Voters will have a chance May 21 to choose their party’s finalists for this fall’s Kentucky Senate and House races.
But what does a state senator or state representative really do, anyway?
It’s a good question. Both are state lawmakers that introduce and vote on legislation whenever the state legislature is in session. Both are elected to represent Kentuckians based on equal representation under the law.
State senators and state representatives also have different jobs that come with their respective offices.
Gubernatorial appointments to state boards and commissions in Kentucky many times require Senate confirmation. The state education commissioner must be confirmed by the Senate, for example. Appointments to the state board of education, public college and university boards of regents, public service commission, parole board and dozens more groups also require confirmation.
The Kentucky House, on the other hand, is where “all bills for raising revenue shall originate,” according to the state constitution. That means any bill raising taxes or other revenue must start the legislative process in the House.
Another difference between the state Senate and House is how their members are elected.
This November, Kentucky will hold statewide elections for all 100 seats in the state House of Representatives, but only about half of the 38-member Senate. That means the membership of the entire House (although not likely) could turn over while half the Senate will stay put.
Why? Section 30 of the Kentucky constitution calls for state representatives – like their 435 federal counterparts in Washington, D.C. – to be elected to two-year terms. State senators, however, are elected to four-year terms. The constitution spells out that those elections are to be staggered, with half the chamber facing voters each two-year cycle. (The U.S. Senate operates similarly, with one-third of its six-year seats up for election every two years.)
Also like Congress, the Kentucky House has more members than the state Senate. Each member of the state House represents fewer people than senators elected from counties back home. The smaller ratio of voters to state representative is intended to make House members more responsive – more representative – than the smaller Senate.
There are differences in qualifications for state senator and state representative in Kentucky, too. Senators must be at least 30 years of age and have lived in the state for at least six years (and in their district at least one year) prior to their election. State representatives must be at least 24 years of age and need to have lived in Kentucky for at least two years (and in their district at least one year) prior to their election.
Separate sets of “rules” for the Kentucky Senate and House also exist. These rules, adopted at the start of each legislative session, govern how each body conducts business inside its respective chamber. Committee hearings and floor debate are among the types of procedure governed by chamber rules.
Not everything about the Senate and House is different. There are plenty of similarities when it comes to the legislative branch’s top priority – passing bills into law. Any bill, except for a bill raising revenue, can be introduced in either the Senate or the House. From there, the process to become law is generally the same for both chambers:
• Bills are assigned a number, read on the Senate or House floor, and usually assigned to a committee in the chamber where it originated.
• A committee may vote on the bill, which will either allow it to advance or keep it from moving forward.
• Three readings of a bill (usually by title only) are required for a bill to come to a vote in either chamber.
• On the third reading, the bill can be voted on in the chamber where it is pending.
• If it passes, the bill must go through the same procedure in the other chamber.
• Any gubernatorial veto can be overridden by a constitutional majority (one more than half the members – 51 members of the House and 20 members of the Senate).
Both the Senate and House also are constitutionally required to pass a biennial state budget. State lawmakers finished that job before the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly ended in April. The budget covers state operations and related obligations for the next two fiscal years. (The state’s fiscal years run July 1-June 30.)
In 2026, lawmakers will return to Frankfort to pass a whole new state budget for the commonwealth.