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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky House Bill 171 establishes mandatory registration and reporting requirements for campaign consultants
Last action · January 14, 2026: to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)Sponsor: Daniel Grossberg
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 171 requires campaign consultants and their employers in Kentucky to register with the within seven days of engagement, pay a $250 registration fee, and file periodic update statements. Under the measure, individuals convicted of fraud, bribery, or electioneering are prohibited from serving as campaign consultants, and intentional failure to register is classified as a .
The measure introduces new administrative and financial compliance obligations for political consultants, campaigns, and organizations hiring media, polling, or fundraising services, backed by daily fines for late filings and felony penalties for intentional non-compliance.
- House Bill 171 was introduced in the 2026 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly and assigned to the House Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs. 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.
Campaign consultants
Campaign consultants must submit initial registrations, file periodic updates, pay fees, carry registration cards, and face potential felony charges for intentional non-compliance.
Employers of campaign consultants
Employers must file joint registrations, pay a $250 registration fee, submit updated statements, and provide written notice upon termination of engagements.
Kentucky Registry of Election Finance
The registry receives registration statements, issues registration cards, collects fees into an agency fund, and levies fines for non-compliance.
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
Who qualifies as a campaign consultant under House Bill 171?
What are the financial penalties for failing to file registration statements?
When must updated registration statements be filed each year?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 14, 2026HouseCommitteeto Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
New Licensing Structure for Political Consultants
The legislation shifts campaign consultants from unregistered political operators to formally registered entities subject to state oversight and criminal penalties for non-disclosure.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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