Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton

Amend KRS 156.095 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to create a professional development training schedule for certified personnel; require each local district to implement the schedule; require an additional day to be added to the school calendar if required training cannot be completed in a single calendar day; require school districts to submit a report to the department on the status of professional development training.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 237 to require background checks for private firearms sales and transfers; amend KRS 237.990 to establish a penalty for violations.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 278 to require retail electric suppliers to file monthly disconnection reports with the Public Service Commission; identify the contents of the monthly disconnection reports; and make those reports available to the public on the Public Service Commission's website.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to require every employer to establish a workplace policy that provides employees the right to disconnect from communications from the employer during nonworking hours; amend KRS 337.990 to provide a penalty for violation of the lunch period requirements in KRS 337.355 and for violation by an employer of a right to disconnect workplace policy.

Appropriate $224 million, $17 million, and $16 million in fiscal year 2025-2026 to the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority to fund a one-time two percent cost-of-living adjustment effective July 1, 2025, for Kentucky Employees Retirement System nonhazardous and hazardous duty recipients, and for State Police Retirement System recipients, respectively; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 186.417 to require that felony offenders released from county jails and local correctional facilities be issued personal identification cards or operator's licenses under certain conditions.

Appropriate $95 million from the budget reserve trust fund in fiscal year 2024-2025 to the Kentucky Public Pension Authority to fund one-time supplemental payments on July 1, 2025, to recipients of a retirement allowance from the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) and the State Police Retirement System (SPRS); specify that the one-time supplemental payment shall be equal to the monthly payment received by the recipient in the month of June 2025; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Repeal and reenact KRS 344.010 to define terms; amend KRS 344.020, relating to the purpose of the Kentucky's civil rights chapter, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.025, 344.040, 344.050, 344.060, 344.070, and 344.080, relating to prohibited discrimination in various labor and employment practices, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 210.033, 344.030, 344.100 and 344.110 to conform; amend KRS 344.120 and 342.140, relating to prohibited discrimination in places of public accommodation and advertisements therefor, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.170, 344.180, 344.190, 344.300, and 344.310, relating to the state and local human rights commissions, to include prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the scope of their powers and duties; amend KRS 344.360, 344.370, 344.380, and 344.680, relating to prohibited discrimination in certain housing, real estate, and other financial transactions, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.367, relating to prohibited discrimination in certain insurance sales, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.400, relating to prohibited discrimination in certain credit transactions, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 18A.095 to conform; make technical corrections.

Amend KRS 224.50-585 to define terms; prohibit the intentional release of more than 25 plastic balloons; establish a ban on plastic, single-use carryout bags by July 1, 2030; establish a ban on the provision of single-use plastic straws and Styrofoam food and beverage containers by retail food and beverage establishments by July 1, 2028; establish civil penalty of $100 per day for violations.

Maddy summaryHB 312 increases penalties for unauthorized motor vehicle racing violations under KRS 189.505. For a first offense, fines jump to $1,000 (up from $60-$200), and repeat offenders face $2,000 fines. The bill also mandates that vehicles used in violations be impounded for at least six months on second or subsequent offenses. This directly affects drivers participating in illegal street racing or speed contests, with the primary changes being significantly higher fines and vehicle confiscation.