interest in being able to use your property with short term rentals, but there's also property interest in residential neighborhoods and owners of those properties to be able to live in residential areas," he says.
In addition to eliminating city's ability to add density restrictions on the rentals, the speaker's eleventh-hour push would also prohibit local governments from regulating short-term rentals that are rented for fewer than 30 days annually, among other provisions.
Republicans have expressed an interest in tackling the state's affordable housing crisis, but have also argued there needs to be more attention on middle income housing, as well as lower income projects.