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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky Senate Bill 16 raises minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by 2029
Last action · January 6, 2026: introduced in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)Sponsors: Reggie Thomas and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky Senate Bill 16 raises the state minimum wage to $10.00 per hour upon enactment, with incremental increases reaching $15.00 per hour by July 1, 2029. The measure also exempts certain retail and service businesses with average annual gross sales under $500,000 from state wage and hour requirements and alters overtime calculations involving firefighter foundation funds.
- The General Assembly is the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Kentucky responsible for enacting state laws. context
- Kentucky's statutory minimum wage has historically referenced federal standards set under the Fair Labor Standards Act. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Kentucky employees
Small retail and service employers
Businesses with average annual gross sales under $500,000 are exempted from state wage and hour requirements.
Professional firefighters
Foundation Program Fund supplement distributions are included or excluded from wage calculations depending on whether overtime is scheduled or unscheduled.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the bill affect small retail and service businesses?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the Senate.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 6, 2026SenateIntroducedintroduced in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Graduated Minimum Wage Schedule
The bill transitions Kentucky from a federal-baseline minimum wage to an independent statutory schedule culminating in $15 per hour by July 1, 2029.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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