| Louisville, Ky. (May 8, 2023) – Today, Greater Louisville Inc. released its annual Legislative Outcomes Report which recaps the major wins and missed opportunities from the 2023 Kentucky session, names its Most Valued Policymakers, and shares the voting records of Greater Louisville legislators and legislative leadership on key priorities.
Many of GLI’s longstanding legislative priorities have since become law, including reduction of the income tax by .5 percent this year and another .5 percent next year, legalization of sports betting, continued modernization of Kentucky’s tax code, workforce recruitment programs, and more.
“2023 was another largely successful Kentucky legislative session for the Greater Louisville business community thanks to the work of GLI’s advocacy team, investors, and legislators who championed our priorities. Policies like a reduced income tax and legalized sports wagering will make our region more competitive with peer regions and support our efforts to grow the regional economy,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of Greater Louisville Inc.
The report also names this year’s Most Valuable Policymakers (MVPs), who voted with GLI priorities 100 percent of the time. The list of MVPs include:
- Senate President Robert Stivers
- Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer
- Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams
- Speaker of the House David Osborne
- House Majority Caucus Chair Suzanne Miles
- Representative Steve Bratcher
- Representative Ken Fleming
- Representative Samara Heavrin
- Representative John Hodgson
In addition, the report outlines the General Assembly’s key missed opportunities, which includes criminal justice reform legislation that would automate the process for felony record expungement and get more justice-involved individuals back into the workforce. GLI will continue to pursue these priorities during the upcoming 2024 legislative session.
“GLI’s advocacy work is critical to shaping our region and making Greater Louisville an attractive place to do business, work, and live. Our advocacy work is driven completely by feedback and direction from the business community and GLI’s 1,800 investors through six issue advisory committees and our Public Policy Council,” said Tim Hagerty, immediate past chair of GLI’s Public Policy Council and partner at Frost Brown Todd. “It has been an honor to lead GLI’s Public Policy Council and work with top business leaders and policy experts to create a strong, pro-business environment.”
Hagerty has served as chair of GLI’s Public Policy Council since 2017 and guided the council’s policy positions on a number of high-profile issues and topics. Les Fugate, vice president, director of state and local public affairs at Brown-Forman Corp. was named chair of the Public Policy Council. Fugate also serves on GLI’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
To see the full, detailed report of legislative wins, missed opportunities, and a scorecard that shares how Greater Louisville legislators voted on key GLI priorities, click here. |
