Agricultural, Rural Kentucky Issues Prioritized by Legislature

Friday, April 28, 2023

Though the session is now over, and we are just weeks away from the beginning of the legislative interim, I still return to my office in Frankfort and work throughout my district to represent your best interests.

As the dust settles on this year’s regular session, and the new air of spring fills the commonwealth, I cannot help but to reflect on the action we as

legislators took this session to preserve one of Kentucky’s most vital industries.

Agriculture is undoubtedly the lifeblood of our state and an industry that provides both an economic and social foundation to a rural state like ours. That is why the legislature passed legislation that tackles

ongoing agricultural issues. In the 2023 session, we had several key pieces of legislation relating to agriculture. This week, I would like to walk you through some of these bills:

Revitalizing rural communities, Representative Richard Heath — HB 9 establishes the Government Resources Accelerating Needed Transformation (GRANT) Program to provide support and grant funding available to communities

impacted by the loss of coal-related jobs. In addition, the bill also provides $2 million in funding in the next fiscal year and directs the Department for Local Government to partner with the Kentucky Council of Area Development Districts to administer the

program.

Recognizing agriculture’s impact on Kentucky, Rep. Brandon Reed – HB 76 recognizes the economic and cultural impact of the state’s agricultural industry by setting aside months and dates to mark individual subsets.

For example, March is National Agriculture Month, April is National Soybean Month, and May is National Beef Month.

Expanding access to agricultural equipment, Rep. Amy Neighbors – HB 130 grants the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund the ability to offer heavy machinery in their Shared-Use Equipment Leasing program, allowing

farmers to use this leased equipment across county lines.

Increasing access to commercial drivers licensing, Rep. Chris Freeland — HB 320 allows out-of-state applicants who have both an operator’s driver’s license and a commercial driver’s instruction permit to take the

certified driver’s license (CDL) skills test for Kentucky. The cost for Kentuckians to take the CDL skills test will remain $50 and out-of-state applicants will have a $150 cost, which is the same cost as surrounding states.