Rep. George Brown

Amend KRS 139.010, relating to the sales and use taxes, to define terms; amend KRS 139.480 to exempt from sales and use tax the sale or purchase of baby bottles, baby wipes, breast pumps, breast pump collection and storage supplies, breast pump kits, diapers, menstrual discharge collection devices, and incontinence products; apply to sales or purchases made on or after July 1, 2025, but before July 1, 2029; require the Department of Revenue to report annually to the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue the total exemptions claimed for the previous fiscal year; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report to the Legislative Research Commission.

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, 2026, 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 those eligible hazardous employees, create a presumption that service credit in a hazardous position earned after January 1, 2014, is service credit earned immediately prior to January 1, 2014; for eligible hazardous members transitioning to Tier 2, require that accumulated contributions in the hybrid cash balance plan remain in the member’s account, but any employer credit be transferred to the retirement allowance account; allow a member 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 within 30 days; establish exclusions; amend KRS 16.576, 16.577, 16.578, 16.582, 61.546, 61.552, 61.597, 61.615, 78.5512, 78.5514, 78.5524, 78.5528, and 78.616 to grant to members in a hazardous position who begin participating after January 1, 2026, or whose participation is presumed under Section1of this Act to begin immediately prior to January 1, 2014, the same benefits provided to members whose participation began immediately prior to January 1, 2014 (Tier 2 benefits), including death and disability benefits, benefit factors and service credit that includes service credit for unused sick leave, and eligibility for early retirement and service purchases; make technical corrections; 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 this 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 61.592 and 78.5520 to exempt only hazardous members who opt out of receiving Tier 2 benefits from eligibility for an employer payment to convert nonhazardous service to hazardous service; amend KRS 61.680 to require that a member who is eligible under Section 1 of this 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.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define "feminine hygiene product"; require each public school that includes any of grades four through 12 to provide free feminine hygiene products to female students; require each local board of education to adopt policies for the distribution of free feminine hygiene products.

Amend KRS 431.073 and 431.078 to provide for expungement of offenses which were charged but later dismissed or amended; make technical corrections; amend KRS 532.080 to state that the enhancement of a sentence as a persistent felony offender does not alter the felony classification of offenses.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 237 to define "assault weapon," "large capacity ammunition feeding device," and "seller of ammunition"; require background checks for private firearms sales; require reporting to law enforcement of firearm and ammunition thefts and losses; require the safe storage of firearms; require the Department of Kentucky State Police to promulgate administrative regulations relating to the licensing of persons to possess handguns and assault weapons, the registration of handguns and assault weapons, and the logging of firearms and ammunition sales effective January 1, 2026; amend KRS 237.990 to establish penalties; create a new section of KRS Chapter 527 to create the offense of criminal purchase or disposal of a weapon; amend KRS 395.250 to require an estate's inventory to list each firearm; amend KRS 403.735 to require judges, when issuing an order of protection, to consider whether a person against whom the order is entered should be prohibited from possessing an firearm; amend KRS 504.030 to require judges in criminal cases where a person is found not guilty by reason of insanity to demand the surrender of the defendant's firearms; amend KRS 506.080 to add that the offense of facilitation includes assistance in providing firearms; amend KRS 508.020 to include physical injury to a minor by virtue of the intentional discharge of a firearm within the offense of assault in the second degree; amend KRS 527.040 to require that the sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm be served consecutively to any other felony sentence; amend KRS 527.070 to include postsecondary education facilities within the existing ban on firearms in schools; amend KRS 532.030 to require the judge pronouncing a defendant guilty but mentally ill to demand the surrender of the person's firearms; amend KRS 65.1591, 237.104, 237.115, and 532.025 to conform; repeal KRS 65.870, relating to the prohibition of local firearm control ordinances; EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2026; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 341.370 to prohibit disqualification from benefits for workers unemployed as a result of domestic violence and abuse, dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; create a new section of KRS Chapter 341 to direct the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations; amend KRS 341.125 to require the secretary to provide training to personnel who process claims related to domestic or dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking and to report to the Legislative Research Commission annually the number of claims paid involving domestic or dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; amend KRS 341.360 to conform; amend KRS 341.530 to charge benefits to pooled account for workers displaced from employment through domestic or dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; amend KRS 341.550 to prevent benefit payments from pooled account from impacting an employer's experience rating.

Amend KRS 337.275 to raise minimum wage for employers to $9.50 an hour on the effective date of this Act and incrementally thereafter to $15 an hour on July 1, 2029; raise the state minimum wage for tipped employees to five dollars an hour on the effective date of this Act.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to prohibit employers from publishing job postings for ghost jobs; amend KRS 337.990 to establish a penalty for violations.

Amend various sections of KRS Chapter 161 to remove provisions of HB 258 enacted during the 2021 Regular Session that created and adjusted benefits for individuals who become members of the Teachers' Retirement System on or after January 1, 2022; repeal KRS 161.633, 161.634, 161.635, and 161.636, relating to university and nonuniversity members; provide that these members shall be eligible for the benefits applicable to members who entered the system immediately prior to January 1, 2022; EMERGENCY.

Create a new section of KRS 164.740 to 164.7891 to establish a coal-county paramedic scholarship to be administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA); define terms; establish a fund in the State Treasury to be administered by KHEAA for providing coal county paramedic scholarships.