Rep. Jason Nemes

Amend KRS 15.243 to require that the Attorney General or his or her designee randomly select at least one ballot scanner and one race tabulated on that scanner for a hand-to-eye recount, which fulfills the requirement for a risk-limiting audit; require that the hand-to-eye recount be performed by each county clerk or his or her designee; establish the process for the hand-to-eye recount; amend KRS 117.383 and 117.295 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 31 to transfer employees of the Louisville and Jefferson County Public Defender Corporation (Louisville Metro Public Defender) to the Department of Public Advocacy (DPA) on July 1, 2024, and to provide employment and retirement benefits to the transferred employees based on their employment date with the Louisville Metro Public Defender; define "membership date" for Louisville Metro Public Defender employees transferring to the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS); create past service purchase exceptions for transferred employees participating in a state-administered retirement system prior to January 1, 2014, or employed by the Louisville Metro Public Defender prior to January 1, 2014 (Tier 1 and Tier 2 only); create a one-year window between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, for transferred employees (Tier 1 and Tier 2) to purchase service with the Louisville Metro Public Defender without the requirement to be vested in KERS; require past years of service purchased by transferred employees to be used to determine eligibility for and the amount of retirement benefits, including disability and early retirement, and health benefits under KRS 61.702 or 78.5536, except the health insurance benefits for this service purchase will be subject to funding of the actuarial cost of the benefit in the executive branch budget; transfer leases and contracts in the name of the Louisville Metro Public Defender to DPA, and waive liability of DPA under any legal theory or for any act, omission, or negligence by or on behalf of the Louisville Metro Public Defender; amend KRS 15A.020 to add new divisions to the organization of DPA; amend KRS 18A.115 to transfer the employees of the Louisville Metro Public Defender to the state personnel system; amend KRS 61.510 to change the definition of "membership date" in KERS as applied to Louisville Metro Public Defender employees transferring to DPA; amend KRS 61.552 allow DPA to pay a portion of the cost for the purchase of service with the Louisville Public Defender by transferred employees (Tier 1 or Tier 2) who purchase the service credit before July 1, 2025, subject to funding in the executive branch budget, and make conforming changes; amend KRS 61.557 to conform; provide that the Act will be RETROACTIVE to employees of the Louisville Metro Public Defender hired to leadership or supervisory roles within DPA between October 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024; EMERGENCY.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 211 to define "SUDEP" and encourage a health care provider to provide information regarding sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; create a new section of KRS Chapter 72 to define "SUDEP" and update autopsy requirements; provide that the Act may be cited as Jami's Law.

Create a new section of KRS 75.100 to 75.260 to require a fire protection district, volunteer fire department district, or subdistrict when making a change to fire protection services involving communications, firefighting resources, or water supply that will likely downgrade fire service ratings to host a public hearing and provide notice of the hearing.

Amend KRS 2.091 to name and designate coal as the official rock of Kentucky; amend KRS 2.094 to name and designate chalcedony agate as the official mineral of Kentucky.

Amend KRS 529.110 to expand the definition of promoting human trafficking; create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to permit the Attorney General to establish a working group to study and discuss human trafficking in the Commonwealth; amend KRS 15.706 to include forced labor in reporting data on human trafficking from the Prosecutors Advisory Council; amend KRS 620.029 to require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to include additional information regarding human trafficking in its the annual report to the Legislative Research Commission; create a new section of KRS Chapter 219 to require hotels to post signs or window clings containing contact information for assistance for victims of human trafficking, establish penalties for noncompliance, require penalties to be paid to the human trafficking victims fund; amend KRS 176.415 to require the Department of Highways to post signs or window clings containing contact information for assistance for victims of human trafficking; amend KRS 183.075 to require airports to post signs or window clings containing contact information for assistance for victims of human trafficking, establish penalties for noncompliance, require penalties to be paid to the human trafficking victims fund; amend KRS 277.410 to require passenger train stations to post signs or window clings containing contact information for assistance for victims of human trafficking, establish penalties for noncompliance, require penalties to be paid to the human trafficking victims fund; amend KRS 281.767 to require truck stops and bus stations to post signs or window clings containing contact information for assistance for victims of human trafficking, establish penalties for noncompliance, require penalties to be paid to the human trafficking victims fund; amend KRS 529.140 to conform.

Amend KRS 156.153 to permit school districts to use district-owned, leased, or contracted passenger transportation vehicles to transport students to and from school and approved school activities under an alternative transportation plan approved by the Kentucky Department of Education; provide that vehicles shall be operated by an employee or contractor of local school district that is licensed to operate a motor vehicle within the Commonwealth; provide that the Kentucky Department of Education shall promulgate administrative regulations to establish minimum standards and specifications for an alternative transportation plan; amend KRS 160.380 to require the driver of any non-school bus passenger vehicle authorized to transport students to and from school pursuant to the alternative transportation plan submit to an annual national and state criminal background check and clear CA/N check; require certain traffic offenses or arrests to be reported to the superintendent; amend KRS 156.990 to provide that an individual who operates a school bus or non-school bus passenger vehicle to transport a student or students without a current valid license to operate that motor vehicle within the Commonwealth shall be guilty of a Class D felony; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 525.135 to define "serious physical injury or infirmity" and redefine "torture"; provide that torture of a dog or cat is a Class D felony in every instance and that each act may constitute a separate offense; provide what does not constitute torture of a dog or cat.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to require that local laws dealing with subdivision plats and development plans be set out by objective standards and applied ministerially; set out conditions for application of discretion; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025.

Amend KRS 247.140 to add the North American Championship Rodeo and the National Farm Machinery Show's Championship Tractor Pull to the list of shows and expositions owned and operated by the State Fair Board.