Amend KRS 186.763 to prohibit school districts from operating fully autonomous vehicles for transporting students; prohibit the operation of fully autonomous vehicles if that vehicle requires an operator with a commercial driver's license; amend KRS 281.764 to conform.
Amend KRS 342.125 to remove the requirement that an affected employee previously diagnosed with occupational pneumoconiosis resulting from exposure to coal dust must have an additional two years of employment in the Commonwealth wherein the employee was continuously exposed to the hazards of the disease in order to reopen a claim.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish a refundable income tax credit for certain volunteer firefighters; declare the purpose of the credit; require annual reporting to the Legislative Research Commission and the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue to evaluate the impact of the credit; amend KRS 141.0205 to provide the ordering of the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow confidential tax return information to be shared with the Legislative Research Commission and Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue.
Maddy summaryHB 146 increases Kentucky's exclusion for retirement distributions from $31,110 to $41,110 for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. This change directly affects Kentucky taxpayers receiving distributions from pension plans, annuities, or retirement accounts. The bill modifies KRS 141.019 to raise the amount of retirement income excluded from state taxable income. The adjustment applies to distributions from qualified retirement plans, including 401(k)s and pensions, for tax years starting in 2026. The current $31,110 exclusion remains in effect for 2025 and earlier years.
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 342.315 to eliminate the requirement that physicians contracting with the commissioner of the Department of Workers' Claims to perform evaluations in occupational disease claims be "B" readers who are licensed in Kentucky and are board-certified pulmonary specialists; amend KRS 342.316 to allow the commissioner to select a physician or medical facility for referral in occupational disease claims and eliminate the requirement that such physicians be "B" readers who are licensed in Kentucky and are board-certified pulmonary specialists; amend KRS 342.794 to delete the definition of "board-certified pulmonary specialist" and eliminate the requirement that physicians on the list of qualified "B" readers maintained by the commissioner include only those licensed in Kentucky and board-certified pulmonary specialists.
Amend KRS 160.345 to require a school council to adopt a policy requiring students to be assigned a lunch period of at least 30 minutes in length; amend KRS 158.153 to conform.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 277 to require a crew of at least two persons during operation of a train or light engine; amend KRS 277.990 to include penalties for crews of less than two persons.
Amend KRS 95A.292 to allow rescue squad members to participate in the Alan "Chip" Terry Professional Development and Wellness Program; and create a new section of KRS Chapter 39F to direct the Division of Emergency Management and the Kentucky Fire Commission to enter into an agreement to ensure that rescue squad members have access to the program.
Designate the Curly Moore Memorial Bridge in Floyd County and erect appropriate signage.
