Rep. Steven Rudy

Maddy summaryThis bill is a procedural measure that officially ends the 2026 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly. It directs both the House and Senate to stop meeting on April 15, 2026, and remain closed until the next regular session begins on January 5, 2027, unless the Governor calls an emergency meeting. The resolution does not create new laws or policies but serves as the formal conclusion to the current legislative year.

Amend KRS 456.030 to give District Courts exclusive jurisdiction over protective order petitions filed under KRS Chapter 456; amend KRS 456.140 to conform.

Amend KRS 150.170 to require the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to issue a minimum of 5 deer destruction permits to any landowner, spouse, dependent child, or their designee whose lands or personal property have been damaged by wildlife; establish provisions for the renewal of deer destruction permits; require the department to issue a deer permit for the taking of 1 additional antlered deer during a hunting season to any requesting individual; amend KRS 150.390 to allow any licensed or permitted person to take antlerless deer for a period of 10 days following the conclusion of a muzzle-loading gun season; EMERGENCY.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to define terms; establish liability protections for manufacturers and sellers of firearms against specified legal actions arising from criminal or unlawful use of firearms or ammunition; establish criteria for proceedings including timelines and burden of proof; establish a civil cause of action for violation of the extended protections for manufacturers and sellers and delineate available damages; provide the Attorney General with enforcement authority; provide that the Act may be cited as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms (PLCAA) Clarification Act of 2026; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 15.020 to define "entity of the executive branch"; require the Attorney General, in consultation with the Finance and Administration Cabinet, to review and approve or disapprove any settlement of pending or threatened litigation within 180 days before a gubernatorial inauguration that exceeds $1,000,000; amend KRS 18A.111 to require a 24-month probationary period to any person who at any time in 18 months prior to a gubernatorial inauguration is appointed to a position in the classified service and who held a position that was unclassified under KRS 18A.115; deny that person any preferences in hiring or reemployment; amend KRS 45A.095 to define "executive branch agency"; require any contract executed or renewed through noncompetitive negotiation within 180 days preceding a gubernatorial inauguration be certified as necessary due to an emergency condition by the State Treasurer and secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet; amend KRS 171.530 to require certain records be preserved in the 12 months preceding a gubernatorial inauguration for the Governor-elect and his or her transition team; amend KRS 171.990 to find any person who violates KRS 171.530 be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor; grant the Attorney General concurrent original jurisdiction to enforce.

The Legislative Branch Budget: Detail Part I, Operating Budget; detail Part II, General Provisions; detail Part III, Budget Reduction or Surplus Expenditure Plan; APPROPRIATION.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 237 to define "provisional license" and "standard license"; authorize the Department of Kentucky State Police (KSP) to issue provisional licenses to carry concealed firearms and other deadly weapons to persons who are 18 to 20 years of age; require KSP to provide notice of expiration of provisional licenses and an application to switch from a provisional license to a standard license; allow the provisional license holder to apply by paper to his or her sheriff or online to KSP for a standard license; allow KSP to promulgate administrative regulations to administer provisional and standard license issuance.

Appropriate General Fund moneys from the budget reserve trust fund account in each fiscal year of the 2026-2028 fiscal biennium to various state agencies for miscellaneous projects and programs; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the Kentucky state government to pay specific outstanding claims that were previously approved but not paid due to expired or insufficient funding or missing procurement documents. It directly affects various businesses, healthcare providers, and state employees by providing funds from the general, transportation, and federal funds to settle these debts. The legislation includes a detailed list of individual vendors and employees along with exact payment amounts, ranging from small fees to larger contracts totaling tens of thousands of dollars. By declaring an emergency, the bill allows for immediate payment of these claims without waiting for the regular legislative budget cycle.

Amend KRS 160.145, relating to unauthorized electronic communicating in schools, to expand existing definitions and define "private electronic communication," "qualified school volunteer," and "commercial, nonprofit, or local government affiliation"; limit the scope of unauthorized electronic communication to private electronic communication, and exclude designated types of communication from the scope of the requirement to obtain written parental consent prior to communicating outside of the traceable communication system; include designated Kentucky Department of Education and educational cooperative employees assigned to a school district to the scope of the requirement to obtain written consent; limit the scope of school volunteers subject to this section to qualified school volunteers; specify that the requirement to obtain written parental consent only applies to students enrolled within the same school district as the school district employee or qualified school volunteer; allow a local school district more flexibility in disciplinary actions arising from a violation of this section; allow a written parental consent form to designate more than 1 school district employee or qualified school volunteer; provide that the written consent may be revoked by the parent who filed the consent; require notice of the revocation to be sent to the identified school district employee or qualified school volunteer; prohibit a school or school district from refusing to accept parental consent forms; prohibit requiring parental consent forms under this section as a requirement for a student to participate in an academic, athletic, or extracurricular opportunity; provide an emergency exception to allow a school district employee or qualified school volunteer to communicate electronically without prior written parental consent if the individual discloses the communication after the fact; provide exceptions to allow a school district employee or qualified school volunteer to communicate electronically without prior written parental consent during and in direct relation to a fieldtrip or work-based learning opportunity; provide exceptions to permit a school district employee or qualified school volunteer to communicate electronically without prior written parental consent if the communication is directly related to a commercial, nonprofit, or local government affiliation that has been previously disclosed; permit school district employees to notify a school district of a commercial, nonprofit, or local government affiliation; require reasonable belief to trigger a duty to report unauthorized electronic communication; require parental notification for all material phases of an investigation of or disciplinary actions arising from unauthorized electronic communication with students; permit a school district to reconsider allowing previously prohibited volunteers; EMERGENCY.