KY Legislative Update
Week 12 of Regular Session '26
Welcome to this week’s Legislative Update. Friday was day 55 of the 60 day legislative session. We have two days before the veto period begins. Next week we will have session on Tuesday (starting at 12:00 pm) and Wednesday - and we expect them to be long days!
Important deadlines are as follows:
April 1st is the last day before the veto period, so any bills for which the Governor’s veto is anticipated must be passed by that day so that a veto override can be considered; otherwise, the Governor’s veto will stand.
April 15th is sine die, the final day of the 2026 legislative session.
PRIORITY BILLS
I went through the bills numbered one through ten in to check on the status of the bills. These bills are considered the priority bills for each chamber. Highlighted bills have become law.
HB500 (Petrie) EXECUTIVE BRANCH BUDGET
HB500 is currently in a conference committee. A conference committee has been scheduled for Monday at 3:00 p.m.
HOUSE VERSUS SENATE VERSIONS OF HB500
EDUCATION
SEEK. Both the House and the Senate budget set SEEK at $4,626 in FY27. The House set SEEK at $4,792 in FY28, while the Senate decreased that amount to $4,774.
National Board Certified Teachers. Senate decreased funding for salary supplements for National Board Certified Teachers from $4,655,500 to $4,000,000.
Learning and Results Services Programs (LARS). The Senate allows districts flexibility in using appropriations for LARS programs in FY28 with the exception of funding for Family Resource & Youth Services Centers Programs, Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children, and the preschool program. I have concerns that the “block grant” would end up taking away funding for the Read to Succeed initiative that has been instrumental in increasing teacher knowledge of how to teach basic reading.
EDUCATION & LABOR CABINET
Imagination Library. The Senate version of the bill continues to appropriate $2,500,000 per year for the Imagination Library, but it also decreases the state match from 50% to 33% which may have a detrimental effect on the ability to put books in the hands of children.
HEALTH & FAMILY SERVICES
Medicaid. The Senate budget requires a 2.5% reduction in payments for FY27 and FY28 to Medicaid managed care vendors and directs that any savings realized from the reduction in payments to be used to increase reimbursement rates for services provided to Medicaid fee-for-service beneficiaries. Both budgets are short $269m in FY27 and $429m in FY28 to fund the rates that the Cabinet stated were necessary.
Senior Meals. The Senate budget line-items $9,600,000 in FY27 and $9,300,000 in FY28. There is also language that states that funds appropriated shall be expended only in accordance with federal requirements and shall not be used to provide benefits or services in excess of those requirements. This is a significant decrease in funding for senior meals; the governor’s budget appropriated $19.1m for the purpose.
POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
Postsecondary Funding. The Senate version of the budget restored cuts to higher education that the House had made.
PUBLIC PROTECTION CABINET
Insurance Restricted Fund Transfer. The House budget transferred $350,000,000 to the Budget Reserve Trust Fund with the intent to reserve $250,000,000 for potential appropriation for Medicaid Benefits. The Senate appropriates the $350,000,000 to the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority to pay for a 13th check for retirees in the Kentucky Employees Retirement System or the State Police Retirement System. Retirees who retired between 2016 and 2021 will get 50% of their check and retirees who retired in 2021 will receive a 25% check.
HB900 (Petrie) passed the Senate A&R Committee with a committee substitute. The substitute changed the FY26 appropriation from $1,000,000 to $10,000,000. However, the sub did not provide any additional details as to how the money would be specifically spent. I have been assigned to the conference committee for HB900; a meeting has not yet been scheduled.
APPROPRIATIONS & REVENUE COMMITTEE
The A&R committee met upon adjournment on Thursday and passed three bills.
SB8 (Smith) is an act relating to public utilities. The bill restructures the Kentucky Public Service Commission. I voted pass on the bill because we just got the committee substitute in our packets as we sat down in committee and I did not have time to read the bill before the meeting.
SB90 (Storm) amends Kentucky statutes to extend the behavioral health conditional dismissal pilot program from an initial four-year duration to last until January 1, 2031. It also appropriates $10.5m annually from the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund through June 30, 2026. The committee sub expanded the pilot program from 10 to 20 counties. I voted yes for the bill.
SB197 (Wheeler) creates a tiered county system for eligible companies to receive incentives under the Kentucky Business Investment Program. The committee sub added the language from HB869 (Bowling) regarding Heritage County tax credits.
PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The Primary & Secondary Education committee met on Wednesday morning and heard two bills for discussion only. We then met again upon adjournment and passed one bill.
SB1 (Givens) restricts the Jefferson County Board of Education and gives more authority to the superintendent. The bill passed in the Senate on February 2nd; it passed 29-7 with all Democrats and one Republican (Sen. Michael Nemes) voting against the measure. HFA2 (Nemes) strikes the language restricting the number of board meetings that can be scheduled, extends the rolling strategic plan that the superintendent must file to five years, and ensures that the $250k transfers that the superintendent can make in the budget must be within the approved budget of the district and aligned to the strategic plan of the district. The language that a 2/3 majority of the Board must vote to override superintendent decisions remains in the bill; I have filed a floor amendment to remove that language. I voted no for the bill because I find it counterintuitive to give the Board more financial oversight through SB4 and then take it away in SB1. This bill is likely to be litigated and to find itself once more before the KY Supreme Court.
HB609 (Jackson) is an act relating to classroom libraries and was heard for discussion only on Wednesday morning.
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
HB727 (Riley) passed in the Senate Education Committee on Thursday. Among other measures, in included the language in my bill HB621 which places special education caseloads and class sizes in statute. The bill is now in the Senate Consent Orders of the Day.
FAMILIES & CHILDREN LEGISLATION
The Families & Children committee met on Thursday and passed two bills. I voted yes for each of the bills.
SB156 (Wilson) increased the legal age for marriage to 18.
HB126 (Heavrin) is a resolution urging the federal government to provide states with increased flexibility to design and test innovative approaches that reduce barriers to employment and promote economic self-sufficiency among individuals and families receiving public assistance.
WEEK 12 BILLS PASSED
BILLS PASSED IN THE HOUSE. Forty-two bills passed the House this week, including 35 Senate bills. Finally we are starting to move Senate bills!
Most of the bills passed the House with little or no opposition. Following are bills that passed with opposition.
HB335 (Massaroni) is an act relating to choking prevention in schools. The bill allows the use of an anti-chocking device if the Heimlich maneuver fails. Last year when we heard this legislation I received a call from Henry Heimlich’s son stating concerns over the use of such devices; I voted no on the measure. The bill passed 78-15.
HB686 (Moser) establishes the KY Positive Youth Development Commission. The bill passed 85-7 with liberty members voting against the measure.
HB732 (Gordon) allows a public or private entity to contribute funds to a portable benefit plan as a form of compensation to a self-employed worker. Concerns about the legislation include that bills such as this one prevent workers from receiving full legal protection, including minimum wage, overtime, and workers’ compensation. If companies can provide benefits without being considered employers, this allows the companies to escape responsibility for traditional employment duties. I voted no. The bill passed 63-24.
HB885 (Gordon) is an act relating to cosmetology. Members arguing against the bill expressed concerns regarding the need for natural hair braiders who are working at home to obtain a permit. The bill passed 64-18.
SB29 (Elkins) prohibits the imposition of fees or permitting requirements on a solid waste management facility that is handling solid waste that was generated outside of the county or waste management district where the solid waste management facility is located, by the county or waste management district where solid waste was generated. A committee substitute added language from HB108, which excludes solid waste sites that dispose exclusively of industrial solid waste that it generates from its own activity on the same property from the definition of a municipal solid waste disposal facility. The bill passed 70-19 with primarily Republicans voting against the measure.
SB57 (Carroll) establishes the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program. Members expressing concerns about the bill stated that there were no protections for residential ratepayers. The bill passed 82-11 and has been sent to the governor.
SB59 (Rawlings) prohibits tax dollars from being spent to advocate for or against a public question on the ballot. I believe that this bill is to push back on the efforts made by school districts regarding the constitutional amendment that was on the ballot last year to allow public funding outside of the common school system. The bill passed 75-16; I voted no on the measure. The Senate has concurred with the changes the House made and the bill has been sent to the Governor for his signature or veto.
SB65 (West) designates six administrative regulations as deficient. The bill passed 73-19 with all of the no votes being by Democrats. I voted no over concerns that this is a separation of powers issue which encroaches upon the powers reserved for the governor.
