House Speaker David Osborne was behind the push, which had been sought by Airbnb lobbyists who have spent the past two years convincing Republican legislators that short-term rental owners are being deprived of their “property rights.” Never mind the property rights of homeowners who want to actually live in their homes or rent them at affordable rates to long-term tenants. Republicans used to believe in the concept of “local control,” but the super-majority has a pattern in recent years of taking away cities’ ability to govern themselves and imposing their own will on them.
The amended Senate Bill 61 passed the House 59-28, with most Democrats and legislators from urban areas affected by this ban voting against it. Our state representative, Ann Donworth, a freshman Democrat, and others spoke eloquently against the bill during House debate and voted against it. You can watch the debate by clicking here. It begins at 31:30 into the video.
Senate Bill 61 now moves back to the Senate, which likely will approve the change since, like the House, it has a Republican super-majority. Gov. Andy Beshear could veto this bill. But it is unclear if the Senate approved the amendments to the bill before it adjourned Friday night. That’s important, because if it did not and Beshear vetos it, the General Assembly will not be able to vote to overturn the veto.
If you want to continue to take action, you can contact legislators to express your opinions. Find their contact information here. You can express your opinion to Gov. Beshear online by clicking here.
If this legislation becomes law, the Mentelle Neighborhood Association will continue to work with Mayor Linda Gorton’s administration, our Council member Hannah LeGris and other council members to mitigate the damage as best we can.