Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton

Amend KRS 525.135 to include intentional and wanton harm to a dog or cat; define "restrain" and "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 seperate offense; set forth what does not constitute torture of a dog or cat.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 216B to define "freestanding birthing center"; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to promulgate updated administrative regulations to establish licensure standards for freestanding birthing centers, including requiring accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers, compliance with the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) Standards for Birth Centers, and consistent plans for transfer and safe transport to a hospital as needed; exempt a center from certificate-of-need requirements for establishing and licensing a freestanding birthing center; limit liability of center; amend KRS 216B.020, 196.173, 211.647, 211.660, 213.046, 216.2920, and 216.2970 to conform; provide that the Act may be cited as the Mary Carol Akers Birth Centers Act.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 246 to define the terms; establish the Healthy Farm and Food Innovation Board and specify membership; set forth the duties of the Healthy Farm and Food Innovation Board; establish the healthy farm and food innovation fund; amend KRS 18A.115 to exempt the Kentucky Healthy Farm and Food Innovation Board from a classified service designation.

Honor the 75th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel.

Direct the Legislative Research Commission to establish the Workforce Innovation Task Force to conduct a review of current education and workforce development programs and provide recommendations on how to provide effective workforce development to facilitate the training and employment of historically untapped workforce populations in the Commonwealth; require the task force to meet at least 3 times before the submission of its findings and recommendations; require the task force to submit its findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1, 2023; provide that the Legislative Research Commission has authority to alternatively assign the issues identified by the recommendations to the appropriate committee or subcommittee.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require certain health insurance policies, plans, certificates, and contracts to provide coverage for the treatment of substance use disorder by an inpatient facility and an in-home program; create new sections of Subtitles 17C and 38A of KRS Chapter 304 and amend KRS 205.522, 205.6485, 164.2871, and 18A.225 to require limited health service benefit plans, limited health service organizations, Medicaid, the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program, state postsecondary institution self-insured employer group health plans, and the state employee health plan to comply with the substance use disorder treatment coverage requirement; apply provisions to policies, plans. certificates, and contracts issued or renewed on or after the effective date of the section; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to seek federal approval if deemed necessary; EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2024.

Recognize March 2023 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish a refundable renter tax credit for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, but before January 1, 2028, in the amount of 25 percent of the qualified rent payments made during the taxable year, not to exceed $1,000; amend KRS 141.0205 to order the tax credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow reporting by the Department of Revenue.

Recognize the last day of February, the day connecting Black and Women's History Months, as a day to honor Black women.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish a refundable income tax credit for certain volunteer firefighters; declare the purpose of the credit; require annual reporting to the Legislative Research Commission to evaluate the impact of the credit; amend KRS 141.0205 to provide the ordering of the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow confidential tax return information to be shared with the Legislative Research Commission.