Rep. Timmy Truett

Appropriate $96 million from the Kentucky Permanent Pension Fund in fiscal year 2026-2027 to the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority to fund 1-time supplemental payments on July 1, 2026, to recipients of a retirement allowance who have been retired for at least 12 months from the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) and the State Police Retirement System (SPRS); allow the Board of Trustees of the County Employees Retirement System to, by board decision, provide a one-time supplemental payment to recipients of a retirement allowance who have been retired at least 12 months by increasing employer contribution rates over a one-year or two-year period; specify that the 1-time supplemental payment shall be equal to the monthly payment received by the recipient in the month of June 2026; APPROPRIATION; 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.

Amend KRS 29A.100 to require judges to excuse teachers from jury duty until the end of the school term if the Commonwealth is experiencing a teacher shortage.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 186 to define "local governmental entity" and "local official"; require the Transportation Cabinet to expand driver licensing services by setting up a system between the Transportation Cabinet and 1 local official or local governmental entity in each county to issue operator's licenses and personal identification cards; require the Transportation Cabinet to identify a local official or local governmental entity in each county that will participate in the system by July 1, 2027; allow a local offical or local governmental entity to charge a convenience fee for any document issued by a local official or local governmental entity; require the Transportation Cabinet report the number of documents issued by local officials and local governmental entities and any effect on wait times at regional licensing offices; amend KRS 186.531 to conform; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 157 to require a salary supplement for school social workers who have been nationally certified by the School Social Work Association of America and are employed by local boards of education if funding is provided for such purpose, permit local boards of education to provide a supplement from other resources if funding is not provided, and require inclusion of the supplement for Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System calculations; create a new section of KRS Chapter 157 to require a salary supplement for school psychologists who have been nationally certified by the National Association of School Psychologists and are employed by local boards of education if funding is provided for such purpose, permit local boards of education to provide a supplement from other resources if funding is not provided, and require inclusion of the supplement for Teachers’ Retirement System calculations.

Create a new section of KRS 186.400 to 186.640 to establish the circuit clerk as the representative of the Transportation Cabinet for accepting applications for operator's licenses, instruction permits, and personal identification cards and issuing temporary credentials; establish duties of the circuit clerks; amend KRS 186.531 to set forth the distribution of fees for operator's licenses, instruction permits, and personal identification cards; amend various sections of KRS 186.400 to 186.640 to conform; amend KRS 27A.052, 116.0452, 116.0455, 116.085, 186.010, 186.014, and 189A.340 and various sections of KRS Chapter 281A to conform; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 64.185 to establish a salary schedule for coroners; require the Department for Local Government to certify the population group within the salary schedule and the years of service for each coroner assuming office; provide for adjustments to compensation based on the consumer price index; allow additional compensation for training courses completed; require all coroners to be considered full-time and prevent any reduction of salary based on hours worked; EFFECTIVE January 4, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to create the vaping settlement trust fund to be administered by the Office of the Attorney General; direct the deposit of certain litigation proceeds into the fund; direct the allowable use of fund moneys for certain youth prevention and cessation efforts.

Amend KRS 156.557 to increase the time period between mandatory summative evaluations for tenured certified school staff from once every three years to once every five years; provide that additional summative evaluations may be performed at the discretion of the individual's immediate supervisor but shall not be imposed as a uniform requirement across the system; amend KRS 158.060 to provide teachers access to their employment contract upon request; amend KRS 156.095 to require the Department of Education to create and local school districts to implement a four year recurring professional development training schedule that includes all required professional development trainings; provide that all certified school employees shall complete designated trainings within 12 months of initial hire and at least once every four years thereafter; consolidate state-required certified school personnel trainings; create new sections of KRS Chapter 158 to relocate language currently contained in KRS 158.060 related to the display of designated hotline information and the publication of and school lessons on evidence-based suicide prevention awareness information; amend KRS 158.070 to remove language regarding professional development trainings consolidated elsewhere; amend KRS 160.346 to prohibit the Department of Education from requiring comprehensive school improvement plans and comprehensive district improvement plans not expressly required by federal law; amend KRS 156.492, 157.360, and 158.4416 to conform; amend KRS 161.031 to remove the mandate for an induction program for new teachers; require a report identifying school districts that do not implement an induction program for new teachers; require the Department of Education to conduct a review of the reporting requirements imposed upon public schools and public school districts; eliminate all reporting requirements not expressly required by state statute or federal law; submit a report on the remaining reporting requirements; provide that the Act may be cited as the Red Tape Reduction Act.

Amend KRS 150.645, relating to landowner liability, to provide that an owner, lessee, or occupant of premises who gives permission to another person to rock climb, boulder, or rappel on the premises shall not be liable for any injury to any person or property caused by the negligent acts of any person to whom permission is granted except for willful and malicious failure on behalf of the owner, lessee, or occupant; amend KRS 411.190, relating to obligations of owner to persons using land for recreation, to include rocks, boulders, and cliffs in the definition of "land" and rock climbing, bouldering, and rappelling in the definition of "recreational purpose."