Rep. Pamela Stevenson

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 277 to require each railroad company to destroy or remove obstructive vegetation at intersections with public roads or highways; direct the Transportation Cabinet or local government to remove obstructive vegetation if the railroad company fails to do so after receiving written notice from the cabinet or local government; establish procedures for reimbursement by the railroad company for the vegetation removal.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 336 to allow public employee collective bargaining organizations to represent only dues-paying members; allow nonmember employees to be represented by counsel of their choosing, subject to reasonable employer procedures; grant the labor organization the right to represent a nonmember employee in an action involving the interpretation or enforcement of a collective bargaining agreement; allow nonmember employees to enter into a written agreement with the labor organization for representation for a reasonable fee; apply to agreements entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act.

Amend KRS 189.993 to establish enhanced penalties for a violation of KRS 189.505, including increased fines, vehicle impoudment for up to 6 months for the first offense, and vehicle forfeiture for the second or subsequent offense; amend KRS 500.090 to provide that the proceeds from any public auction of a vehicle that has been forfeited for a second or subsequent violation of KRS 189.505 be transferred to the Crime Victims Compensation Board.

Create new sections of KRS 383.200 to 383.285 to provide for expungement of records in eviction proceedings that are dismissed; prohibit minors from being named in an action for forcible detainer unless the minor is a leaseholder; provide for expungement of a minor's name from an order; amend KRS 383.250 to provide for sealing of records; amend KRS 367.310 to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from maintaining information in their files relating to dismissed eviction actions; provide that the expungement of dismissed eviction actions applies to actions initiated on or after the effective date of the Act.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to limit the compensation for advising or assisting with veterans' benefits; prohibit persons seeking compensation for advising, assisting, or consulting on a veterans' benefits matter from utilizing international call or data centers, directly or aggressively soliciting business, gaining access to personal medical, financial, or benefits log-in or password information, charging interest, and utilizing a doctor with whom they have an employment or business relationship; limit the fee for representation; require any person receiving compensation for assisting on a veterans' benefits matter to report to the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs (KDVA) annually; allow KDVA to promulgate form for the report and display it on their website; establish that violators constitute a violation of the Consumer Protection Act; provide that attorneys and law firms seeking to receive compensation for advising, assisting, or consulting any individual with any veterans' benefits matter shall be governed federal regulations.

Maddy summaryHB 369 adds post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a qualifying condition for veterans to access hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in Kentucky. It amends state law to allow veterans diagnosed with PTSD - confirmed by a treating health care provider - to receive HBOT, expanding eligibility beyond traumatic brain injury. The bill requires written informed consent from veterans or their legal guardians, detailing treatment options, potential outcomes, and financial responsibility for the therapy. This policy change directly affects Kentucky veterans with PTSD seeking this specific medical treatment option.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; require the Kentucky Department of Education to establish an approved list of reading curriculum and interventions that do not use a three-cueing system; prohibit school districts from using any curriculum or program that employs a three-cueing system; prohibit the use of a three-cueing system in teacher professional development; require the Educational Professional Standards Board to promulgate administrative regulations establishing curriculum for each approved educator preparation program; amend KRS 158.307 to require rather than allow local boards of education to develop a policy on dyslexia; require rather than allow the policy to include listed items; amend KRS 164.304 to require postsecondary institutions offering teacher preparation programs to include instruction on dyslexia by the 2027-2028 school year, rather than the instruction being contingent on funding availability; amend KRS 164.306 to specify that educator preparation programs shall use evidence-based reading instruction and intervention programs and shall not provide instruction on a three-cueing system; amend KRS 161.028 to require the board to include in the standards set for teacher preparation programs that the programs shall use evidence-based reading instruction and intervention programs and shall not provide instruction on a three-cueing system.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 211 to require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to employ a health professional as a statewide sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) coordinator; establish requirements for the description, essential duties, and responsibilities of the SANE coordinator position; require the cabinet to collaborate with others to develop a statewide strategic plan that utilizes a regional model to ensure SANE coverage for all Kentucky hospitals; require the cabinet to develop a state registry of SANEs that is accessible from the cabinet's website by December 1, 2026; amend KRS 314.142 to require the board to notify newly registered SANEs of the state SANE registry on the cabinet's website.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to define terms; make affordable housing developed by a religious developer a permitted use and require only a ministerial review by a planning unit for compliance with the section; include requirements that an affordable housing development must meet including that it be on property owned by a religious institution prior to January 1, 2026, exclusively contains affordable housing, be less than 24 units and be located only on a parcel in certain zones, and to have obtained all other permits; require a religious institution that does not continue to qualify to seek approval from a planning unit; allow the Kentucky Housing Corporation to advise religious developers regarding affordable housing developments; allow homeless shelters operated by a religious institution to be permitted uses in commercial or business zones.

Designate February 1 to 7, 2026, as Burn Awareness Week in the Commonwealth of Kentucky; recognize the University of Louisville Hospital's Burn Center.