Kentucky Bills

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 215: AN ACT relating to state parks.

Amend KRS 148.021 to establish a discount at state park lodging resorts and golf courses for Kentucky residents; provide that the Act may be cited as the J.E. Jones Kentucky Fairways Act.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 166: AN ACT relating to disaster resiliency.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 39A to establish the position of chief resiliency officer, appointed by the Governor, to lead disaster preparedness and resiliency efforts; amend KRS 39A.070 to include cooperation with chief resiliency officer in the powers, responsibility, and duties of the director of the Division of Emergency Management.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 54: AN ACT relating to election districts.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 5 to establish the Advisory Redistricting Commission, which shall be composed of members appointed by the General Assembly and members of the public at large; define terms; establish commissioner pay, conditions, powers, and duties; provide that commissioners' terms correlate with obligations of each census cycle; establish the conditions, powers, and duties of the commission; require the commission to draft redistricting plans for legislative and congressional districts, with parameters prescribed; establish standards to be followed by the commission for commissioners who develop plans; require the commission to submit its redistricting plans to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on State Government; require the General Assembly to consider the commission's plans as approved by the Interim Joint Committee on State Government; allow the General Assembly to enact or reject the plans of the commission by a date certain or to return to the commission for adjustment; provide that if the General Assembly does not enact the plans, the plans shall be returned to the commission, which may incorporate changes requested by the General Assembly, but shall not be required to incorporate changes; require the commission to submit to the General Assembly new redistricting plans for enactment at a date certain; allow General Assembly to enact its own redistricting plans after a date certain; establish a $20,000 fine upon conviction of persons attempting to influence, or commissioners accepting influence, relating to the duties of the commission; amend KRS 5.005 to remove the Secretary of State as being named as a defendant in any action challenging the constitutionality of any legislative district and replace with the Advisory Redistricting Commission; provide that the Act may be cited as the Fair Maps Act.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 40: AN ACT relating to providing free feminine hygiene products to elementary and secondary students.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define "feminine hygiene product"; require each public school and public charter school that includes any of grades 4 through 12 to provide free feminine hygiene products to female students; require each local board of education and public charter school board of directors to adopt policies relating to the distribution of free feminine hygiene products.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 196: AN ACT relating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 211 to establish a PFAS Working Group; establish membership and duties; create new sections of Subchapter 10 of KRS Chapter 224 to define terms; establish a reporting requirement for manufacturers that intentionally added PFAS in products manufactured for sale or distribution in the Commonwealth; establish a reporting requirement for PFAS released in the Commonwealth by manufacturers that intentionally include PFAS in manufactured products; amend KRS 224.99-030 to establish penalty for noncompliance with reporting requirements.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 183: AN ACT relating to the taxation of retirement distributions.

HB 183 increases Kentucky's tax exclusion for retirement income from $31,110 to $41,110 annually for tax years beginning January 1, 2027. It directly affects Kentucky residents receiving retirement distributions from pension plans, annuities, or retirement accounts by allowing more income to be tax-free. The key change raises the threshold at which these distributions become subject to state income tax. This policy adjustment applies automatically to qualifying retirement income without requiring additional filings or eligibility checks.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 198: AN ACT relating to cannabis.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 218A to make possession of a personal use quantity of cannabis exempt from civil or criminal penalty; amend KRS 218A.010 to define "cannabis," "personal use quantity of cannabis," and "cannabis accessory"; redefine "marijuana"; amend KRS 218A.1422, regarding cannabis possession, to conform; amend KRS 218A.1423, regarding cannabis cultivation, to conform; amend KRS 218A.500, regarding drug paraphernalia, to exempt personal use cannabis accessories; amend KRS 218A.1421, regarding cannabis trafficking, to exempt personal use quantities; amend KRS 138.872 to exclude personal use quantities from the cannabis stamp tax; amend KRS 218A.276, 218A.410, and 533.030 to conform; create a new section of KRS Chapter 431 to allow expungement of certain convictions relating to cannabis and to apply expungement retroactively; RETROACTIVE, in part.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 174: AN ACT relating to child marriage.

Amend KRS 402.020 to prohibit marriage with a person under 18 years of age; exclude from being prohibited and void, marriages entered into in the Commonwealth before the effective date of this Act if both parties are 18 or older and marriages entered into in another state or country if both parties are 18 at time residency is established; amend KRS 402.030 to require courts to declare any marriage void if a person is under 18 years of age at the time of the petition; amend KRS 402.080 and 402.210 to prohibit the issuance of marriage licenses to persons under 18 years of age; repeal KRS 402.205, relating to petitions to courts filed by minors aged 17 years seeking permission to marry.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 186: AN ACT relating to qualifications for elected office.

Amend KRS 67.060, 83A.040, 160.180, and 262.240, to require a candidate for county commissioner, city mayor, city legislative body member, board of education member, and soil and water conservation district supervisor to be a natural born citizen of the United States and no other country and a national of only the United States in order to hold each respective office.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 88: AN ACT relating to the qualified elementary and secondary education scholarship federal tax credit.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 43 to elect for the Commonwealth to participate in the qualified elementary and secondary education scholarship federal tax credit program; designate the Auditor of Public Accounts as the officer to submit the Commonwealth's election and list of scholarship granting organizations to the United States Secretary of the Treasury; require the Auditor to maintain the Commonwealth's list of scholarship granting organizations and maintain certain information on the Auditor's website; authorize the Auditor to promulgate administrative regulations necessary to establish the list; and authorize the Auditor to enter into agreements to assist with implementing the section.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HB 199: AN ACT proposing to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to the possession of cannabis.

Propose to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky to guarantee the right of an individual 21 years of age or older to possess, use, buy, or sell 1 ounce or less of cannabis and to cultivate, harvest, and store up to 5 cannabis plants for personal use; grant the General Assembly control over the production, processing, and sale of cannabis and cannabis-derived products; designate the ballot question; direct the Secretary of State to publish the proposed amendment in a newspaper of general circulation; direct the Secretary of State to certify the proposed amendment to the county clerk of each county.

in committee · Kentucky · House Jan 14, 2026

HCR 10: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION condemning all forms of political violence and supporting freedom in the Commonwealth.

This concurrent resolution (HCR 10) is a symbolic statement by the Kentucky legislature condemning rhetoric that dehumanizes or encourages violence against people based on their political views, religion, race, or identity. It affirms that all political disputes must be resolved through peaceful, lawful means and commits to fostering civil discourse across the Commonwealth. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws or directly affect individuals but formally expresses the legislature's stance on protecting democratic values. The resolution was introduced in January 2026 and referred to committees for review.

Bill results