Kentucky Bills

in committee · Kentucky · House Mar 2, 2026

HB 693: AN ACT relating to the extension of municipal utility service.

Amend KRS 96.150 to provide that when a city extends its water supply or sanitary sewer system into the service territory of another water supply or sanitary sewer system and it fails to provide utility service to its new customers within the agreed upon time to do so, the affected customers may elect to receive their utility service from their previous provider for as long as the service is available; RETROACTIVE.

in committee · Kentucky · House Mar 2, 2026

HJR 80: A JOINT RESOLUTION directing the Kentucky Department of Education to submit a list of the resources provided to families during Individualized Education Program process and related recommendations.

Direct the Kentucky Department of Education to submit a list of resources that are provided to families during the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process and recommendations for possible additional family supports to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · Kentucky · House Mar 2, 2026

HB 699: AN ACT relating to paid leave for state employees.

Create a new section of KRS 18A.005 to 18A.200 to define "child," "family medical leave," "fictive kin," "foster care placement," "kinship care placement," and "parent"; provide classified and unclassified employees family medical leave of up to 6 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child, placement of a child in foster care or kinship care, or a serious health condition that would render the employee unable to perform his or her job functions; require the employee to complete 30 days of service before he or she is eligible for family medical leave; require the leave be used within 1 year of the birth, adoption, foster or kinship care placement, or serious health condition; require any leave which involves the birth of more than 1 child during a particular pregnancy or the adoption or placement of more than 1 child with an employee to be taken concurrently and used as 1 adoption or placement; allow the employee to use the leave as a block or intermittently; allow both parents to use the leave concurrently or consecutively under certain conditions; require the employee to use family medical leave before using any other accrued leave; limit use of family medical leave to 2 times during a 60-month period; provide that once an employee leaves the position eligible for family medical leave, any unused balance shall lapse; require an employee who returns to a position in state service that provides family medical leave to complete 30 days of service before becoming eligible for the leave; prohibit an employee from converting any unused balance of family medical leave to any other type of paid leave, benefit, or compensation; require the employee to submit written verification of the birth, placement of a child, or serious health condition; amend KRS 18A.025 to conform; amend KRS 18A.110 to authorize the secretary of the Personnel Cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations pertaining to the family medical leave program.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Kentucky · House Mar 2, 2026

HB 697: AN ACT relating to commercial surrogacy.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 199 to define terms; establish that it is unlawful to offer commercial surrogacy services or enter into commercial surrogacy agreements in the Commonwealth or with a resident of the Commonwealth; establish that the penalties established do not apply to altruistic surrogacy, a woman acting as a surrogate, or a child born as a result of a prohibited commercial surrogacy arrangement; amend KRS 199.990 to establish that a violation of the prohibitions regarding commercial surrogacy is a Class D felony for the first offense and a Class C felony for any subsequent offense; establish an additional civil penalty of not less than $10,000 for each violation with continued violations resulting in a forfeiture of the right to do business in this state; establish that any commercial surrogacy agreement is void and unenforceable as against public policy; amend KRS 199.590 to conform; establish that the penalties created shall apply to all contracts or agreements entered into after the effective date of the Act; make technical corrections.

in committee · Kentucky · Senate Mar 2, 2026

SJR 129: A JOINT RESOLUTION designating the Lt. Brian Hatt Memorial Highway in Marion County.

This bill designates a specific 2-mile stretch of KY 84 in Marion County (from KY 527/Broadway Street to Sallie Ray Pike) as the "Lt. Brian Hatt Memorial Highway" to honor a volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty on August 25, 2025. The Transportation Cabinet is directed to install appropriate highway signs within 30 days of the resolution taking effect. The resolution commemorates Lt. Hatt's service and sacrifice, following a request from the Marion County Fiscal Court. This is a purely ceremonial designation with no new policy or funding requirements.

in committee · Kentucky · Senate Mar 2, 2026

SJR 126: A JOINT RESOLUTION designating the Private Hargis Salyer, Jr. Memorial Highway in Magoffin County.

Direct the Transportation Cabinet to designate a portion of Kentucky Route 1635 in Magoffin County as the Private Hargis Salyer, Jr. Memorial Highway.

Topics ✓ Veterans

in committee · Kentucky · House Mar 2, 2026

HB 696: AN ACT relating to infantile seizure disorder.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 214 to require the Department for Public Health to make educational material available on its website regarding the recognition and warning signs of infantile seizure disorder; require a health facility or health care provider to provide the material; amend KRS 311.601, 311.844, and 314.073 to require pediatricians, family practitioners, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants who regularly provide care to infants to demonstrate completion of a 1 time course of a least 1 hour of continuing education that covers the recognition and warning signs of infantile seizure disorder.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Kentucky · House Feb 27, 2026

HB 688: AN ACT relating to the portion of income tax liability contributed to a political party.

