Gov. Andy Beshear delivers State of the Commonwealth Address for 2026

FRANKFORT, Ky. – At the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, Governor Andy Beshear delivered his State of the Commonwealth Address for 2026, giving Kentuckians a look at what the year holds.

“I am proud to report once again that the state of our Commonwealth remains strong, but our Commonwealth and our country are facing serious new challenges, and it’s our job to meet this moment,” Beshear says.

One of the key points of 2025, the 2nd strongest economic year on record, has been $10.5 billion invested into the workforce, with over 9,600 jobs created, some of which even came right here to South Central Kentucky.

“Over the rest of the year, we saw great announcements like Alta Alloys & Shinsung USA, 95 jobs in Simpson County, and in Glasgow, we celebrated some great news when we closed a deal in person, in Ireland with Tate. The company’s 61.2 million dollar project is the largest announcement for Barren County in 18 years. It has 400 new jobs,” Beshear says.

The governor doesn’t want to stop there, as he’s allocated even more money to bring even more jobs to Kentucky this year.

“It contains $70 million for site development to create build-ready, job-ready sites. It contains $100 million for large projects that just need that last bit of infrastructure or an access road to say yes… and for the first time, it includes a $25 million rural economic development fund to bring jobs to areas that have been so close, but haven’t had that big announcement yet,” Beshear says.

Another big part of the budget involves making sure affordable housing is available for everyone who is affected by severe weather or natural disasters.

“So I’m proposing a game changing $150 million investment in our affordable housing trust fund, combined with private dollars that create a billion dollars of new housing,” Beshear says.

Lastly, the governor wants to fully fund Medicaid even with recent raised costs.

“It provides $100 million to lower the cost of coverage on Kynect. It expands the number of Michelle P waiver slots for families of children with special needs. It includes $25 million for nursing student loan forgiveness, and it creates a $125 million rural hospital fund,” Beshear says.

He ended the address with this message as 2026 gets underway:

“This is the moment we’ve been entrusted to navigate, so let’s stay focused and deliver a 2026 filled with prosperity and promise.”