Each week, LINK nky is publishing a profile of one of our local legislators so that Northern Kentuckians can get to know the people representing them at the state level. 

Rep. Steven Doan is in his first term in the Kentucky House. But he’s not new to the state budget process that will take much of his time during the 2024 regular legislative session. 

The Erlanger attorney was general counsel for the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy during the administration of Gov. Matt Bevin. That agency – now called the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy – provides administrative support to the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board which administers the state Agricultural Development Fund, a grant and loan fund established by the 2000 Kentucky General Assembly to diversify the state’s farm economy. 

Doan “oversaw a multimillion-dollar grant fund and a revolving loan fund in excess of $80 million” as general counsel for the state agency, according to his bio.

Now when Doan is in Frankfort, he spends his time as one of 100 members of the Kentucky House of Representatives, where a multi-billion state budget originates every two years. Reduced spending and lower taxes are two of his goals for the next budget cycle, Doan told LINK nky. 

“Hopefully, we can reduce our spending and figure out how we’re going to move forward with lowering our tax income despite the CFG (Consensus Forecasting Group) saying we haven’t met certain benchmarks to see how we can get a conservative budget that still cuts taxes,” he said. Lawmakers base state revenue estimates each budget cycle on projections issued by the independent economists who make up the forecasting group. 

Additionally, Doan said he plans to work on expanding access to affordable housing. He told LINK that he has a “unique perspective on affordable housing here in Northern Kentucky and the lack thereof” as a member of the board of directors of the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky or ESNKY. 

Doan filed a bill this session titled the Home Act. The purpose? Increase access to affordable housing by reducing the regulatory burden on builders.

“The price to build a new home is so high that it’s almost impossible to construct affordable housing, and I would call that something in the $165,000 to $175,000 range. That’s probably something a family could afford or a young couple could afford. The Home Act would allow state guidance and allow people to build smaller homes under the law. We can change burdens on home builders to reduce cost for more affordable housing,” Doan told LINK.

Another priority for the freshman lawmaker includes advancing school choice legislation to expand access to public funds for elementary and secondary education. It’s an issue that gained momentum this session after the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down a state school choice law in 2022. A constitutional amendment will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, letting voters decide how they want their money spent.

There are transportation issues, too. Doan said his district is “landlocked” when it comes to economic development. Completion of the KY 536 east-west connectivity project would help, he said. So would construction of a beltway that extends in the southern part of the region, he added.

A wider travel loop would mean more economic development, said Doan. 

“We really need to find a way to look south as a Northern Kentucky caucus and to see, how do we develop southern portions of Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties and how do we bring in those other two counties (Grant and Pendleton) to the south of us?” he said. “That’s where the jobs that my people in my district are going to desperately need, that’s where they are going to be.”

Rep. Steven Doan (R-Erlanger) represents House District 69 which includes part of eastern Boone County and part of western Kenton County. Doan is a member of the House Local Government Committee and the Interim Joint Committee on Local Government. He is also a member of several legislative caucuses.