Kentucky Bills

Amend KRS 159.030 to create an exemption for compulsory attendance in school for a child who is at least 16 years old and has obtained a High School Equivalency Diploma.

HB 803 repeals Kentucky Revised Statute 338.062, which previously set occupational safety standards capped at federal levels and exempted public employees from certain state regulations. This bill directly affects how Kentucky enforces workplace safety rules, removing the federal cap on state standards and ending the specific exemption for public employees. The repeal is procedural, with no new standards or mechanisms added - only the removal of the existing statutory language. The bill is currently in committee review after its February 2025 introduction.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 336 to prohibit all employers of 75 or more employees from demoting, dismissing, disciplining, or discriminating against an employee who misses work because of duties related to being a candidate, candidate-elect, or member of the General Assembly or legislative body of a local government; require an employer grant a leave of absence if the employee requests it, not to exceed three terms for a member of the House of Representatives, two terms for a member of the Senate or a member of a legislative body of a local government; amend KRS 336.990 to provide a penalty for employers who violate Section 1 of the Act.

HB 730 allows local correctional facilities to be built with fewer than 150 beds when replacing structures destroyed by catastrophic events (like tornadoes, fires, or floods), provided federal funds cover part of the construction cost. This exception applies specifically to counties, regional jail authorities, or political subdivisions rebuilding after disasters, not to new facilities under standard rules. The bill modifies KRS 441.420 by removing the 150-bed minimum requirement only for these disaster recovery projects. It does not change the general rule requiring new facilities to have at least 150 beds or alter other construction approval processes.

HB 746 amends Kentucky’s air pollution control board appointment rules to use gender-neutral language, replacing terms like "his or her" with inclusive phrasing. It directly affects local government appointments to air pollution control boards in counties with consolidated governments or cities of 20,000+ population. The bill updates procedural language in KRS 77.070 without changing board composition, term lengths, or substantive responsibilities. This is a minor, non-substantive change to administrative procedures, not a policy shift on air pollution.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 394 to enact the Uniform Electronic Wills Act; define terms; establish the applicability of electronic wills; address the effect of a will electronically executed in another jurisdiction; establish requirements for executing and revoking an electronic will; address records that are not executed in compliance with the requirements for an electronic will; provide requirements for an electronic will to be self-proving; allow for certified paper copies of an electronic will; create new sections of KRS Chapter 394 to enact the Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act; define terms; establish that a non-testamentary estate planning document or a signature on a non-testamentary estate planning document may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form; provide that an electronic record of a document satisfies a requirement for a non-testamentary estate planning document to be in writing; establish notarization, acknowledgment, and verification requirements; create new sections of KRS Chapter 386 to enact the Kentucky Qualified Dispositions in Trust Act; define terms; establish requirements for qualified affidavit; prohibit claims by creditors against property subject to a qualified disposition to a qualified trust except under limited circumstances; provide that limitations on actions by creditors do not apply to past due child support, past due maintenance to a spouse or former spouse, or a written agreement, judgment, or order of a court for division of marital property of a spouse or former spouse; limit powers and rights of transferor to those conferred by the qualified trust; establish rules for avoiding a qualified disposition to a qualified trust; address rights of trustee and beneficiary when a qualified disposition has been avoided; provide that a spendthrift provision acts as a restriction on the transferor's beneficial interest in the trust under law other than bankruptcy law; enumerate persons who may not act as a qualified trustee; allow a transferor to appoint trust advisors; provide for the appointment of a successor trustee in certain circumstances; provide that the inclusion of certain provisions in the qualified trust instrument does not deem the trust to be revocable; application to trusts and dispositions of property on or after effective date of Act; establish a new subchapter of KRS Chapter 386B and create new sections to enact the Uniform Directed Trust Act; define terms; establish that Act does not apply to powers of appointment; subject trust directors to same rules, liabilities, and fiduciary duties as trustees; enumerate powers of trust director and responsibilities of trustee in a trust under direction; provide for liability of trust director for breach of trust; time limitation for breach of trust action; require communication of information between trustees and trust directors; establish a new subchapter of KRS Chapter 386B and create new sections to enact the Uniform Trust Decanting Act; define terms; applicability of provisions; require fiduciaries to act in accordance with fiduciary duties in exercising trust decanting power; specify notice requirements prior to exercise of the decanting power; address authority to represent and bind or another person under a first-trust instrument; allow court intervention in disputes regarding the exercise of the decanting power; require an exercise of the decanting power to be made in a record signed by an authorized fiduciary; allow an authorized fiduciary with expanded distributive discretion over the principal of a first trust to exercise decanting power over the principal of the first trust; specify trust provisions and actions permissible when property is decanted to a second trust by such a fiduciary; allow an authorized fiduciary with limited distributive discretion over the principal of a first trust to exercising decanting power over the principal of the first rust; specify trust provisions and actions permissible when property is decanted to a second trust by such a fiduciary; establish rules for decanting to a special needs trust; establish rules to protect charitable trust interests; provide for limitations on decanting power through restrictions in a first-trust instrument; prohibit decanting to a second trust to increase fiduciary compensation unless beneficiaries of the second trust agree to the increase or it is approved by a court; address fiduciary compensation and liability in a second-trust instrument; provide for limitations on authority of authorized fiduciary to exercise decanting power to modify provisions relating to removal or replacement of the fiduciary; set limitations for exercise of the decanting power with respect to transfers of property affecting tax liability; specify requirements for duration of a second trust; allow authorized fiduciary to exercise decanting power regardless of whether the fiduciary could have made or would have been compelled to make a discretionary distribution under discretionary distribution standard of the first trust; provide for circumstances where decanting power is effective even if second trust does not comply in part with the provisions of the Act; provide for decanting powers to an animal trust; provide that a settlor of a first trust is deemed to be settlor of first trust; establish rules for disposition of later-discovered property; provide that obligations enforceable against first trust are enforceable to same extent against second trust; require provisions to be applied and construed so as to promote uniformity among states; conform to federal requirements related to electronic signatures and records; amend and repeal various sections of the Kentucky Revised Statutes to conform; establish short titles.

