Rep. Timmy Truett

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; establish the Classroom Library Grant Program; provide that the Kentucky Department of Education to implement the grant program through selection of a program administrator; establish the qualifications and duties of the program administrator; appropriate $5,000,000 from the General Fund to implement the Classroom Library Grant Program; APPROPRIATION.

Amend KRS 341.005 to define "certified mail," "multi-factor authentication," and "notice"; creates a new section of KRS Chapter 341 to require any notice from the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet or any employer to employers or employees to be in writing and delivered by any method of governmental, commercial, or electronic delivery; require the secretary to provide employers and employees the option to receive only electronic notices; require the electronic notice system to utilize effective privacy controls, including multi-factor authentication procedures.

Amend KRS 441.005 to define "restricted custody center" and make technical changes; create new sections of KRS Chapter 441 to require the Department of Corrections to promulgate administrative regulations providing the minimum standards for holdover facilities; require the Department of Corrections to contract with a fiscal court of a county or local or regional correctional authority to provide correctional services to state prisoners; allow prisoners being held for a nonviolent or nonsexual misdemeanor conviction to be housed in a restricted custody center; require jailers to get permission from the Department of Corrections before transferring a Class C or Class D felon to another jail unless required by statute or an emergency exists; establish the regional jail authority construction fund, and establish requirements for the Department of Corrections to submit a list of regional jail construction projects to the Legislative Research Commission; establish the regional jail conversion fund and establish requirements for receiving grant funds; amend KRS 431.215 to require the Commonwealth to pay a county a fee per day based on the county's actual costs to house prisoners for the time the prisoner was held before a conviction if the sentence the prisoner receives in whole or in part includes the amount of time served prior to judgment; amend KRS 441.025 to allow counties to contract with the Department of Corrections to house state prisoners and operate holdover facilities; amend KRS 441.045 to require the Commonwealth to pay counties for the costs of providing health services to prisoners the county is responsible for; amend KRS 441.420 to require the Department of Corrections to pay for architectural plans and engineering services associated with any tentatively approved construction of a local correctional facility; amend KRS 441.430 to allow a regional jail authority to receive tentative approval for new regional jail construction; amend KRS 441.520 to specify the rate that a jail that receives a transferred inmate can charge the originating jail; amend KRS 441.810 to require that the jailer of each county within a regional jail authority be a member of the board; amend various sections to conform.

Amend KRS 61.702, relating to the Kentucky Employees Retirement System and the State Police Retirement System, to increase the hazardous duty under age 65 retiree health subsidy to $50 per month for each year of service, respectively, for those members who meet the "career threshold" who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and who are eligible for a fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy not tied to the premium; extend the employee contribution used to fund retiree health benefits to include hazardous duty members who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and increase the current hazardous employee contribution rate to 2% of pay for those eligible for the fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy; make technical amendments regarding the retiree health premium reimbursement program to conform to current policy; provide that the amendments to the employee contributions shall be effective July 1, 2027; for calculation of the retiree health subsidy increase, provide that the change shall apply to service earned prior to the effective date of this Act by eligible members, including retirees, and shall prospectively be adjusted annually by the 1.5% increase currently provided in statute; provide that subsidies payable to impacted retirees shall begin on or after January 1, 2027, to coincide with the next health plan year; direct the Public Pension Oversight Board to continue to review the retiree health fund actuarial data and evaluate potential legislative options to address any future continued improvements in the funds.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 446 to prohibit the recognition of adjudicative rulings or contractual provisions based in whole or in part upon Sharia or any foreign law; provide for exceptions for ecclesiastical matters, voluntary choice of law for corporate entities, or where federal preemption applies.

Amend KRS 139.495 to define "educational or charitable institution" and "religious institution"; exempt purchases and sales of tangible personal property, digital property, or services made by qualifying religious institutions from state sales and use taxes; make technical changes.

Amend KRS 211.190 to make water fluoridation programs optional; allow the governing bodies of water systems subject to regulation by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to decide whether they participate in water fluoridation programs; provide that a water fluoridation program in place on the effective date of the Act continues until action is taken by its governing body to end its participation; provide that any decision regarding participation in a water fluoridation program made by the governing body of a water system shall be binding on all water systems it supplies; provide that a governing body, a member or employee of a governing body, or any public or private entity that may be held liable for the actions of a governing body that makes any decision regarding its participation in an optional water fluoridation program shall be immune from civil or criminal liability for acts carried out reasonably and in good faith regarding its decision of whether to participate in the water fluoridation program.

Amend KRS 157.320 and 157.360 to remove references to kindergarten full-time equivalent pupils in average daily attendance for program base funding purposes; amend KRS 158.030 and KRS 158.031 to conform; amend KRS 158.060 to remove language that allows for half-day kindergarten programs; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.

Maddy summaryHJR 46 is a ceremonial resolution designating a 6.4-mile segment of Kentucky Route 1036 in Lee County (from mile point 0.1 to 6.5) as the "Gerald Combs Memorial Highway." The Transportation Cabinet is directed to install appropriate signage within 30 days of the resolution's effective date. This bill does not create new policies or affect funding; it solely honors Gerald Combs, a Lee County resident who passed away in 2024, through a permanent highway designation. The resolution affects the specific roadway segment and the community through its commemorative recognition.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require coverage for emergency ground ambulance services; establish minimum allowable reimbursement for out-of-network emergency ground ambulance services; establish requirements for reimbursement of out-of-network ground ambulance providers; prohibit balance billing by out-of-network ground ambulance providers; establish construction clause in the event of conflicts; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with emergency ground ambulance coverage and payment requirements; provide that Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.