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HB 541 Kentucky House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT relating to peace officers.

Summary
Amend KRS 15.310 to define "agency" and "court order"; amend KRS 15.382 to provide that minimum standards for peace officer certification shall be met prior to being hired; exclude any candidate that is prohibited by a court order from possessing a firearm; provide that certain screening tests conducted by local law enforcement agencies be approved by the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council; amend KRS 15.3975 to provide that any extension for a court security officer to complete required training may be granted by the executive director of the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council; amend KRS 15.404 to provide that any extension for a peace officer to complete required training may be granted by the executive director of the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council; amend KRS 15.405 to require an agency to request previous employment records for a candidate before making a conditional offer of employment; amend KRS 15.990 to provide that any agency who does not comply with KRS 15.405 shall be subject to a fine of between $25 and $1,000.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 3, 2026 Last action Mar 19, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Current/Final · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill updates the definitions and minimum qualifications for peace officers in Kentucky, primarily to modernize terminology and clarify eligibility requirements. The most significant change is the addition of a requirement for a valid driver's license, ensuring all certified officers can legally operate a vehicle for their duties. The bill also reorganizes the list of disqualifying criminal convictions and clarifies medical and drug testing procedures.
Scope change
The scope of the bill remains focused on peace officer certification, but the applicability of specific requirements has been tightened by adding a mandatory driver's license condition.
REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that candidates must possess a valid license to operate a motor vehicle.

Updated the medical examination and drug screening requirements to specify that results must be approved by the council or the employing agency.

DEFINITION

Reordered and renumbered the list of defined terms (e.g., 'Certified court security officer' is now item 3) to improve clarity.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarified the list of criminal offenses that disqualify a candidate, including specific misdemeanors and sexual misconduct charges.

Floor votes · House Mar 18, 2026

How they voted

100–0
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 105
Mar 18, 2026
D Democratic21
20 Yea 1
95% Yea
R Republican84
80 Yea 4
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Mar 19, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 95-0 with Committee Substitute (1)
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Committee
to Judiciary (H)
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (H)
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Introduced
introduced in House
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.