Rep. George Brown

Maddy summaryHB 803 repeals Kentucky Revised Statute 338.062, which previously set occupational safety standards capped at federal levels and exempted public employees from certain state regulations. This bill directly affects how Kentucky enforces workplace safety rules, removing the federal cap on state standards and ending the specific exemption for public employees. The repeal is procedural, with no new standards or mechanisms added - only the removal of the existing statutory language. The bill is currently in committee review after its February 2025 introduction.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to define terms; establish the future Kentucky teacher scholarship; define eligibility for the program; direct the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to administer the program; provide monetary awards for student loan repayment for eligible students who complete qualified teaching service; establish the future Kentucky teacher scholarship fund.

Amend KRS 6.072 to require witnesses appearing before a committee, interim committee, statutory committee, subcommittee, commission, or task force of the General Assembly to take an oath prior to giving testimony and that any oath administered is video recorded.

Maddy summaryHB 656 adds "weight" as a protected characteristic under Kentucky's employment discrimination law, prohibiting employers from discriminating against job applicants or employees based on body size in hiring, firing, compensation, or workplace conditions. It updates existing law to include weight alongside categories like race, sex, and disability, while clarifying that employers must provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related needs (e.g., breastfeeding breaks) without requiring unpaid leave. The bill also requires employers to provide written notices about these protections to new hires and post them visibly, and specifies that health plan differences based on smoking status remain legal. This directly affects all Kentucky employers and employees covered by state anti-discrimination laws.

Maddy summaryHB 563 amends Kentucky's veterans' benefits statute (KRS 40.050) to replace gendered language like "his or her" with gender-neutral terms. This change directly affects all veterans and their beneficiaries receiving payments under this law, ensuring inclusive language in eligibility and payment provisions. The bill does not alter benefit amounts ($9/month for domestic service, $15/month for overseas service, or $300/$500 caps), only updating the statutory language to be inclusive. It is a procedural update to align the law with modern inclusive terminology.

Maddy summaryHJR 60 is a symbolic resolution designating a specific segment of Kentucky Route 150 in Jefferson County (from mile point 1 to 3) as the "Mae Street Kidd Memorial Highway." It directs the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to erect signage within 30 days of the resolution's effective date. The bill honors Mae Street Kidd, a pioneering Black legislator who served in the Kentucky House from 1968 to 1984, sponsored key housing legislation, and was instrumental in ratifying constitutional amendments. This is a commemorative measure with no policy changes or direct impacts on constituents. The resolution is currently pending in the House Transportation Committee.

Maddy summaryHB 562 requires the legal owners of most Kentucky cemeteries (excluding private family plots) to maintain burial grounds free of weeds, debris, and vandalism, and to protect them from desecration or improper use like dumping. It specifically mandates that owners prevent damage from unauthorized activities but exempts them if damage results from a crime. Private cemeteries only need to build protective structures if a county cemetery board exists and compensates the owner for costs. City governments within their limits may enforce these maintenance requirements on cemetery owners. The bill is currently pending in the House Local Government Committee (introduced February 14, 2025).

Amend KRS 337.010 to increase the applicable threshold of employees of retail stores and service industries from $95,000 to $500,000 average annual gross volume of sales for the employer; amend KRS 337.275 to incrementally raise minimum wage of hourly and tipped employees and require adherence to any future federal increase in excess of the new state wage rates; include anti-preemption language permitting local governments to establish minimum wage ordinances in excess of the state minimum wage.

Create a new section of KRS 210.370 to 210.485 to create the Kentucky Child Mental Health Services Access Program; establish duties and responsibilities; amend KRS 210.400 to establish that the community board for mental health or individuals with an intellectual disability shall implement, staff, and operate the Kentucky Child Mental Health Services Access Program.

Amend KRS 12.245, 12.354, 14A.1-070, 16.040, 40.010, 40.310, 40.650, 42.0146, 148.0211, 158.105, 158.140, 161.048, 164.512, 164.515, 186.041, 186.163, and 186.416 to make certain LGBTQ and qualifying veterans, as defined, eligible for state veterans' benefits.