Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Kentucky state law to provide maternity leave for public school employees who give birth, granting them 20 days of leave. The legislation defines covered individuals as teachers and other employees, including full-time and part-time staff, and establishes the terms for how maternity days can be used. Additionally, the bill expands existing sick leave provisions by allowing up to 10 days of paid sick leave per school year for various reasons, including illness or family emergencies, and permits sick leave to accumulate without limit. The law also outlines procedures for sick leave banks and donation programs, enabling employees to contribute unused leave to colleagues who need extended absences.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 67 to require county governments to operate at least one emergency shelter for persons experiencing homelessness or to otherwise contract with an operator of an emergency shelter; require an adequate number of beds in the emergency shelter; require the emergency shelter to conform to applicable federal and state law; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to promulgate administrative regulations to provide standards for emergency shelters.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to define "bus stop camera system," "school bus stop," and "qualifying school district"; require the installation of video cameras at each school bus stop in a qualifying school district; require the unit of government responsible for maintaining the road where the bus stop is located to install the cameras and retain the video images; specify the allowable uses of the video images and provide for retention timeframes; require school districts to notify the Transpiration Cabinet and all local governments that maintain roads in the district of the location of school bus stops.

Appropriate necessary funds for local school districts to provide a five percent salary increase to eligible employees in fiscal year 2025-2026; APPROPRIATION.

Maddy summaryHB 329 primarily creates confidential peer support counseling programs for public safety employees (like police and firefighters) who experience traumatic incidents. It establishes strict confidentiality rules for these sessions, allowing disclosure only in specific cases like threats of suicide or child abuse. The bill also contains a section (Section 1) that restricts local governments from regulating firearms - a provision that appears disconnected from the peer support focus and contradicts the bill's title. This section would prohibit cities or counties from enacting firearm ordinances and requires repeal of existing such rules. The bill's actual substance centers on the peer support program, not firearms control as the title suggests.

Maddy summaryHB 334 requires Kentucky law enforcement to destroy most confiscated firearms, except those returned to innocent owners or sold at auction under specific rules (e.g., firearms used in homicides must be destroyed after auction). Proceeds from sales fund grants for police departments to purchase body armor, firearms, ammunition, and body-worn cameras, with priority given to replacing body armor first. The bill specifies that funds cannot be used for general expenses and mandates that body armor meets National Institute of Justice safety standards. It directly affects the Kentucky State Police, local law enforcement agencies, and innocent firearm owners who may reclaim their property.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish an eligible caregiver tax credit against the tax imposed in KRS 141.020; 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 158 to require each public school that includes any of grades six through 12 to provide free menstrual discharge collection devices to students; require each local board of education to adopt policies for the distribution of free menstrual discharge collection devices; define "menstrual discharge collection devices"; amend KRS 139.010 to define "menstrual discharge collection devices"; amend KRS 139.480 to exempt from sales and use tax the sale or purchase of menstrual discharge collection devices; APPROPRIATION; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 257 creates an automatic felony expungement process for eligible Kentucky convictions starting August 1, 2025. It directly affects individuals with certain felony convictions that meet specific criteria (e.g., completed sentence 5+ years ago with no new convictions in that period), without requiring them to file a petition. The bill mandates state agencies to identify eligible cases monthly and automatically order courts to expunge records, vacate judgments, and notify individuals - no action needed from the affected person. This replaces the current manual petition process for qualifying cases under KRS 431.073. The law does not affect convictions already expunged or those not meeting the eligibility requirements.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 162 to define "single-user toilet facility"; require the chief state school officer not approve plans for specific new school buildings or alterations to school buildings unless the plans provide sufficient single-user toilet facilities, with a minimum requirement of one; require the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations regarding the required number of single-user toilet facilities in school buildings; create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to require a school where more that 25 percent of the school's restroom facilities are single-user restroom facilities to develop a plan to assist students needing additional privacy due to urgent medical or biological needs to use facilities that provide additional privacy and provide possible aspects of the plan.