Amend KRS 141.071 and 141.072 to sunset the option to contribute to a political party from an individual's tax liability, effective for taxable years beginning January 1, 2026; amend KRS 121.180 and 121.230 to make conforming changes, repeal KRS 141.073, relating to rules and regulations for the administration of KRS 141.071 and 141.072.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Kentucky · Senate Feb 27, 2026

SB 131: AN ACT relating to wrongful conviction compensation.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 411 to establish a cause of action for a person who was wrongfully convicted of a felony in the Commonwealth; specify amounts of damages that may be awarded to claimants; establish the wrongful conviction compensation fund.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Kentucky · House Feb 26, 2026

HB 684: AN ACT relating to constables and declaring an emergency.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 15 to require the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council (KLEC) to approve and certify within 90 days of submission an 80 hour basic training course for constables and deputy constables, and topics for in-service training for constables by the Kentucky Constables Association, Inc., require KLEC to promulgate administrative regulations allowing the association to provide basic training courses and in-service training courses for constable and deputy constable certification; provide that a constable or deputy constable that has taken the basic training course or who is certified under KRS 15.380 to 15.404 is certified and has peace officer powers; require 40 hours of in-service training to maintain certification; require instructors to be certified by KLEC; grandfather constables serving in office on the effective date of the Act who have been continually in office since December 31, 2022; require KLEC to track certification; establish the peace officer powers of certified constables; allow for extensions of training time and establish consequences for failing to meet training standards; set out certification categories; amend KRS 70.325 to specify powers of constables who have not completed the training; amend KRS 15.856 to allow constables in all counties to serve process related to child support actions; create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to provide for the conditions of revocation of constable's peace officer powers; amend KRS 15.310 to include constables and deputy constables within the definition of "law enforcement officers" amend KRS 15.315 to add a constable to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council; amend KRS 17.190 to add constables to the list of law enforcement agencies allowed to make emergency requests for call location information; amend KRS 70.310 to remove the sufficiency standards for constables' bonds exercised by the county level government; amend KRS 15.404 to specify that the executive director of the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council is responsible for certain program aspects; allow constables to apply for admission to a basic training course as established by KRS 15.440 at a school certified or recognized by an association representing constables, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, or the Department for Criminal Justice Training; remove requirement that the constable bear the costs of precertification and training as well as precertification; provide that if space is not available upon request, the constable or deputy constable possessing peace officer powers at the time of application continue to possess those powers until training is made available to them and they are able to complete the training; amend KRS 446.010 to include certified constables and deputy constables in the definition of "peace officers"; amend KRS 180.910 to include within the definition as an "emergency vehicle" a vehicle being used for official law enforcement purposes by a constable or deputy constable possessing the powers of a peace officer; amend KRS 189.910 to inlcude vehicles commandeered by peace officers, rather than police officers within the meaning of emergency vehicles, and include constables' and deputy constables' vehicles within the meaning of an emergency vehicle when the officers possess peace officer powers and are using the vehicles for law enforcement; amend KRS 189.950 to allow constables without the powers of peace officers to equip their vehicles with blue lights and a siren with fiscal court approval; allow constables possessing the powers of a peace officer to equip their vehicle with blue lights and a siren without fiscal court approval; direct that the act be cited as the Richard Lee VanHoose Act; EMERGENCY.

in committee · Kentucky · House Feb 26, 2026

HB 680: AN ACT relating to controlled substances.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 218A to establish the criminal offense of unlawful possession of a controlled substance on hospital property as a Class D felony unless a higher penalty applies; require hospitals to display signs regarding unlawful possession; amend KRS 218A.1415 to change the name of the crime of possession of a controlled substance to unlawful possession of a controlled substance; remove controlled substance analogues, methamphetamine, lysergic acid diethylamide, phencyclidine, gamma hydroxybutric acid, and flunitrazepam from unlawful possession of a controlled substance in the first degree; establish possession of a controlled substance on hospital property as a Class D felony unless a higher penalty applies; amend KRS 218A.1416 to add controlled substance analogues, methamphetamine, lysergic acid diethylamide, phencyclidine, gamma hydroxybutyric acid, and flunitrazepam to unlawful possession of a controlled substance in the second degree; amend KRS 218A.133, 218A.1417, 218A.202, 218A.205, 218A.275, and 218A.500 to conform.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

in committee · Kentucky · House Feb 26, 2026

HB 681: AN ACT relating to postsecondary education.

Amend KRS 164.020 to direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to postpone the approval of any new program at a state postsecondary educational institution if the institution has not met its equal educational opportunity goals; amend KRS 164.011, 164.131, 164.321, 164.821, and 335B.010 to conform; repeal KRS 164.2894, 164.2895, 164.2896, 164.2897, 164.2898. 164.2899, and 335B.035; provide that the Act may be cited as the Restoration of Postsecondary Inclusion and Student Success Programs Act.

Topics ✓ Education

Bill results