Kentucky Chamber Recognizes 14 Legislators as MVPs of the 2024 General Assembly

Following the 2024 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has announced 14 legislators as MVPs. The Kentucky Chamber MVP award recognizes a select group of legislators each year who “went to bat” for the Kentucky business community by passing pro-business legislation to make the Commonwealth a better place to live, work, and do business.

“We applaud the 2024 Kentucky Chamber MVPs for their dedication to passing bills that will help grow Kentucky’s workforce, keep us competitive with surrounding states, and create a better business climate to benefit all Kentuckians moving forward,” said Ashli Watts, president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber. “Through their efforts, we can confidently say our Commonwealth is heading in the right direction in terms of economic growth.”

The list of MVPs along with a summary of their contributions is listed below:

Senate President Robert Stivers plays a leadership role in supporting pro-business bills and defeating harmful legislation for employers across the Commonwealth. President Stivers also sponsored Senate Bill 1, a bill supported by the Kentucky Chamber that establishes an endowed research fund to promote and fund research consortiums between two or more public universities.

House Speaker David Osborne continued to lead his 80-member caucus to pass business-friendly legislation and defeat harmful legislation. He also carried Senate Bill 299 in the House, a bill supported by the Kentucky Chamber that restructures the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission from an agency administratively attached to the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, to its own independent corporation.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer was the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 299, the reorganization of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in addition to his leadership role managing the flow of legislation in the Senate and supporting key Chamber initiatives. Leader Thayer is retiring from the Senate at the end of the year, having won the Chamber MVP Award nine times, which is the most of any legislator to date.

House Majority Floor Leader Rudy provided leadership by bringing pro-business legislation to the House floor for a vote. He was also the primary sponsor of House Bill 443, which ensures that local laws relating to subdivision plats and development are in the form of objective standards.

Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams played a key leadership role throughout session, chairing caucus meetings and influencing major bills to pass the Senate in 2024. Senator Adams, who is also vice chair of the Senate Families and Children Committee, was a major advocate for child care funding that passed in Kentucky’s biennial budget.

Senator Amanda Mays Bledsoe, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, was an advocate for securing funding for child care to address Kentucky’s workforce challenges. She also carried House Bill 179 on the Senate floor, which authorizes paid family leave as a form of insurance in Kentucky, another measure supported by the business community.

Representative Adam Bowling sponsored House Bill 739, which if passed would have allowed employers to seek a workplace violence protective order from a court when a customer, employee, or former employee threatens violence on a business premise.

Representative Josh Branscum sponsored a major priority bill for the Kentucky Chamber, House Bill 15, which aims to provide data privacy protections to consumers in Kentucky that align with bills passed in surrounding states like Indiana, Tennessee, and Virginia. It was critical for the business community in Kentucky to model legislation from what has passed in several other states to avoid creating a patchwork of laws that would have added cost and compliance burdens on Kentucky employers.

Representative Josh Bray sponsored House Bill 7, which sets up a regulatory framework to authorize autonomous vehicles to operate in Kentucky. This was a significant step for Kentucky, becoming the 25^th state to pass such legislation and paving the way for safer, more efficient vehicles in the future while addressing a workforce shortage for commercial truck drivers.

Representative Daniel Elliott, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, was the primary sponsor of House Bill 320, which reformed Kentucky’s statute of limitations to bring Kentucky in line with competitor states. The bill shortens the statute of limitations on employment-related claims, which cuts down on the duration of record keeping.

Representative Samara Heavrin, chair of the House Families and Children Committee, sponsored and passed a pair of Kentucky Chamber-supported workforce bills in her committee. House Bill 561 establishes Certified Child Care Communities to support economic development and zoning reforms by encouraging local communities to address barriers to new child care services. House Bill 179 authorizes paid family leave as a form of insurance in Kentucky, another measure supported by the business community.

Senator Jason Howell carried House Bill 320 on the Senate floor, which reformed Kentucky’s statute of limitations to bring Kentucky in line with competitor states. The bill shortens the statute of limitations on employment-related claims, which cuts down on the duration of record keeping.

Senator Chris McDaniel, chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, played an influential role in passing Kentucky’s two-year state budget. In addition to child care funding, the budget also invested in key areas of education, workforce, and economic development. The budget was structured to hit necessary triggers to put Kentucky on a path to potentially further reduce the personal income tax in future legislative sessions.

Representative Jason Petrie, chair of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, played an influential role in the passing of Kentucky’s two-year state budget. In addition to child care funding, the budget also invested in key areas of education, workforce, and economic development. The budget was structured to hit necessary triggers to put Kentucky on a path to potentially further reduce the personal income tax in future legislative sessions.