AN ACT relating to employment discrimination.

HB 656 adds "weight" as a protected characteristic under Kentucky's employment discrimination law, prohibiting employers from discriminating against job applicants or employees based on body size in hiring, firing, compensation, or workplace conditions. It updates existing law to include weight alongside categories like race, sex, and disability, while clarifying that employers must provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related needs (e.g., breastfeeding breaks) without requiring unpaid leave. The bill also requires employers to provide written notices about these protections to new hires and post them visibly, and specifies that health plan differences based on smoking status remain legal. This directly affects all Kentucky employers and employees covered by state anti-discrimination laws.