Three women doubled down on their calls for Democratic Rep. Daniel Grossberg’s resignation on the first day of the 2025 legislative session, as an ethics commission continues to investigate his behavior toward women.
But despite the repeated calls for him to step down — including from Gov. Andy Beshear and other high-profile Democrats, Grossberg has dug his heels into his second term in office, returning to Frankfort this week with a seat on several committees.
The Louisville representative had previously been pulled from interim committees following accusations of inappropriate behavior that were first published in the Herald-Leader over the summer. However, House committee membership lists released Wednesday show Grossberg assigned to three committees this session — including the new Primary and Secondary Education Committee.
The committee assignments mean Grossberg will continue to have a voice in what legislation proceeds. However, he remains on the outs with his fellow party members, who expelled him from the House Democratic Caucus — cutting him off from assistance in drafting bills and from participating in shaping House Democrats’ priorities.
“I don’t see any impediment on my effectiveness because the legislature as a whole has continued to maintain faith in due process by treating me as an equal member of the body,” Grossberg said in a statement. “I’m grateful for my appointments to these influential committees where I can effectively serve my constituents.”
In a statement to The Courier Journal, House Democratic leaders Reps. Pamela Stevenson, Al Gentry and Lindsey Burke said since Grossberg is no longer a caucus member, they have no comment about “the House majority’s decision regarding committee assignments.”
“We hope to have a report soon from the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission and will comment more once the commission has issued its findings and any potential recommendations,” the statement said.
The ethics complaint, which was filed last summer by former House Democratic leadership, alleges Grossberg committed multiple violations of their code of ethics, including inappropriate behavior toward women and crossing ethical boundaries when buying a car from a Louisville businessman.
The ethics commission voted unanimously in September to advance the complaint, though there is no specific timeline on when the investigation will be complete.
The complaint followed the publication of a Herald-Leader story, in which several women said Grossberg sent them “weird” and “creepy” messages. Three additional women later told the Herald-Leader the representative had sexually harassed them through texts and direct social media messages.
The three women — Kentucky Young Democrats President Allison Wiseman, Lexington’s 4th District Councilwoman Emma Curtis and Sarah Ritter — released a joint statement Tuesday calling again for Grossberg’s resignation.
“This is the same man who sent unwanted, sexually harassing messages to several young women wo work in Frankfort,” the statement read. “The same man who drunkenly pressured a young woman to divulge information about her genitals and sex life in Frankfort. The same man who harassed, assaulted and openly solicited sex from nightclub workers in Louisville. We have said it before and we will continue to say it — Daniel Grossberg needs to resign.”
According to committee membership lists, Grossberg has been assigned to the Banking and Insurance and Small Business and Information Technology committees, as well as the Primary and Secondary Education Committee.
He previously served on the Natural Resources and Energy, Small Business and Information Technology and Tourism and Outdoor Recreation committees during the 2024 session.
Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Daniel Grossberg returns to General Assembly amid ethics investigation