Rep. Josh Branscum

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Kentucky's vocational rehabilitation laws to use gender-neutral language when describing eligibility for services. It directly affects individuals with physical or mental disabilities who apply for vocational rehabilitation support in the state. The key provision ensures that the law refers to applicants using "his or her" instead of gender-specific terms, making the eligibility criteria apply equally to all people regardless of gender. The bill does not change the actual requirements for receiving services, which remain limited to those who live in Kentucky or qualify through interstate or federal agreements.

Create a new section of Subchapter 20 of KRS Chapter 154 to establish the high-growth loan program and high-growth loan fund to be administered by the Cabinet for Economic Development; Define terms; specify the program requirements and eligible uses of fund moneys.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends a Kentucky law governing property condemnation for economic development projects to include gender-neutral language. The amendment ensures that when a government entity takes private property for public use, it must provide proper public notice and prove the specific purpose for the condemnation. If the property is not developed within five years according to the stated purpose, the original owner has the right to repurchase the land at the price the government paid, plus recover legal costs. The change applies to all governmental units in Kentucky and affects property owners whose land might be taken for development purposes.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Kentucky's workforce investment laws by updating the language in the relevant statute to be gender-neutral. It directly affects the Education and Labor Cabinet and its employees, particularly the secretary who oversees workforce programs. The key changes include clarifying the secretary's authority to manage contracts, enforce fiscal responsibility, investigate wage violations, and share confidential client information with other agencies under specific conditions. The bill also outlines the secretary's powers to issue subpoenas, delegate duties, and appoint staff while protecting the confidentiality of unemployment and career development records.

Amend KRS 164.515 to make the amount of tuition waived for the spouse or child of designated permanently disabled veterans a last-dollar scholarship that shall not exceed the cost of tuition and mandatory fees less any state or federal grants; amend KRS 164.2841 to make the amount tuition waived for the survivor of police officer, firefighter, or volunteer firefighter killed in line of duty last-dollar scholarship that shall not exceed the cost of tuition and mandatory fees less any state or federal grants; amend KRS 164.2842 to make the amount of tuition waived for the survivor of police officer, firefighter, or volunteer firefighter permanently and totally disabled in line of duty a last-dollar scholarship that shall not exceed the cost of tuition and mandatory fees less any state or federal grants; amend KRS 164.507 to make the amount of tuition waived for the non-married spouse or child of a deceased veteran a last-dollar scholarship that shall not exceed the cost of tuition and mandatory fees less any state or federal grants; amend KRS 164.020 to delete the tuition waiver for employees and faculty of state and locally operated secondary area technology center staff.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to define terms; create the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program for funding the construction and installation of accessibility ramps on residences of disabled veterans; establish the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program grant fund to be used for the program and administered by the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Propose to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky to provide homeowners who are 65 years of age or older with an exemption from any increase in the valuation of their permanent residence that is assessed after the later of the year the homeowner turned 65 or the year the homeowner acquired the property; require the exemption to be in addition to the exemption provided in Section 170 of the Constitution of Kentucky and notwithstanding Sections 171, 172, and 174 of the Constitution of Kentucky; apply the exemption to increases in valuation that occur after the date the amendment is ratified by the voters; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.

Maddy summaryHJR 5 designates a section of U.S. Route 127 in Russell County as the "Deputy Sheriff Joshua Phipps Memorial Highway" to honor a local deputy who died in the line of duty on September 16, 2024. The resolution requires Kentucky's Transportation Cabinet to install appropriate signage within 30 days of the resolution's effective date. This is a commemorative measure, directly affecting the highway designation in Russell County, with no substantive policy changes beyond renaming. The bill passed unanimously and was signed into law on April 1, 2025.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 139 to create a violation when an official notice published by the secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet or the commissioner of the Department of Revenue improperly instructs that taxpayers should continue to collect and remit sales and use tax on currency or bullion currency, allow the taxpayer to file an action for refund in Circuit Court, and entitle the taxpayer to interest, injunctive relief, attorney's fees and costs, and liquidated damages of $1,000 for each day that the violation occurred; RETROACTIVE; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 186.450 to allow persons who are at least 15 years of age to apply for a motor vehicle instruction permit; establish that an instruction permit is valid for four years; amend KRS 186.410, 186.452 and 159.051 to conform; EMERGENCY.