Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) issued one executive order from March 13-19. As of March 19, Beshear has issued one executive order in 2023 — one more than he did at this point a year ago.
- Executive Order 2023-155, where the governor prohibited price gouging following a severe weather system.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of March 13-19, the nation’s governors issued 25 executive orders. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued the most with nine. Governors in 39 states issued the fewest with zero. Democratic governors issued 13 of the 25 orders, while Republican governors issued 12.
Beshear has served as governor since Dec. 10, 2019. He issued seven executive orders in 2022 and three in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 345 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 210, while Democratic governors issued 135. Kentucky is a divided government, meaning neither party holds trifecta control.
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