In 2018, Nima Kulkarni became the first Indian immigrant to be elected in the history of the Kentucky Legislature. She has also managed her own immigration law practice since 2010, helping others achieve the American Dream.

Nima has dedicated her time as a public servant to helping the most vulnerable Kentuckians. She has worked to stop harmful anti-immigrant legislation, as well as gain bipartisan support for a historic bill that would ensure a fair and equitable judicial process for all Kentuckians.

In 2019, Nima was asked to serve as the only Democratic legislator on the Public Assistance Reform Taskforce. She was the first legislator from Kentucky to be invited to join the 2019 U.S.-Japan Council’s Asian American Leadership Delegation program, one of just six (6) legislators asked to participate from across the country. She was also honored to be the first woman from Kentucky named as a NewDEAL Leader, a national group of rising state and local elected leaders who are pro-
growth progressives.

In 2020, Nima was named as one of a handful of Louisville leaders to serve on the Mayor’s Civilian Review Board Working Group, to achieve greater transparency, accountability, and trust between the community and law enforcement in the wake of Breonna Taylor’s death. She continues to work on crafting comprehensive police reform legislation for Kentucky.

In 2021, Nima was recognized as a NewDEAL Ideas Challenge Winner for her work with the Kentucky Maternal and Infant Health Project. She was awarded the Daniel M. Alvarez Champion of Justice Award by the Louisville Bar Association for her social justice work and for bringing our community together in calling for an end to racial and ethnic stereotyping amidst the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. She also cofounded a podcast called “Where Y’all Really From”, to
showcase Asian American stories in Kentucky.

She is a progressive voice for her district, and works with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create policies that empower Kentuckians. In 2022, Nima was able to shepherd Kentucky’s first anti-SLAPP legislation into law, making Kentucky the second state in the nation to adopt the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, which prevents abusive litigation aimed at silencing free speech. In addition, the House passed her bill extending unemployment benefits to those experiencing domestic, sexual, or stalking violence so they can safely leave their jobs, which she had worked on since 2020. Both pieces of legislation had bipartisan cosponsors and near-unanimous support.

In 2023, Nima introduced legislation to study historically untapped populations to address our workforce shortages, which was unanimously passed out of committee and ultimately passed by the House. In addition, she introduced legislation that would empower individuals with disabilities and improve their interactions with law enforcement, which also passed unanimously out of committee. Nima was also appointed to a special impeachment committee to investigate inappropriate prosecutorial behavior for two Commonwealth Attorneys. She has also championed
the establishment of a workgroup to study the prevalence and impact of PFAS (per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances, commonly dubbed “forever chemicals”) in our communities through the lens of health outcomes rather than EPA guidelines, an approach unique in the nation.

In 2024, Nima was honored with the Spotlight Award by the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) for breaking barriers and outstanding leadership in elected office. She was also given the Environmental Activist Award by the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators for her advocacy to ensure a safer and healthier environment.

Nima is focused on issues of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice for all Kentuckians. She has sponsored legislation to decriminalize adult cannabis possession, establish a uniform bodycam policy for law enforcement, create more equal footing between landlords and tenants, implement commonsense policies to address the affordable housing crisis, and monitor and regulate “forever chemicals” in Kentucky’s drinking water. Nima is the Kentucky State Lead for the National Council of Environmental Legislators and represents Kentucky on a nationwide task force to combat “Shoot First” laws.

Nima serves on the House Standing Committees on Judiciary, Economic Development, Licensing & Occupations, and Small Business. She is a member of the Affordable Housing Caucus, the Women’s Caucus, the Kentucky Nonprofit Caucus, the Louisville Metropolitan Caucus, Kentucky History Caucus, Engage & Empower Caucus, and of course, the Bourbon Trail Caucus.