‘The good, the bad, the ugly’: Legislative leaders from Louisville critique 2025 session
Republished from Kentucky Lantern
LOUISVILLE — Two Kentucky legislative leaders — one Republican, the other a Democrat — offered sharply divergent views of the 2025 legislative session that ended March 28.
“It’s the good, the bad and the ugly and that’s the truth,” said Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, the Senate minority whip, speaking at Wednesday’s monthly meeting of the Louisville Forum, a nonpartisan public interest group.
Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown and House majority whip, had a different take on accomplishments of the Kentucky General Assembly, where Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.
“I think this was the second-best session in the history of Kentucky,” Nemes said, adding it was surpassed only by legislative accomplishments of last year, when lawmakers enacted a new, two-year budget. Nemes was elected to leadership in November 2022.
The one-hour session moderated by WHAS11 reporter Isaiah Kim-Martinez at times grew animated as the lawmakers discussed legislation affecting taxes, Medicaid, abortion, transgender medical care, the environment and the need for more transparency in legislative proceedings where bills sometimes are subject to last-minute revisions.
The Kentucky League of Women Voters and other outside groups have criticized Kentucky lawmakers for routine “fast-track” maneuvers that provide little to no time for public scrutiny.
“We need to do better,” Nemes acknowledged. “I’m not making excuses. We could do better.”
Yates agreed, saying changes to bills came through so fast on the final days of the legislative session that copies were still hot from the copying machine. Lawmakers should do better, possibly by making changes available immediately on the legislative website, he said.
“The technology is there,” Yates said, adding that as a member of leadership, he found himself trying to explain last-minute changes to Senate Democrats even while the vote was underway. “I think we could definitely do better.”
‘Distraction’ bills
Yates also criticized the 2025 session for focusing too much on cultural issues including banning Medicaid coverage for transgender health services; limiting such care for inmates; and cancelling Gov. Andy Beshear’s restriction on “conversion therapy,” a controversial practice aimed at gay youth that Yates called “barbaric.”
Lawmakers also enacted, over Beshear’s veto, House Bill 4 banning diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, measures at public colleges and universities.
Yates called them “distraction bills,” adding, “We should focus on legislation that moves Kentucky forward.” Critics have referred to such measures as “hate bills.”
Nemes disputed the critics’ characterization.
“There were no hate bills this session,” he said.
Limits on public funds for transgender services were simply meant to ensure no “taxpayer dollars” would be used for such care — not as an attack on the small fraction of Kentuckians who identify as transgender, he said.
“If you’re a transgender person, I want happiness for you,” Nemes said. “I love you and I want you to be very successful.”
As for conversion therapy, licensing boards for professionals such as psychologists and social workers can establish standards to prevent conversion therapy if they choose, Nemes said.
‘We got it done’
KY doctors say GOP lawmakers’ attempt to clarify abortion ban confuses instead
Other issues the two touched on include a last-minute addition to a bill to attempt to define when physicians can perform emergency abortions. Abortion is banned by state law except to save the life or prevent disabling injury to a pregnant person.
Nemes defended changes he made to House Bill 90, his bill that also allows free-standing birth centers. It adds to state law a list of certain conditions under which doctors can legally end a pregnancy, such as hemorrhage or ectopic pregnancies, but critics have said it still leaves pregnant patients at risk and doctors at risk of prosecution.
Nemes disagreed with criticism of the changes to state abortion law he acknowledged were rushed through.
“We got it done and I’m proud of it,” he said. “I’m not proud of the process but we got it done.”
Yates, a lawyer who handles personal injury cases, said he’s still not sure the changes would protect physicians or pregnant women.
“Everyone hopes that is the case,” he said. “We’ll see.”
As for other accomplishments, Nemes cited House Bill 775, a sweeping measure changed late in the session to include changes to Kentucky’s tax law and make it easier to lower Kentucky’s income tax, an ongoing effort by Republican lawmakers.
It also includes economic incentives for Louisville aimed at downtown development, Nemes said.
“We’re putting our money where our mouth is,” Nemes said. “I am very bullish on the General Assembly and how it’s treating Louisville.”
Yates said the legislature needs to proceed with caution as it works to cut the state income tax.
“In the event it goes down to zero,” he said, “I promise there will be other taxes.”
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