Sen. Lindsey Tichenor

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 344 to require employers that mandate employee immunization to allow exceptions based on religious belief or medical contraindication; provide sample form for employee affirmation; establish which health care providers can support a medical exemption; require notice of exemptions; establish civil cause of action for violations and a claim under workers' compensation; amend KRS 344.040 to make it an unlawful practice for employers to require immunizations as a condition of employment from employees who hold sincere religious beliefs against immunization or for whom immunization would be harmful to his or her health; make technical corrections.

Create new sections of KRS 218A to define terms; establish the intent of the General Assembly that ibogaine is worthy of clinical research, trials, and studies as a potential viable therapeutic treatment of opioid dependence and any other co-occurring mental health disorders; establish a trust and agency account entitled the ibogaine research fund; establish a process for private entities to apply to the Department of Agriculture for access to funds in the Ibogaine Research Fund.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a 9.5-mile segment of Kentucky Route 221 in Harlan County (from mile 8.9 to 18.4) as the "Johnnie L. Turner Memorial Highway." It memorializes Johnnie L. Turner, a longtime Harlan County attorney, former Kentucky state legislator (House and Senate), and advocate for Eastern Kentucky who died in October 2024. The resolution requires the Transportation Cabinet to install signage within 30 days of enactment. As a commemorative resolution, it does not change laws or regulations but honors a local figure through highway naming.

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.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to limit the number of managed care organizations contracted by the Department for Medicaid Services to no more than three; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2026.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to allow a person injured due to the negligence of an intoxicated minor to bring a civil action against a person who knew or should have known that the minor consumed alcohol or a controlled substance in the person's home or on property under the person's control, and against any person, other than the minor's parent, who provided the alcohol or controlled substance to the minor.

Create a new section of KRS 186.400 to 186.640 to require the Transportation Cabinet establish at least one permanent driver license regional office in each county with a population of 50,000 or more; create a new section of KRS Chapter 186 to require the Transportation Cabinet establish a mutual agreement with county clerks to issue operator's licenses and personal identification cards in each county that does not have a driver licensing regional office; amend KRS 186.531 to conform; amend KRS 186.577 to require that all driver vision testing results be disclosed to the driver in a private area; require each driver license regional office be equipped with adequate vision testing equipment; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2026.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 214 to prohibit a requirement for any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, modified ribonucleic acid (modRNA) vaccine, or messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine for the purposes of student enrollment, employment, or medical treatment in the Commonwealth; prohibit any COVID-19 vaccine, modified ribonucleic acid (modRNA) vaccine, or messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine to be administered in the Commonwealth to a minor child under the age of 18 years; sunset the provisions that relate to a minor child on July 1, 2035, unless extended by the General Assembly:

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; prohibit a school district, public school, or cooperative board from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; prohibit the Kentucky Department of Education, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion; prohibit the department, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from soliciting statements on an applicant's experience with or views on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin, from providing differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual's participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion training, and from disseminating or profiting from any research, work product, or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion; establish exclusions; authorize the Attorney General to bring an action for a writ of mandamus to compel the department, a school district, a public school or a cooperative board to comply; create a cause of action to permit a qualified individual to file a civil action against a the department, a school district, a cooperative board, or a public school for injunctive relief arising from a violation of this Act; permit recovery of monetary damages for a willful and intentional violation; waive sovereign, governmental, and qualified immunity; prohibit retaliation; require each public school district and cooperative board to provide the State Treasurer the name, job title, duty station, and compensation information of each employee of the school district or cooperative board each month for publication; amend KRS 161.030 to require certain certification applicants to complete an approved professional development program on Kentucky education law; amend KRS 158.4416 and 158.4414 to conform; require school districts and cooperative boards to follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; require the Kentucky Department of Education to eliminate the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; EFFECTIVE, in part, February 1, 2026; EMERGENCY.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 61 to prohibit a state or local government or public agency from providing preferential treatment to individuals or entities on the basis of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin when they contract or seek employment with the state or local government; define terms; prohibit a state or local government from requiring or incentivizing a person to attend a diversity, equity, and inclusion training or provide any differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual's participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion training; prohibit a public agency from providing resources or funds to establish or maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, trainings, or related initiatives; allow an exemption to provide preferential consideration for businesses owned by individuals who are residents of Kentucky or the United States; allow the Attorney General to bring civil action to enforce provisions of this Act; allow a qualified individual to bring a civil action for injunctive relief and to recover attorney's fees and litigation costs if a state or local government or public agency is found to have violated this Act; waive immunity under certain conditions; prevent an employee or agent of a public agency or a state or local government from using their authority to influence, discourage, interfere, or retaliate against a person who in good faith participates in a civil action in accordance with this Act; amend KRS 12.020 to rename the "Office of Diversity, Equality, and Training" to "Office of Employee Training"; amend KRS 18A.025 to deline the responsibilities of the Office of Employee Training; EMERGENCY.