Rep. Sarge Pollock

Amend KRS 158.162 to require local boards of education to maintain a portable automated external defibrillator in a public, readily accessible, well-marked location in all school buildings, including elementary school buildings, and at school-sanctioned athletic practices and competitions; require annual report on compliance with portable automated external defibrillator requirements to be submitted to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 247 to define terms, prohibit a nonresident alien, foreign business, foreign agent, trustee, or fiduciary associated with the government of any proscribed country referenced in 22 C.F.R. sec. 126.1 from the purchase, lease, or acquisition of agricultural land in Kentucky or participation in programs administered by the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Development Board, and Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation; allow an existing foreign-owned business to purchase adjacent agricultural land to expand the operations of the business; exempt foreign ownership or leasing of up to 350 acres for research purposes; establish the Kentucky Foreign Investment Review Board to review applications for appeal for those on the prohibited countries list wishing to purchase, lease, or acquire agricultural land, set forth requirements of the board to approve or deny an application for appeal, establish a process for an application for appeal, authorize the board to promulgate administrative regulations; allow an applicant who is denied an appeal to purchase agricultural land to appeal the final decision in Circuit Court; require a county clerk to record an affidavit on any deed that conveys agricultural land and report the affidavit recordings monthly to the Kentucky Foreign Investment Review Board, require the Kentucky Foreign Investment Review Board to report to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States each month; set forth requirements to divest land that has been purchased, leased, or denied without approval of the Kentucky Foreign Investment Review Board, and direct the distribution of sale proceeds.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 532 to define "violent felony" and enhance sentencing for a person convicted of a third violent felony; prohibit probation, parole, or other form of release for a person who commits a crime using a weapon that is stolen, defaced, loaded with restricted ammunition, or otherwise violates state law; amend KRS 610.070 to require a parent, legal guardian, or custodian to be present at court proceedings involving a child in the juvenile justice system; create a new section of KRS Chapter 610 to establish penalty; amend KRS 507.020 to expand offense of murder; amend KRS 507.030 to expand offense of manslaughter in the first degree; amend KRS 507.040 to expand offense of manslaughter in the second degree; amend KRS 218A.1412 to provide increased penalties for certain trafficking offenses; create a new section of KRS Chapter 515 to create a new offense of carjacking; amend KRS 512.020 and 512.030 to lower the threshold for criminal mischief in the first degree to $500; amend KRS 149.410, 506.160, and 525.220 to conform; amend KRS 520.050 to enhance promoting contraband to a Class B felony if the dangerous contraband is fentanyl, carfentanil, or a fentanyl derivative; amend KRS 16.220 to allow purchase of a confiscated firearm by a person who bids under the condition that they not take possession of the firearm, but instead leave it with the Department of Kentucky State Police for destruction; prohibit government agencies from purchasing the firearm; make technical corrections; create new sections of KRS Chapters 511, 198A, and 65 to establish the offense of criminal street camping and provide exceptions; amend KRS 503.080 to conform; amend KRS 202C.050 to reduce requirements to find a person subject to involuntary commitment pursuant to KRS Chapter 202C; amend KRS 186.417 to include felony offenders released from county jails and local correctional facilities among those who may be issued personal identification cards or operator's licenses under certain conditions; amend KRS 431.510 to define terms; prohibit any charitable bail organization from posting bail in excess of $5,000; prohibit any charitable bail organization from posting bail for any offense of domestic violence and abuse or dating violence and abuse, and for any offense under a civil court order or warrant under KRS 222.430 to 222.437; establish that any bond ordered forfeited following a new criminal offense shall be distributed to the victim of the new offense; require publication of records and annual reporting to the General Assembly; create new section of KRS Chapter 507 to create the offense of murder of a first responder and establish penalties; amend KRS 506.010 to conform; amend KRS 532.025 to include the murder of first responders as an aggravating circumstance for the death penalty; amend KRS 532.036 to allow restitution following a conviction for Murder of a first responder; amend KRS 439.320 to provide that members of the Parole Board shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor, that panels of the board shall consist of not less than three and not more than six members, and that all members of the panel must agree on a decision or the matter shall be referred to the full board; amend KRS 439.330 to require that parole be granted upon a two-thirds vote of the full board; amend KRS 433.236 to limit liability for shopkeepers; amend KRS 439.3401 to add a person who has been convicted of or entered a plea of guilty to a Class B felony violation of KRS 520.050 to the definition of "violent offender" and to include carjacking and attempted murder in the list of violent offenses; amend KRS 508.075 and 508.078, relating to terroristic threatening, to include any workplace or any gathering of 3 or more persons; amend KRS 524.040 to include harassing communications as conduct constituting intimidation of a participant in the legal process; amend KRS 439.340 to allow the Parole Board to order participation in a specific violence reduction program as a condition of parole; amend KRS 533.030 to allow a court to require participationin a specific violence reduction program as a condition of probation or conditional discharge; amend KRS 403.763 and 456.180 to enhance a second or subsequent violation of an order of protection within a five-year period to a Class D felony; amend KRS 500.080 to include family members, members of an unmarried couple, and persons in a dating relationship, in application of a particular definition of serious physical injury; amend KRS 514.020 to reduce the time required to establish prima facie evidence of theft by deception of rented or leased property that is not returned to the owner from 10 days to four days; amend KRS 196.031 to require the annual report to also include the percentage of offenders who commit new offenses within two years; amend KRS 520.095 to enhance fleeing or evading police in the first degree to a Class C felony; provide that the defendant shall not be released on probation, shock probation, conditional discharge, or parole until he or she has served at least 50 percent of the sentence imposed; amend KRS 520.100 to enhance fleeing or evading police in the second degree to a Class D felony; amend KRS 532.110 to provide sentences for two or more felony sex crimes shall run consecutively; provide that the defendant shall not be released on probation, shock probation, conditional discharge, or parole until he or she has served at least 50 percent of the sentence imposed; amend KRS 158.155 to require school employees to report certain enumerated crimes to law enforcement; repeal KRS 512.040, which establishes the crime of criminal mischief in the third degree and KRS 158.154, which deals with discipline in schools; EFFECTIVE, in part, August 1, 2025.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to define terms; establish the Kentucky Rural Veterinary Medicine Student Loan Repayment Program for an eligible livestock practitioner who engages in veterinary medicine in an underserved rural area or veterinary shortage area for five consecutive years; authorize the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to promulgate administrative regulations; set forth program eligibility requirements; authorize the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to award loan repayment benefits to applicants selected by the Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Selection Committee; establish compliance requirements; create the rural veterinary care trust fund; establish purposes of the fund; APPROPRIATION.

