Rep. Josh Branscum

Amend KRS 121.015, relating to campaign finance, to define terms; create new sections of KRS Chapter 121 to establish reporting and record retention requirements for political issues committees and persons making independent expenditures; prohibit political issues committees from knowingly and willfully soliciting or accepting contributions from prohibited sources; establish certification requirements for treasurers of political issues committees and donors making contributions and independent expenditures; define activity that creates a presumption of a violation; prohibit foreign nationals from making a donation, contribution, or expenditure, soliciting another person to make a donation, contribution, or expenditure, or participating in another person's decision to influence a ballot measure; establish a cause of action for accepting or soliciting contributions from prohibited sources and failing to certify, report, or retain records; establish a right of privacy in donations to tax-exempt organizations; establish a penalty for a state or local governmental entity, court, or officer of the court that violates the right of privacy; amend KRS 121.190 to require a "paid for by" disclosure for advertisements advocating or opposing a ballot measure.

Amend KRS 367.3613 to exempt information collected by a health care provider that maintains protected health information in accordance with HIPAA and information included in a limited data set as described in 45 C.F.R. sec.164.514(e); amend KRS 367.3621 to make a technical change to include a data protection impact assessment of processing of personal data for the purposes of profiling where the profiling presents a foreseeable risk of an unlawful disparate impact on consumers.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 148 to terms; establish the Dream Big Burnside Development Authority to establish, maintain, and promote a recreational and resort park system surrounding General Burnside Lake; establish board membership and executive director requirements of the authority; establish the duties and purposes of the authority; require that bond debt service be payable solely from the revenue of the bonds; provide that a landowner that has a contractual agreement with the authority for use of private land as part of a recreational area does not waive any protection granted to the landowner by KRS 411.190.

Direct the Legislative Research Commission to establish the Kentucky Discipline of Government Efficiency (KY DOGE) Task Force to study Executive Branch expenditures and provide recommendations for efficiency in government operations; require the task force to meet monthly during the 2025 Interim, and submit its findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1, 2025.

Urge the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to petition the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to designate certain highways as United States Highway 111.

Maddy summaryHB 476 creates the "Bluegrass State Skills Corporation" under Kentucky's Cabinet for Economic Development to improve employment opportunities for Kentuckians through skills training and education programs aligned with business needs. The corporation is governed by a 17-member board (including 5 ex-officio state officials and 12 gubernatorial appointees with business/education expertise) that will oversee program development and operations. It directly affects job seekers, workers, and businesses by establishing a dedicated entity to coordinate workforce training initiatives. The bill specifies the board's structure, appointment terms, compensation ($100 per meeting), and requires the Economic Development Cabinet to provide administrative support. This is a substantive policy change establishing a new state entity focused on workforce development.

Maddy summaryHB 477 amends Kentucky's property condemnation law (KRS 154.50-323) to require governmental units to provide public notice of the specific purpose for which condemned property will be used. It mandates that property must be developed within five years for that stated purpose, or the original owner can repurchase it at the government's purchase price. The bill also grants owners the right to recover costs and attorney fees if they must reacquire property due to the government's failure to develop it as promised. This directly affects property owners and local governments involved in eminent domain proceedings. The bill was introduced in the Kentucky House on February 12, 2025, and referred to the Economic Development & Workforce Investment Committee.

Maddy summaryHB 475 amends Kentucky law (KRS 151B.190) to replace gendered language like "his or her" with gender-neutral terms in the eligibility criteria for vocational rehabilitation services. This change directly affects all individuals applying for these services, including those with physical or mental disabilities, by updating the legal language used to describe applicants. The bill’s key provision is a simple textual update to the statute, ensuring the law uses inclusive language without altering who qualifies for services. It does not change eligibility requirements or create new policies, only modernizing the existing legal text. The bill is currently in committee review after its February 2025 introduction.

Amend KRS 141.381 to include a historically black college and university in the definition of "educational institution"; extend the sunset date of the income tax credit to April 15, 2037.

Amend KRS 141.433 to allow amounts received as repayment on a qualified low-income community investment and reinvested in another qualified low-income community investment during the same calendar year to be considered continuously held; amend KRS 141.434 to increase the cap on total New Markets Development Program tax credits from $10 million to $20 million in each fiscal year.