The
Kentucky General Assembly, also called the
Kentucky Legislature, is the
state legislature of the
U.S. state of
Kentucky.
The General Assembly meets annually in the state
capitol building in
Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January. In even-numbered years, sessions may not last more than 60 legislative days, and cannot extend beyond April 15. In odd-numbered years, sessions may not last more than 30 legislative days, and cannot extend beyond March 30. Special sessions may be called by the
Governor of Kentucky at any time for any duration.
History
The first meeting of the General Assembly occurred in 1792, shortly after Kentucky was granted statehood. Legislators convened in
Lexington, the state's temporary capital. Among the first orders of business was choosing a permanent state capital. In the end, the small town of Frankfort, with their offer to provide a temporary structure to house the legislature and a cache of materials for constructing a permanent edifice, was chosen, and the state's capital has remained there ever since.
After women gained
suffrage in Kentucky,
Mary Elliott Flanery was elected to the Kentucky House of Representative from the 89th District representing
Boyd County, Kentucky. When Flannery took her seat in January 1922, she was the first female state legislator elected in Kentucky and the first female legislator elected south of the
Mason Dixon Line.<ref name="The Kentucky...
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