Sen. Lindsey Tichenor

Create a new section of Subchapter 10 of KRS Chapter 224 to define "data center"; provide that the requirements of the section only apply to data centers constructed on agricultural land; require a data center owner to file a decommissioning plan with the Energy and Environment Cabinet prior to operating the data center; provide for the minimum requirements of the decommissioning plan, including requiring a surety bond or similar security to guarantee the decommissioning of the data center; amend KRS 154.20-229 to require that a qualified data center project that has been preliminarily approved for a certificate of exemption under KRS 139.499 include in its memorandum of agreement with the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority requirements to engage with local government officials to regularly review and adopt practices to improve energy and water use efficiency.

Amend KRS 61.815 to require the presiding officer of a public meeting to provide notice before going into closed session of the general nature of business to be discussed, the reason for the closed session, and any persons not members of the board, commission, committee, authority, council, or governing body of the public agency who will be present; require the closed session to be recorded by video or audio and stored for 180 days; exempt the recording of the closed session from the Open Records Act; amend KRS 61.820 to require a public agency to adopt, on an annual basis, a schedule of its regular meetings; require a public agency to provide notice of its regular meeting by publishing its agenda at least 24 hours, but not more than 7 days before the meeting; provide agenda requirements; prohibit a public agency from recessing a meeting longer than 60 minutes unless exceptions apply; require the public agency to adjourn the meeting if a recess exceeds 60 minutes; prohibit a vote on any item discussed immediately prior to the recess until the next regular meeting; require each regular meeting to include public comment of at least 15 minutes; amend KRS 61.823 to require each special meeting to include public comment of at least 15 minutes; amend KRS 61.840 to prohibit a public agency from requiring a person to identify himself or herself, provide his or her address, or sign up to speak at a meeting; amend KRS 61.848 to require a court to award a person $500, instead of $100 who prevails against a public agency for violation of the Open Meetings Act, to be paid by the person or persons who are found to have violated the act.

Amend KRS 158.1415 to require a school district to adopt health curricula that includes human growth and development instruction that meets specific criteria; set restrictions for the instruction that grants parents an opportunity to review materials and opt their child out of instruction.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms, restrict digital instruction time for students in kindergarten to grade 5 to 45 minutes per student per day; exclude designated uses of technology from the restriction; direct in-person elementary schools to require at least 70% of student assignments to be written; require daily access to traditional learning material; require incorporation of physical manipulatives into math and science instruction; prohibit replacing primary instruction with instructional technology for designated elementary subjects; prohibit homework that requires instructional technology; prohibit requiring students to carry instructional technology to and from school daily; prohibit replacing library time with digital reading labs; require each school district to adopt a written technology-use policy; require school districts to publish an annual technology use report that includes designated items to its website.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 411 to establish a cause of action for a person who was wrongfully convicted of a felony in the Commonwealth; specify amounts of damages that may be awarded to claimants; establish the wrongful conviction compensation fund.

Amend KRS 189.340 to restrict travel in the leftmost lane of any multilane highway at a speed lower than the posted speed limit; provide exceptions; amend KRS 189.990 to set penalties.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to require the Council on Postsecondary Education to promulgate administrative regulations to prohibit the use of public funds towards a degree in a low-earning outcome program; require the council to provide an annual report on the implementation of the prohibition to the Legislative Research Commission.

Amend KRS 117.228 to remove Social Security cards and public benefits cards, which do not include a person's photograph, from the available list of additional documents that may be offered to establish identity when a person seeking to cast a ballot in an election cannot provide proof of identification as required in KRS 117.225.

Amend KRS 160.345 to define "school-based policy"; require that principals provide monthly and annual reports to the local board of education; set notice requirements for school advisory council elections; establish that a superintendent selects the principals for the school district; require that all school-based policies be reviewed and approved by the local board before implementation and provide exceptions; amend KRS 160.370 to permit county school districts with more than 15,000 students to delegate the approval of school-based policies; amend KRS 158.1415 to permit a local school board to adopt a curriculum for human sexuality; amend various sections of KRS Chapters 7, 156, 157, 158, 160, 161, 164, and 605 to transfer duties of school-based decision making councils to advisory councils and principals and to conform.

Amend KRS 160.290 to ensure public school curriculum, textbooks, and instructional materials, including digital learning materials, remain subject to the Open Records Act and that districts protect a resident's fair use rights; amend KRS 160.350 to require a superintendent with total annual compensation greater than the commissioner of education to be subject to confirmation by the Senate; require a majority vote instead of a four-fifths vote of local board of education members to remove a superintendent; delete requirements for approval from the commissioner of education to remove a superintendent; provide an appeal process for the superintendent; amend KRS 160.160 to establish a 1 year term for chair and vice chair of a local board of education; require superintendents to submit reports on closed personnel investigations to the local board of education for the purposes of policy oversight and evaluation of the superintendent's performance; amend KRS 160.180 to make ineligible a candidate for membership on a board of education who engages or serves as an officer or director of an organization that represents district employees in employment or legal matters against the district; require Open Records Act and Open Meetings Act training for local board of education members; make conforming changes; permit the hiring of relatives of a local board of education member; amend KRS 160.380 to prohibit a person convicted of certain specified crimes from being employed by a superintendent; require superintendents to submit reports on previous personnel investigations closed during the superintendent's contract to the local board of education within 30 days of the effective date of this Act.