Increasing taxes on liquor but stopping new ones for school? (March 9 - 13, 2026)
We have fewer than 15 working days left in the 2026 legislative session. It has been a busy week in Frankfort as we tackle big decisions on technology, taxes, and education. Here is a breakdown of what happened this week and how I voted.
Overriding the Governor’s Veto
The first big move this week was the House and Senate voting to override the Governor's veto on House Bill 314.
What it does: It moves the "Kentucky Wired" internet project under a new government office and creates a new board to run it.
Why it matters: Because this bill had an "emergency clause," it became law immediately after the vote.
Focus on New Taxes and Regulations
The House also spent a lot of time on "revenue bills"—legislation that deals with how the state collects money.
House Bill 9: Regulating "Intoxicating" Products
This bill creates a set of rules and taxes for products like alcohol, cannabis-infused drinks, and hemp.
The Big Change: Kentucky would become the first state to tax alcohol based on its pure alcohol content rather than just the price.
The Goal: Supporters say it is "revenue neutral," meaning they cut some old taxes while adding a new 4% fee on drinks to keep the total amount of tax collected the same.
My Take: While I support the strict "three strikes" rule for stores that sell to minors, I am worried that regular customers will end up paying more at the register. I voted NO. The bill passed the House and is now moving to the Senate.
House Bill 757: The "Revenue Bill"
This is a massive bill that updates Kentucky’s tax codes.
New Taxes: It adds taxes to fantasy sports, prediction markets, and electric vehicle charging stations.
The School Issue: This bill stops local school boards from creating new taxes to fund their districts. I believe this will hurt the ability of public schools to build new buildings or maintain their finances. I voted NO.
Quick Hits: Other Bills from the House Floor
House Bill 227: This legislation seeks to protect minors from the addictive and harmful features of social media by implementing age restrictions on advertising and other features and establishing civil penalties for companies that do not conform. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 248: Certain hospitals would be permitted to establish a hospital police department under this bill. The hospital police officers would have full general police powers, including the ability to arrest. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 468: Makes updates to Kentucky’s Civil Rights Act by conforming state law to updates in federal law, which would prohibit the commissions from handling cases internally, with administrative remedies, as they have for decades. Instead, they would have to file lawsuits and go to court if their investigations determine that someone’s civil rights have been violated. Many won’t be able to afford to pay for this kind of legal service. This was a bad bill, and I was a no vote.
House Bill 501: This bill is the transportation cabinet budget for the next two fiscal years. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 502: This bill contains the 2026-2028 biennial highway construction plan. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 506: The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources game wardens would be allowed to receive annual supplements from the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund under this bill, among other provisions. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 567: This bill would allow an official custodian of public records to require proof of address via a government-issued photo ID from an open records applicant. Applicants could provide a digital copy of their photo ID. Supporters say this step is needed due to the number of bots bombarding online open records request systems. I see this as a problem when it comes to requiring IDs in order for people to get information that should be made available, and there are easier ways to address AI bots with CAPTCHA boxes that are used in many places now. I was a no vote.
House Bill 576: This legislation would establish the Kentucky Talent Recruitment Grant Program in an effort to draw new people to the state to address Kentucky’s workforce needs. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 621: This bill, which I am a co-sponsor of, would establish class size and caseload limits in Kentucky public schools for exceptional children and youth in special education services. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 669: This bill would ensure children who are under the care of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services receive their survivor or dependent social security and/or veterans benefits. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 685: Kentucky would enter into the School Psychologist Interstate License Compact under this bill. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 713: This legislation is part of an ongoing effort to protect healthcare workers from workplace violence by requiring health facilities to display a notice in a prominent location advising of possible consequences of threatening or aggressive behavior toward healthcare workers. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 727: This bill would authorize the Education Professional Standards Board to use proceeds from certification fees for the development and maintenance of the Kentucky Educator Placement Service System. This will allow teacher applicants to apply for more than one job at once. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 869: This legislation would establish the rural building and job creation revolving fund for low-interest loans for the construction of new buildings or renovations of existing buildings to target wage economic development projects. The bill would also include the Kentucky Career and Technical College System to promote jobs created in the commonwealth and ensure the program's feasibility. I was a yes vote.
House Bill 900: This bill is also known as the “one-time spending” bill. The legislation would appropriate $800 million from the budget reserve trust fund over the next two years in theory on water and sewer projects, economic development investments, smaller one-time infrastructure projects and investments and other projects. However, the way the bill is written feels like a blank check, so for that reason, I was a no vote.
House Joint Resolution 75: This resolution contains the two-year road plan. I was a yes vote.
House Joint Resolution 76: This resolution contains the six-year road plan. I was a yes vote.
The Kentucky House returns to Frankfort Monday at 4 p.m. for day 47 of the 2026 legislative session.