Budget & Taxes

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish a refundable Kentucky working credit equal to 30% of the federal earned income credit allowed for the taxable year; a taxpayer's modified gross income to be in excess of the amount eligible for the family size tax credit allowed in KRS 141.066(limit the credit to $2,000 per taxable year; make credit effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, but before January 1, 2031; amend KRS 141.0205 to order the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report on the credit.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 138 to define terms; impose a 4% state retail regulatory license fee on all alcoholic beverage sales to consumers by alcoholic beverage retailers; establish procedures and duties of retailers; establish KRS Chapter 243A and create new sections thereof to impose state wholesale regulatory license fees on alcoholic beverages, state retail regulatory license fees on kratom, hemp-derived, and cannabinoid products, and penalties for violations; set out regulatory license fee rates, deductions for timely filing and payment, and licensee duties; amend KRS 211.285 to fund the alcohol wellness and responsibility education fund with 0.5% of the collected state retail regulatory license fees; amend KRS 241.010 to define "state or national conference" and redefine "alcoholic beverages"; amend KRS 241.069 to delete outdated language; amend various sections of KRS Chapter 243 to establish state license fees for new and existing license types; limit licensee discipline to only the specific license in question; establish a souvenir package license for distillers; authorize distillers, small farm wineries, and microbreweries to allow leashed dogs on their premises; allow caterers and special temporary auction licensees at state and national conferences; modify the privileges for various licensees, including a limited golf course, wholesaler, Class B distiller, and special agent or solicitor; allow a qualified historic site to sell alcoholic beverages by the package under a limited nonquota package license; add references to the new tax structure and statutes; modify requirements for public notice of a license application; sunset existing excise, wholesale, and other taxes on July 1, 2027, as they relate to alcoholic beverages; repeal and reenact KRS 243.075, relating to local regulatory license fees, to allow any moist or wet city or county to impose the fee; authorize audits of each city's or county's regulatory license fee fund by the Auditor of Public Accounts for the most recent 10 years; describe audit penalties for cities and counties that fail to substantially comply; establish the regulatory license fee audit fund; direct cities and counties to reduce the regulatory license fee to 3% within 4 years; limit future cities and counties to a 1% regulatory license fee; amend KRS 244.080 to permanently prohibit a retail license from using a premises if the licensee sold to minors at that premises 3 or more times in 24 months; amend KRS 244.585 to establish limitations for agreements between distributors and breweries or microbreweries; amend KRS 131.250, 139.010, 243.045, 243.430, 243.790, 243.850, and 243.990 to conform; EFFECTIVE, in part, July 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 45.021 to require the Finance and Administration Cabinet to contract with each local board of education of a district that has 65% or more in tax-exempt real property and that does not receive financial relief from other sources for the tax revenue lost from the tax-exempt property, to provide for recoupment to the board of at least 25% of the local board of education's lost tax revenue from the tax-exempt properties.

Amend KRS 45A.380 to allow the purchase of used vehicles and used equipment through noncompetitive negotiation if the agency pays no more than 75% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price for new same or similar vehicles or equipment for the used vehicle or equipment; amend KRS 424.260 to allow local agencies to purchase used vehicles and equipment negotiation if the agency pays no more than 75% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price for new same or similar vehicles or equipment without making a newspaper advertisement for bids.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 198A to establish the abandoned home pool fund to be administered by the Kentucky Housing Corporation to purchase and improve vacant and abandoned homes for rental to eligible individuals and families; specify application process and eligibility criteria.

Amend KRS 157.350 to provide that in order to be eligible to receive support education excellence in Kentucky funds a school district shall not provide the superintendent or any administrator a percentage pay increase greater than the average percentage pay increase provided to classroom teachers within the district; amend KRS 156.070 to conform.

Amend KRS 161.540 to specify payment obligations for the inclusion of annual leave payments in a retiring member's pension benefits from the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) by requiring the state to pay the actuarial costs for annual leave accrued through July 31, 2026, and the last employer pay the actuarial costs for annual leave accrued on or after August 1, 2026.

Amend KRS 164.7879 to require the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to annually adjust the Kentucky education excellence scholarship (KEES) based on the Consumer Price Index; permit the authority to annually adjust KEES supplemental awards based on the Consumer Price Index; require that KEES award adjustments be paid at the most recent calculation for the academic term in which a student utilizes their award; prohibit decrease in KEES awards; amend various statutes to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to create the vaping settlement trust fund to be administered by the Office of the Attorney General; direct the deposit of certain litigation proceeds into the fund; direct the allowable use of fund moneys for certain youth prevention and cessation efforts.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 200 to define terms; establish the Kentucky Diaper Access Board and its functions related to the development of a state plan for the distribution of funds from the Kentucky diaper access trust fund; establish the Kentucky diaper access trust fund and the purposes for which funds are disbursed to diaper access programs in the Commonwealth.