The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky House Bill 172 amends definitions and contribution limits for campaign finance regulations
Last action · January 14, 2026: to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)Sponsor: Daniel Grossberg
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky House Bill 172 revises state campaign finance laws by modifying definitions related to committees, contributions, and expenditures, and clarifies rules governing contribution limits, anonymous donations, cash limits, and post-election fundraising.
Changes the legal standards and reporting requirements for political candidates, committees, and donors operating in Kentucky state, county, city, and district elections.
- Kentucky campaign finance laws regulate political contributions, expenditure disclosures, and committee operations through the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. context
- House Bill 172 was introduced in the 2026 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly by Representative D. Grossberg. 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.
Candidates and slates of candidates
Candidates must adhere to updated contribution limits, cash caps, post-election fundraising restrictions, and committee definitions.
Political committees and permanent committees
Committees face clarified structural rules, spending restrictions, and coordination boundaries regarding independent expenditures.
State employees
State employees are protected from targeted solicitations of campaign contributions by candidates and committees.
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
What is the maximum cash contribution allowed from a single contributor?
Can a married couple write a single check for campaign contributions?
Are candidates allowed to accept campaign contributions after an election has concluded?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
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.
Inflation Indexing of Contribution Limits
The bill codifies the mechanism for adjusting base contribution limits every odd-numbered year using the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U).
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools