FRANKFORT, Ky. — Katie C. Comstock, an attorney with nearly two decades of state government experience, has been appointed the new director of the Legislative Research Commission, the administrative and research arm of the Kentucky General Assembly, according to reporting by Kentucky Today.

The LRC's governing committee, composed of majority and minority leadership from both the Senate and House of Representatives, approved the appointment Wednesday. Comstock will assume the role August 1, succeeding Jay D. Hartz, who announced his retirement last year.

Comstock has served as the LRC's Deputy Director for Committee and Staff Coordination since 2024, overseeing more than 80 nonpartisan staff members and bill drafters. She first joined the organization in 2005 as a committee analyst and subsequently served as a budget reviser, fiscal analyst, and Judiciary Committee Staff Administrator.

Her experience extends across all three branches of Kentucky government. She previously served as director of the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts, overseeing the administrative arm of Kentucky's unified court system and managing nearly 3,300 employees and more than 400 elected officials.

House Speaker David W. Osborne said in a statement that Comstock "brings exceptional expertise, steady leadership, and a deep commitment to serving the people of Kentucky." Senate President Robert Stivers praised her as "a steady presence with an unmatched wealth of knowledge and an unwavering commitment to the success of the institution."

Comstock earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in 2001 and graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in 2005. She resides in Lexington with her husband, Kris, and two children.