Transportation (Roads & Highways)

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; allow the use of camera monitoring systems on school buses operated by a school district and allow the enforcement of a civil penalty for stop arm camera violations recorded by a camera monitoring system; establish the amount of the civil penalty; require that the revenue generated from a civil penalty be retained by the school district; allow a law enforcement agency to charge a fee of $25 from every civil penalty enforced by the law enforcement agency; require specific notice for a stop arm camera violation; establish defenses to a violation; establish procedures for a contest to a violation; allow for suspension of motor vehicle registration for failure to timely pay a penalty; require a school district or law enforcement agency to notify the Transportation Cabinet of the need to release a motor vehicle registration suspension within 1 business day of payment; amend KRS 189.370 to require traffic in the opposite direction of a school or church bus to stop for the bus on a highway that is not divided by an elevated barrier or unpaved median;amend KRS 189.990 to increase the maximum fines for failing to stop for a school or church bus that is receiving or discharging passengers.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to require vehicles operating on a highway with an iron, steel, or wooden wheel to be equipped with a rubberized strip on the portion of the wheel that is in contact with the highway; provide an exception for certain animal-drawn vehicles; amend KRS 189.990 to set penalty for violation at $20 to $100 for each offense.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to require the Transportation Cabinet conduct a quality assurance check 6 months after each highway pavement marking or other highway paint application; require the Transportation Cabinet repair or reapply the highway pavement markings within 30 days of a failed quality assurance check.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 177 to define "acknowledgment sign" and "sponsorship agreement"; allow the Transportation Cabinet to enter into sponsorship agreements with private entities to sponsor welcome centers or rest areas on the interstate and state highway system; direct that all contributions shall be used on maintenance and upkeep of the welcome center or rest area; require the Transportation Cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations to establish a sponsorship policy and process to enter into sponsorship agreements.

Amend KRS 189.920 to allow wreckers to be equipped with a flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue light, to be used only when the wrecker is stationary and while removing a vehicle or debris from the highway; prohibit a wrecker from using a blue light when towing a vehicle; this Act may be cited as Troy's Law.

Amend KRS 189.222 to allow vehicles with a gross weight of up to 90,000 pounds transporting fluid milk from a farm to the first market to operate on any state highway; allow for a 10% weight tolerance; provide exceptions and limitations; amend KRS 189.221 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to define terms; prohibit a person from remaining on any portion of a state-maintained right-of-way that is not designated for pedestrian use; provide exemptions and authorize local governmental exceptions; allow local governments to enact ordinances to authorize limited exceptions to the prohibition; allow the Transportation Cbinet to promulgate administrative regulations to define minimum standards for state-maintained rights-of-way; amend KRS 189.570 to conform.

Direct the Transportation Cabinet study the efficacy and potential drawbacks of planting mint along highways to mitigate motor vehicle collisions with deer and other wildlife and report the results of its study to the Legislative Research Commission by October 31, 2026.

Amend KRS 138.220 to set a single excise tax on gasoline and special fuels; set initial base rate at 29.6 cents per gallon (cpg); subject tax to annual adjustment; eliminate references to taxation on the average wholesale price of gasoline and the supplemental tax on gasoline and special fuels; require annual notification to motor fuel dealers of the adjusted rate of the excise tax on gasoline and special fuels for each upcoming fiscal year; amend KRS 138.660 to set the initial base rate for the heavy equipment motor carrier surtax for gasoline at 2.2 cpg for fiscal year 26-27 and 4.3 cpg for fiscal year 27-28 and set the rate for special fuels at 3.6 cpg for fiscal year 26-27 and 7.2 cpg for fiscal year 27-28; subject the surtax to annual adjustment; create a new section of KRS Chapter 138 to define "taxes"; provide a mechanism for annual adjustment of the excise tax on gasoline and special fuels and the heavy equipment motor carrier surtax based on changes in the National Highway Construction Cost Index 2.0; allow these taxes to increase or decrease no more than 5% from one year to the next, subject to the statutory minimums; amend KRS 186.018 to increase the fee for a driving history record from $3 to $6; amend KRS 186.020 to eliminate the requirement to present a vehicle's registration receipt when renewing the vehicle registration and allow mail or online registration renewal with no additional fee; amend KRS 186.040 to eliminate the $30 county clerk fee for motor carrier registrations on vehicles in excess of 44,000 pounds; increase the county clerk fee for motor vehicle registrations from $6 to $8; amend KRS 186.050 to increase to state fee for motor vehicle registrations from $11.50 to $22; increase other state registration fees; provide for a $10 late charge for vehicle registrations not renewed within 30 days of expiration; make technical correction; amend KRS 186.162, 186.180, and 186.240 to conform; amend KRS 186.531 to set the reinstatement fee for a suspended operator's license at $100 and provide for distribution of funds; amend KRS 281A.150 to increase reinstatement fees for suspended CDLs from $50 to $100; amend KRS 186A.130 and 186A.245 to set the fee for an initial title at $25, the fee for a duplicate or replacement title at $10, and the fee for a speed title at $40, and adjust the distribution of fees between the Transportation Cabinet and the county clerk; amend KRS 189.574 to increase to fee for state traffic school from $15 to $50; create a new section of KRS Chapter 174 to create the multimodal transportation fund, specify allowable uses for moneys in the fund; amend KRS 177.320 and 177.365, regarding allocation of a portion of fuel tax revenue to county road aid funds and municipal road aid funds; change the revenue-sharing formula on the portion of fuel tax revenue available for revenue sharing which exceeds $825 million in any year from 18.3% to counties and 7.7% to cities to 13% for each fund; amend KRS 176.080 to establish limitations and awarding of single bid construction contracts the exceed, engineer's estimates, require reporting of such contracts; amend KRS 176.210 to prohibit the Department of Highways from revealing the identities of eligible bidders on a project until the project bid letting; amend KRS 138.210 to delete the definitions for "average wholesale price," "average wholesale floor price," and "quarterly survey value"; amend KRS 138.695, 138.270, 42.409, 234.320, 234.380, and 186A.035 to conform; repeal KRS 138.228, regarding the calculation of average wholesale price of gasoline, KRS 138.4602, regarding determination of total consideration on vehicles purchased between 2009 and 2014, and KRS 175.505, regarding the debt payment acceleration fund for turnpike authority debt; EFFECTIVE, in part, July, 1, 2026, and January 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 177.320 and 177.365, relating to the allocation of a portion of motor fuel tax revenue to county road aid funds and municipal road aid funds, to change the revenue-sharing formula on the portion of revenue available for revenue sharing that exceeds $775 million in any fiscal year from 18.3% for counties and 7.7% for cities to 13% for each fund; make technical corrections; amend KRS 176.241, 178.010, 179.010, and 189.503 to conform; EMERGENCY.