Amend KRS 304.6-134 to modify exemptions from KRS 304.6-143 and 304.6-151; amend KRS 304.37-020 to allow the commissioner of insurance to establish a timeframe for insurers to report material changes or additions to registrations; amend KRS 304.5-140 to limit the definition of reciprocal jurisdiction in certain provisions; except certain provisions to the extent that the provisions conflict with a covered agreement.

Amend KRS 262.850 to decrease the minimum number of acres to qualify as an agricultural district from 250 acres to 50 acres; add cities that are within one mile of the agricultural district to the list of entities to be notified of the proposal, approval, and withdrawal of property from, an agricultural district; allow a district board of supervisors of supervisors to consider possible dissolution of an agricultural district if an owner's withdrawal of property results in the remaining land no longer qualifying as agricultural land.

Create new sections of KRS 438.305 to 438.340 to define terms; require the Secretary of State to create and publish a list of certain tobacco product retailers; require the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to create and maintain a tobacco noncompliance database and reporting system; require wholesalers to verify a retailer's presence in the database prior to transactions; establish and impose fines for wholesalers that unlawfully sell to a retailer that is in the noncompliance database; make ineligible any retailer with unpaid fines that are more than 60 days overdue from selling Tobacco Control Act covered products until the fines are paid; direct manufacturers of Tobacco Control Act covered products to provide safe harbor certification to wholesalers and retailers of their products; prohibit a retailer from selling Tobacco Control Act products to persons under 21 years of age; establish; amend KRS 241.060 to allow the board to conduct hearings and appeals under this Act and KRS 438.340. .

Create a new section of Subtitle 2 of KRS Chapter 304 to establish the Strengthen Kentucky Homes Program; establish purpose; create the Strengthen Kentucky Homes Program fund; require the commissioner of insurance to promulgate administrative regulations to implement and administer program; create new sections of Subtitle 13 of KRS Chapter 304 to require property insurance companies to provide a premium discount or rate reduction for properties that have received a qualifying certificate of compliance under certain circumstances; permit the insurance commissioner to promulgate administrative regulations to establish standard discount amounts, targets, or benchmarks for coverage; require property insurance companies to offer an optional rider, endorsement, or supplemental policy provision to upgrade non-FORTIFIED single-family dwellings under certain circumstances; provide that Sections 2 and 3 of Act apply to insurance policies and contracts issued or renewed on or after March 1, 2026; provide when submissions are required for premium discounts or rate reductions and the optional rider, endorsement, or supplemental policy provision under Sections 2 and 3 of this Act; provide that the Act may be cited as the Strengthen Kentucky Homes Act; APPROPRIATION.

Repeal, reenact, and amend KRS 286.2-685 as a new section of Subtitle 3 of KRS Chapter 286 to make technical amendments; remove prohibition against use of financial institution names in certain marketing and solicitations; establish a civil penalty for violation of section; establish a new section of KRS Chapter 367 to prohibit the use of financial institution names in the marketing and solicitations of persons who are not financial institutions in certain circumstances; make violation of section an unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive trade practice in violation of KRS 367.170; authorize enforcement by the Attorney General and any trade organization representing one or more financial institution industries; establish remedies for violation of section; establish a new section of KRS Chapter 367 to regulate certain real estate service agreements; make recording of certain real estate service agreements a crime and provide penalties for violation of recording prohibition; make violation of section an unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive trade practice in violation of KRS 367.170; authorize enforcement of section by Attorney General; authorize Attorney General to promulgate administrative regulations; amend KRS 324.160 to establish that violation of section regulating real estate service contracts by real estate licensees is improper conduct; provide that the provisions of the Act are severable; RETROACTIVE, in part; EMERGENCY.

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.