Governor Andy Beshear signed into law today HB 172, which extends the filing deadline for candidates from Jan. 7 to Jan. 25, 2022. The bill – sponsored by Rep. Steven Rudy – has an emergency clause, which means it became law immediately once the Governor signed it. It is the first piece of legislation in the 2022 Regular Session to be signed into law.
HB 172 applies to all offices, including those running for county elected positions.
The bill moved quickly through both the House and Senate because of pending redistricting legislation, which is expected to pass this Saturday, Jan. 8.
During his testimony at the Senate State and Local Government Committee this morning, Rep. Rudy explained why he championed the bill and clarified that the change will be in place for this year only.
“Only for this year will the filing deadline be moved, and it will go back to what it was prior to the enactment of SB 60 from the 2019 General Assembly,” said Rudy.
SB 60 in 2019 moved the candidate filing deadline from the last Tuesday in January to the first Friday following the first Monday in January.
