Rep. Buddy Wheatley

Create a new section of KRS 158.440 to 158.449 to define "corporal punishment"; prohibit a person employed by a school district from using corporal physical discipline; amend KRS 158.444 to remove corporal punishment as a form of discipline in a school; amend KRS 503.110 to remove the exception that permitted the use of physical force by a teacher against a minor.

Amend KRS 61.702 and 78.5536 to increase the hazardous duty under age 65 retiree health subsidy to $40 per month for each year of hazardous duty service for those career hazardous members of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System, County Employees Retirement System, and the State Police Retirement System who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, who are eligible for a fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy not tied to the premium; define "career hazardous employee"; provide that the change shall apply to hazardous service earned prior to the effective date of this Act by eligible members, including retirees and shall continue to be adjusted annually by the 1.5% increase currently provided by statute; specify that changes to subsidies payable to impacted retirees shall begin on or after January 1, 2023, to coincide with the next health plan year; RETROACTIVE.

Create various new sections of KRS Chapter 211 to define terms; establish the Urgent-Need Insulin Program and the Continuing Access to Insulin Program; establish eligibility guidelines; establish the application process; establish the process by which insulin is dispensed to eligible individuals; establish the responsibilities of insulin manufacturers; establish the responsibilities of the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy for administering the program; require manufacturers to annually report certain information to the board; require the board to report certain information to the General Assembly upon request; establish penalties; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 158.6453 to define a "series of interim assessments"; provide that the statewide assessment program may be composed of a series of interim assessments if approved by the United States Department of Education; require the results of an assement that is part of a series of summative assessments to be reported to the school within one month of the assessment date; make conforming amendments; require the commissioner of education to apply to the United States Department of Education for a waiver to the requirement of a single, summative assessment required by the Every Student Succeeds Act; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 141.019 to exclude all distributions from military pension plans received by retired members of the United States military and their surviving spouses or former spouse under a survivor benefit plan from income taxation for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2022, and before January 1, 2026; require reporting by the Department of Revenue; amend KRS 131.190 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 210 define sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts, mental health professional, and public funds; to prohibit mental health professionals from engaging in sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts with a person under 18 years of age or a person who is 18 years or older who is an adult as defined in KRS 209.020 or a ward as defined in KRS 387.510; require violations to be subject to board discipline; prohibit public funds from being used for sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts; create a new section of KRS Chapter 211 to require the Department for Public Health to develop, produce, and disseminate educational materials regarding sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts; permit the cabinet to contract for the educational materials; add the short title "Youth Mental Health Protection Act"; EMERGENCY.

Amend 118.025 to remove straight ticket voting as a ballot option in an election; amend KRS 63.200, 117.125, 118A.090, and 118A.100 to conform.

Amend KRS 337.010 to define "family care leave," "family member," "health care provider", "same employer," and "serious health condition"; create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to prohibit employers from preventing an employee to take family care leave; to entitle employee to family care leave for the birth of a child or to take care of a family member and establish parameters.

Repeal KRS 510.100, relating to sodomy in the fourth degree; amend KRS 194A.380 and 532.031 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS 16.505 to 16.652 to change the retirement benefits for members participating in the State Police Retirement System (SPRS) or in a hazardous position in either the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) or County Employees Retirement System (CERS) who are hired after January 1, 2014, but before January 1, 2023, so that, in lieu of continued participation in the hybrid cash balance plan (Tier 3 benefits), these members receive the benefits provided to members in a hazardous position who began participating immediately prior to January 1, 2014 (Tier 2 benefits); for members participating in a hazardous position who are subject to a change from Tier 3 to Tier 2 benefits, presume that service credit in a hazardous duty position earned after January 1, 2014, is service credit earned immediately prior to January 1, 2014, and require that accumulated contributions remain in the member’s account, although any employer credit will be transferred to the retirement allowance account; allow a member participating in a hazardous position subject to a change from Tier 3 to Tier 2 benefits to make a one-time election to opt out of the change of benefits, to be made for an actively employed member, no later than January 31, 2023, or for a member returning to a qualified position, within 30 days of returning to employment; establish exclusions; amend KRS 16.576, 16.577, and 78.5514 to allow a new member who begins participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS or CERS on or after January 1, 2023, or a member who is eligible under Section 1 of the Act, to calculate retirement allowance using the same benefit factors and service credit as those members in a hazardous position who began participating immediately prior to January 1, 2014 (Tier 2 members); amend KRS 16.583 and 78.5516 to limit the hybrid cash balance plan (Tier 3 benefits) only to members participating in SPRS or in hazardous positions in KERS or CERS who make an election to opt out of Tier 2 benefits under Section 1 of the Act or who make an election, prior to the effective date of the Act, under KRS 61.5955; amend KRS 61.5955 to provide that only a member in a nonhazardous position who began participating in KERS or CERS as a Tier 2 member may elect to receive Tier 3 benefits in the hybrid cash balance plan in lieu of Tier 2 benefits; amend KRS 16.505, 61.510, and 78.510 to amend definitions of various terms to conform and make technical changes; amend KRS 16.560, 61.575, and 78.640 to allow interest credited on the accounts of members participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS or CERS to be adjusted to conform; amend KRS 16.578 to allow a beneficiary of a member participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS or CERS who begins participating on or after January 1, 2023, or who is eligible under Section 1 of the Act, to receive the same death benefits as a Tier 2 member; amend KRS 16.582 and 78.5524 to allow a member participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS or CERS who begins participating on or after January 1, 2023, or who is eligible under Section 1 of the Act to receive the same disability benefits as a Tier 2 member; amend KRS 61.546 and 78.616 to allow a member participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS who begins participating on or after January 1, 2023, or who is eligible under Section 1 of the Act, to receive the same service credit for unused sick leave as a Tier 2 member; amend KRS 61.552 to allow a member participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS or CERS, who begins participating on or after January 1, 2023, or who is eligible under Section 1 of the Act, who is also vested, to purchase service credit; amend KRS 61.597 and 78.5512 to permit early retirement from both the Tier 2 and Tier 3 plans for a member eligible for Tier 2 hazardous benefits under Section 1 of the Act, who also has nonhazardous service credit as a Tier 3 member of either KERS or CERS; amend KRS 61.615 and 78.5528 to allow, if a disability retirement allowance is reduced or discontinued, for a member participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS or CERS who begins participating on or after January 1, 2023, or who is eligible under Section 1 of the Act, to apply for early retirement benefits as provided for and subject to the same limitations as Tier 2 members; amend KRS 61.680 to require that a member who is eligible under Section 1 of the Act and who has nonhazardous service credit as a Tier 3 member of either KERS or CERS to have his or her nonhazardous and hazardous service consolidated to determine eligibility and benefits; amend KRS 78.545 to add Section 1 of this Act as one of the provisions that shall be administered for the CERS in the same manner as for the KERS.