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HB 246 Kentucky House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT relating to animal control officers.

Summary
Create a new section of KRS 258.095 to 258.500 to require animal control officers to receive training on recognizing child abuse; provide that the Act may be cited as Kyan's Law.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 8, 2026 Last action Mar 3, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Current/Final · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered and expanded to include comprehensive training on recognizing child abuse and neglect, which now encompasses physical, sexual, and emotional harm. The training must cover the link between animal abuse and future interpersonal violence, including domestic violence and elder abuse. New protections were added to shield officers and their employers from civil liability when reporting in good faith, and a mechanism was created for local governments to opt out of the training requirements.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded from a general mandate for animal control training to a specific curriculum focusing on child abuse, neglect, and the connection to other forms of violence.
REQUIREMENT

Training content was updated to specifically include child abuse and neglect recognition, as well as the statistical correlation between animal abuse and future interpersonal violence.

New subsections were added to clarify that officers only need to make reports and are not required to conduct independent investigations beyond their animal control authority.

ENFORCEMENT

New provisions were added to grant immunity from civil liability for animal control officers and their employers when acting in good faith to report suspected abuse.

ELIGIBILITY

A new provision allows local governments to opt out of the training requirements by providing written notice to the board by a specific deadline.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated from '26 RS BR 1416' to '26 RS HB 246/GA' to reflect its status as a House Bill.

Floor votes · House Mar 2, 2026

How they voted

90–0
Passed · 15 other
Total votes 105
Mar 2, 2026
D Democratic21
19 Yea 2
90% Yea
R Republican84
71 Yea 13
84% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Mar 3, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 85-0 with Committee Substitute (1)
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
to Local Government (H)
lower
Jan 8, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (H)
lower
Jan 8, 2026
Introduced
introduced in House
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.