The General Assembly is BACK after a short break in the month of January. This week the legislature filed 200 bills and began to reveal more of their top priorities, including many that align with the business community’s top policy goals for 2025. We will continue to monitor business community interests, stay up to date on all things state legislature on Policy Distilled and X @GLIAdvocacy.

INCOME TAX REDUCTION

HB 1 lowers the income tax another half percent to 3.5 percent. This means more money stays in the pocket of working Kentuckians as we strive to stay competitive with our neighboring states. This legislation builds on reforms made in the past few years to strengthen our economy and create a more competitive tax model.

SECOND CHANCE LICENSING

Louisville legislator Emily Callaway filed House Bill 87 in the first week of January. This legislation requires public employers and licensing boards to establish a correspondence protocol for applicants who inquire if previous criminal offenses would preclude them from a position or license. As it stands, there is no state guidance on how employers should respond to inquiries regarding criminal history and eligibility, which leads to applicants or those supporting reskilling initiatives incurring costs for a position or career path that was never achievable. This bill is currently assigned to the House Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations.

VIOLENCE AGAINST BUS DRIVERS

Louisville legislator Jared Bauman filed House Bill 135 the first week of January. This bill would expand assault in the third degree to include causing or attempting to cause physical injury to a driver of any form of public transportation acting in the course and scope of the driver’s employment. Reducing crime continues to be a top priority for GLI at the state and local level and we were pleased to see protections established for a critical workforce sector. This bill is currently assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.

BILL TRACKER 

UPDATE ON FEDERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Over the weekend, President Trump announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum in the latest trade escalation. Additional details are expected later this week.

GLI continues to monitor changes at the federal level, including recent executive orders. For latest, click here and follow along on GLI’s channels.