Kentucky Bills

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 352: AN ACT relating to Women Veterans Appreciation Day and declaring an emergency.

HB 352 designates June 12 of each year as "Women Veterans Appreciation Day" in Kentucky. The bill requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging Kentuckians to recognize women veterans' contributions and sacrifices. It directly affects Kentucky's approximately 27,000 women veterans by establishing a formal day of recognition. The bill includes an emergency declaration to take effect immediately upon passage, aiming for implementation in 2026.

Topics ✓ Veterans

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 347: AN ACT relating to wagering.

Amend KRS 230.210 to redefine "receiving track" and "simulcast facility"; amend KRS 230.361 to allow wagering on races previously run at simulcast facilities; amend KRS 230.3615 to establish the minimum wager at a simulcast facility; amend KRS 230.278 to conform; amend KRS 230.380 to allow a track to transfer its ability to establish 1 simulcast facility; prohibit a simulcast facility from being established within 40 miles of a licensed track; require 13.5% of the commission at a simulcast facility to be retained by the track or person owning the simulcast facility.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 354: AN ACT relating to homelessness prevention, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergency.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 194A to create the homelessness prevention fund to be administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services for continuum of care funds; specify eligible uses and eligible entities; amend KRS 198A.027 to allow appropriations to be used for homeless initiatives; appropriate $2,000,000 from the budget reserve trust fund to the homelessness prevention fund; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Housing

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 47: AN ACT relating to federal immigration law enforcement.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 16 to define "Task Force Model Program"; require Kentucky State Police posts to enter into agreements with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to participate in the Task Force Model Program; require Kentucky State Police officers who participate in the Task Force Model Program to complete Immigration and Customs Enforcement training; amend KRS 15.404 to provide that any peace officer who completes Immigration and Customs Enforcement training will be deemed to have completed annual in-service training; require the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council to certify the Immigration Authority Delegation Program as an approved in-service training program.

Topics ✗ Immigration

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 362: AN ACT relating to charitable gaming.

HB 362 increases the maximum prize value for an individual charity game ticket from $599 to $2,000 for Kentucky charitable organizations conducting games like bingo or raffles. This directly affects licensed charities that run fundraising events, allowing them to offer higher individual prizes while maintaining other existing rules. The bill specifies that cumulative or carryover prizes in certain games remain capped at $2,400, requires clear posting of prize rules, and maintains restrictions on minors (who cannot purchase or play for cash prizes). Charities must still follow all other licensing, location, and operational requirements under Kentucky law.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 337: AN ACT relating to rental property.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 383 to allow landlords to terminate rental agreements upon 3 days' notice when law enforcement or fire protection services are dispatched to a property more than 3 times in a 6-month period and set refund provisions.

Topics ✗ Housing

in committee · Kentucky · Senate Jan 21, 2026

SB 112: AN ACT relating to short-term rentals.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to define terms; prohibit a local government from requiring the operator of a short-term rental to obtain a conditional use permit, imposing density-based restrictions on short-term rentals, prohibiting the operation of a short-term rental in a residential zone, regulating the time or place a property may be used as a short-term rental, limiting the number of properties a person can operate as short-term rentals, imposing a residency requirement on operators of short-term rentals, restricting short-term rental platforms, or prohibiting a tenant from offering a leased property as a short-term rental with permission of a landlord; allow a planning unit to require permitting for the operation of short-term rentals and enumerate the contents of a permit application, procedures for application, revocation of a permit, benefits of permit, and penalties for operating without a permit when planning unit has adopted a permitting ordinance; state that ordinances generally applicable to all dwellings that are necessary for public health or safety and do not treat short-term rentals differently than other residential properties are unaffected; state that any ordinance that conflicts with provisions of the Act is void and unenforceable and that a party aggrieved by a violation of the Act may be awarded attorney's fees and costs; state that the Act shall not be construed to affect regulations of a homeowner's association or other similar property owner association.

Topics ✗ Housing

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 336: AN ACT relating to the establishment of minimum wages by local governments.

Amend KRS 65.016 and 337.275 to allow a local government to adopt and enforce an ordinance that requires a minimum wage at a rate higher than that found in KRS 337.275 for employers located within that government's jurisdiction.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 344: AN ACT relating to local government.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 82 to define "city," "project workforce agreement," and "public construction project"; permit a city to establish a mandatory preference for awarding public construction project contracts to a contractor or group of contractors registered with an apprenticeship and training program; permit cities to negotiate wages that are higher than the state or federal minimum wage as a condition of the project workforce agreement; create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to define "city," "prevailing wage," "prevailing wage rate," and "public works project"; permit a city to enact prevailing wage ordinances; amend KRS 65.016 to grant local governments the authority to adopt and enforce ordinances that require employers in their jurisdiction to provide leave to employees and set a higher minimum wage than state and federal rates.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 361: AN ACT relating to sanctuary policies.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 61 to define terms; prohibit state and local governmental entities from adopting sanctuary policies; require law enforcement agencies to use reasonable resources to support the enforcement of federal immigration law; prohibit policies which would restrict the sharing of information with federal immigration agencies; require compliance with federal requirements when a defendant subject to an immigration detainer has been sentenced in a criminal case; require correctional facilities to provide information regarding the date of discharge to federal immigration agencies and cooperate in the transfer of an inmate to federal custody; require completion of a sentence before an inmate may be transferred to federal custody in cases where the inmate is a violent offender; require a law enforcement agency to provide notice to a judge if a person in their custody is subject to an immigration detainer; require counties to endeavor to enter into agreements with federal immigration agencies regarding the housing of persons in county jails who are subject to immigration detainers; create a rebuttable presumption that a state or local officer who intentionally violates any of the provisions of the Act has committed malfeasance and neglect of duty and is subject to impeachment; allow the Attorney General to make findings that a local government has violated the Act; and to withhold road aid funding if the local government willfully violates the Act by refusing to cease a violation; create a private right of action against an official that has adopted a sanctuary policy; waive immunities when a person is injured by a person released as a result of a sanctuary policy; amend KRS 177.360 and 177.366 to require transfer of road aid moneys to be suspended upon notice by the Attorney General of willful violations by a local government and reinstated upon notice by the Attorney General of compliance; provide that the Act may be cited as the Lawful Immigration System Act of 2026.

Topics ✗ Immigration

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 349: AN ACT relating to wages.

Amend KRS 337.010 to increase the applicable threshold of employees of retail stores and service industries from $95,000 to $500,000 average annual gross volume of sales for the employer; amend KRS 337.275 to incrementally raise minimum wage of hourly and tipped employees and require adherence to any future federal increase in excess of the new state wage rates; include anti-preemption language permitting local governments to establish minimum wage ordinances in excess of the state minimum wage.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 21, 2026

HB 363: AN ACT relating to court costs.

Amend KRS 454.460 under the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act to define term; amend KRS 454.478, relating to court costs under the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act to require that the court make a finding that a party acted in bad faith prior to awarding court costs, reasonable attorney's fees, and reasonable litigation expenses.

Bill results