Kentucky has a part time legislature.

Lawmakers are officially in session for 30 days in odd numbered years and 60 days and even numbered years like 2024.

But they do a considerable amount of committee work the rest of the year, and that has some asking if Kentucky should have a full time legislature year with full pay.

Among other things, it would allow working class people who can't afford to miss work to serve in the Kentucky General Assembly.

On Monday night's Kentucky Tonight, we asked our panel of lawmakers if a full time legislature is a good idea.

It does for us that people who can't afford to do something part time and something else, part time and there's a challenge.

There's no perfect way to do this.

Lexington has this conversation all the time.

How do you have part time legislators?

And none of us are part time when you're in the public service.

You are a full time dedicated at the grocery store, at church.

You know, it doesn't matter where you are.

I have four counties and represented it, right.

I mean, you're you're not getting paid for the days that you're in those other counties meeting with people and doing constituent worth.

It takes time and effort.

I love doing it and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to do it.

But it's a it's a balancing act.

And there's no perfect no to that.

I think it's I'm not ready to call it full time yet.

Give us a couple of years into this.

Maybe I'll change my mind.

Yeah.

When you're in your fourth year, right, you might define it differently.

Okay.

How about you, representative all?

I think it's something we've got to take a serious look at, because to your point, there's a certain sector of folks who I think would really like to be in public service, and they can't afford to do it because of the constraints of being in the General Assembly.

And I don't think that we ought to have a General Assembly that's just made up of people who can afford to do it.

I think we ought to have a General Assembly made up of people who love to do it, who want to do it.

And I think by looking at the idea of a full time legislature, we can see if that opens up the the possibility for a new sector of folks to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Our panel talked about a wide range of issues facing the Kentucky General Assembly when it convenes January 2nd.

You can see that full hour long show online on demand at Katie Dawgs K-Y tonight.