Amend KRS 134.490 to modify notification requirements for third-party purchasers of delinquent taxes; amend KRS 134.504 to require notice of the homestead exemption application process.

Amend KRS 162.055 to allow school property to be utilized for teacher and employee housing; create a new section of KRS Chapter 162 to permit school boards or school district finance corporations to use land currently owned or newly leased to provide affordable housing options for teachers and school employees.

Direct the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to implement a pilot program beginning January 1, 2026, to study the effectiveness of in-home prescription drug disposal in Kentucky; require consultation with the Board of Pharmacy; require submission of a report to the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services by December 1, 2027.

HB 764 amends Kentucky law to replace gendered language in criminal sentencing provisions, changing "his or her" to gender-neutral terms in KRS 504.120. The bill directly affects defendants in criminal trials who raise mental illness as a defense, as it updates the jury or court instructions for verdicts related to mental state. The key change is purely linguistic - updating the statutory language to be inclusive - without altering legal standards, procedures, or outcomes for mental health defenses. This procedural update ensures the law uses neutral, modern language applicable to all defendants.

Amend KRS 224.43-350 to prohibit the Energy and Environment Cabinet from allowing metallurgic, industrial solid waste from being treated as a residual solid waste regardless of whether the waste is reprocessed in the solid waste facility's manufacturing or industrial processes.

This resolution urges the U.S. Congress to change federal law, which currently bans firearm possession by anyone using medical cannabis. It directly affects medical cannabis patients in states like Kentucky (where a state program starts January 2025) who face conflicting state and federal rules. The resolution states that federal restrictions create unnecessary legal risks for patients seeking both medical care and Second Amendment rights. As a non-binding request, it asks Congress to find a solution but does not change existing law.