Rep. T.J. Roberts, R-Burlington, sits at his desk in the Kentucky House. (Photo provided by Rep. T.J. Roberts)
Freshman lawmaker Rep. T.J. Roberts says that when filing a piece of legislation, he considers some common themes — his view that the government’s role is “the protection of life, liberty and property” and how that goal can be achieved through a “strict adherence” to the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions.
Roberts is the youngest Republican in Kentucky’s legislature at the age of 26 and has introduced 17 bills and one resolution in the House so far this session. They range in topics like preventing the enforcement of a federal firearms ban in the state, making local school board elections partisan and allowing the sale of unpasteurized milk.
He’s also a member of the General Assembly’s right-wing Liberty Caucus, which has clashed sometimes with Republican leadership, but is making inroads on the strained relationship. This session for example, he’s carrying a high-priority GOP bill intended to undo Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s controversial line-item veto on a sales tax exemption for currency and bullion.
“This is a good bill on an important issue and when Rep. Roberts began discussing his bill draft, we decided to prioritize it,” GOP House Speaker David Osborne said.
Roberts, of Burlington, told the Kentucky Lantern that he has a few more bills in the works. One includes a bill that would abolish all sales taxes on anything “Second Amendment-related,” including safety and storage devices. Others include making changes to eminent domain in Kentucky and clarifying that immigrants lacking legal status are not eligible for in-state tuition at colleges and universities. Lawmakers return to Frankfort to resume the 2025 legislative session on Tuesday.
‘I have a unique perspective’
After lawmakers adjourned in early January, Roberts shared on X that an “omnibus school administration reform bill” was coming in response to a First Amendment lawsuit recently filed against Pulaski County Schools. He told the Lantern he may not be the bill’s primary sponsor because he wanted “to make sure that this bill gets the individual attention it deserves.”
Roberts and his allies in the General Assembly’s Liberty Caucus are a group of Republicans who often focus on limiting government debt, the influence of money in politics and protecting individual rights. Though not an official caucus, the Liberty Caucus has just a handful of members among the GOP supermajority, But it’s often vocal in its pursuits, sometimes leading to spats with Republican leaders.
However, Roberts said the desire to work with the GOP leadership is “most certainly present for on my end,” particularly on bills “that shrinks the government back to its legitimate role.”
To that end, Roberts is carrying a high-priority bill — House Bill 2, which takes aim at a line-item veto Beshear used on the 2024 budget to remove a sales tax exemption for currency and bullion. Republicans argued that the veto was void because they said the legislation was not an appropriations bill, which can have line-item vetoes. House Bill 2, if passed, would allow taxpayers to sue the governor for refund on taxes collected. Even though it challenges the sitting governor, Roberts said he would have introduced it if any “governor was illegally collecting taxes from people.”
“I think it shows that leadership is realizing I’m the youngest legislator in the Kentucky General Assembly at the moment, and I have a unique perspective, and so do my other colleagues, naturally,” Roberts said on carrying the bill. “But it just shows, I think, a willingness to listen to the new generation of Republicans that are going to be getting more involved in Frankfort as we all come of age.”
Osborne, the House speaker, said in a statement to the Lantern that Roberts’ legislation this year reflects the intent of the legislature in last year’s bill that Beshear has attempted to veto.
Osborne added that Roberts’ bill “clarifies that this law stands despite the governor’s continued violation of the law and our Constitution.”
‘An oath to the Constitution’
Roberts gained some attention when he was one of three plaintiffs to challenge Beshear over his COVID-19 quarantine policies after they attended an Easter church service in 2020. The lawmaker became involved in politics by working on various political campaigns.
He called U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky’s 4th District congressman, as “a guiding light for how to be an effective legislator.” Massie endorsed Roberts’ campaign last year. Roberts also credited conservative Northern Kentucky attorney Chris Wiest as another mentor, saying he “is formative in how I look at legislation.” Roberts works at Wiest’s law firm.
Please join me in wishing my friend, @RepThomasMassie – the best member of Congress – a Happy Birthday!! pic.twitter.com/Y3Xp4312Tw
— TJ Roberts (@realTJRoberts) January 13, 2025
Republican Sen. Steve Rawlings, who previously held Roberts’ House seat but instead sought election to the Senate last year, told the Lantern that Roberts is “very grounded for someone of a young age” and called him a “very solid constitutionalist.” Rawlings, who was elected to the House in 2022, said he had never heard of a freshman lawmaker carrying a priority bill before.
“He’s very sharp minded, and I think the way the bill was prepared is what they were looking for,” Rawlings said of Roberts.
Ed Massey, a former state representative who was Roberts’ opponent in the primary election last year, offered a different take, saying that it could be an opportunity for House leadership to “see how well he can articulate” House Bill 2.
Massey, who lost to Roberts in a contentious election by more than 2,000 votes, said that he would “wish him well” but “he’s not in the same lot of thinking I would be in.” Massey pointed to the legislation Roberts had introduced so far, including a bill to remove the governor’s name from highway welcome signs and a resolution to rename part of a highway after President Donald Trump in his district.
“I understand that may be a feel- good moment, but if you’re really looking at what’s in the best interest of the people of the county, I think there’s many more substantial things to be dealt with,” Massey said.
Roberts said that he’s planning on “being an example for how to legislate in the best interest of Kentuckians through that framework of what the legitimate role of government is.” To underscore his commitment to transparency, he’s also publishing written explanations of why he’s sponsoring bills and the votes he casts on significant issues.
“One of the lines my mother would always ingrain in me and my sister is that a man without his word is nothing,” Roberts said. “I took an oath to the Constitution, and I gave my word that I would follow it, so that’s my first consideration at all times.”