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Eric Kennedy

New governmental advocate hits the ground running

Kentucky School Advocate

December 2016

Staff report

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KSBA’s new Governmental Relations director comes to the job with a unique perspective on the legislative process.

For the last eight years, Eric C. Kennedy has been an analyst on the nonpartisan staff of the legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue, serving senators and representatives on their respective chamber’s budget committees and budget review subcommittees.

In that position, he drafted bills and was a legal/fiscal analyst. Kennedy wrote research memoranda and legislation, including budget language, which directly impacted K-12 schools. His work was primarily in the areas of property tax rates, procedures and exemptions; the SEEK funding formula; and other school funding issues.

While the bill ultimately did not pass, Kennedy also drafted the “green schools authority” bill involving the School Energy Managers Project, working on that legislation with KSBA’s former governmental relations director.

“With his hands-on and in-depth legislative experiences, we are fortunate to have Eric working on behalf of Kentucky’s school boards, the state budget and education funding issues,” KSBA Executive Director Mike Armstrong said. “In addition, through his duties with the Legislative Research Commission, he has worked closely with senators and representatives on both sides of the aisle.”

Kennedy, a volunteer counselor with the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program, holds a law degree from the Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University and an undergraduate degree in political science and religious studies from the University of Louisville.

“As the product of Kentucky public schools from Head Start through law school, I was very interested in the opportunity to come work with KSBA as I know the importance of education on the quality of our society. It has become even more personal for me now, as a new father,” he said.

Kennedy, whose start date was Nov. 14, is working with the association’s leadership team to review legislation from the last session – bills that passed and those that didn’t. “As the remaining chamber, caucus, and committee leaders are announced, I will be reaching out to them to discuss their priorities and to offer input and assistance on behalf of our members,” he said.