SB100 (Mills) attaches the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission (EPIC) to the UK Center for Applied Energy Research and adjusts the board of the Commission. Advocates expressed concerns that the legislation would concentrate significant authority within EPIC and its executive director while shielding key information, including data submitted by utilities and produced by EPIC from public disclosure under the open records act. The bill passed 82-12 with all of the no votes being made by Democrats. The Senate did not concur with House changes, so the bill will go to a conference committee.
SB101 (Nunn) relates to the expulsion of a student if the student intentionally causes physical injury to educational personnel. Concerns about the bill include harsh punishments for students based on vague standards and that no injury or harm is required for the provision to apply. I voted yes for the measure because we absolutely must keep educators safe in the classroom. HFA3 (Aull) was adopted which gives the expelled student the ability to return to school after six months under certain conditions. The bill passed 84-5. The Senate concurred with the changes in House and the bill has been sent to the governor.
SB104 (Nunn) is a bill that requires a 25 foot barrier around first responders. Bills such as this one have been passed nationally and are commonly called Halo bills. While I certainly support the protection of law enforcement while they are doing their work, I am concerned that this bill will make it difficult to distinguish between legitimate public observation / recording and harassing a first responder which is described as causing or intending to cause substantial emotional distress with no legitimate purpose. We have seen individuals who are attempting to record ICE agents and who are aggressively retaliated against. I voted no because of the potential conflict with constitutionally protected speech and assembly rights. The bill passed 79-16. Included in the debate was a comment that a majority of protesters are paid protesters, something that is not supported by evidence regarding protests.
SB110 (Howell) requires the use of electronic title, registration, and lien management systems starting July 1, 2027. The bill passed 77-9 with liberty members voting against the measure.
SB122 (Adams) requires the court, upon conviction of a defendant, to consider the defendant’s status as a caretaker of a dependent child. HFA1 added HB418 (an act relating to domestic violence) and HB485 (an act relating to the care and treatment of individuals with mental illness) to the bill. The bill passed 83-7 with all of the no votes by Republicans.
SB173 (Givens) establishes an annual Medicaid state plan and Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program state plan legislative review process. Members who argued against the measure expressed concern that control of the Medicaid state plan would be taken from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and given to the state legislature, which will impact the ability of the Department to respond quickly to emergent issues and would increase costs. The bill passed 74-16 with all of the no votes by Democrats; I voted against the measure.
SB195 (Richardson) relates to civil causes of action. The House committee substitute limited the legislation to suits based on construction contractor claims with governments, creating a rebuttable presumption of compliance when a project is accepted, set heightened pleading requirements against contractors and contracting entities (with dismissal for noncompliance), and established standards for third-party claims. The bill passed 66-25 with liberty members of the House joining Democrats in voting against the measure.
SB219 (Howell) relates to deferred deposit transaction fees imposed by the commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions. The House committee sub increased the amount that can be borrowed by a payday lender from $500 to $600 and then ties that to CPI to allow individuals to borrow more in the future as inflation rises. The bill passed 87-5.
BILLS PASSED IN THE SENATE. The Senate passed 18 bills this week, 17 of which were House bills. In addition, the Senate passed 29 House bills via the consent calendar. The Senate concurred on House changes to three bills (SB59, SB73, and SB101. The Senate adopted the free conference committee report on SB245 and passed the bill 35-1.
HB10 (Hodgson) is an act relating to state constitutional officer transitions. The bill passed 32-6 with all of the no votes cast by Democrats.
HB78 (Roberts) establishes liability protections for manufacturers and sellers of firearms against specified legal actions arising from criminal or unlawful use of firearms or ammunition. I spoke against the measure on the floor in the House. The leading cause of death for children and teens in Kentucky is firearm injuries. Rather than protecting gun manufacturers, we should be passing laws that protect our children from gun violence. The bill passed the House 75-17 with only Democrats voting against the measure. On Thursday, the bill passed the Senate 32-6.
HB139 (Decker) allows the State Board of Elections to enter into intergovernmental agreements with other governmental agencies to exchange data to assist in investigating violations of election offenses. The bill passed 31-6 with all of the votes against the measure by Democrats.
HB189 (Jackson) prohibits a person from remaining on any portion of a state-maintained right-of-way that is not designated for pedestrian use. The bill passed 31-6 with all Democrats in the Senate voting against the measure.
HB257 (Payne) is an act relating to the education assessment and accountability system. The bill that passed the Senate included the Targeted Quality Measures as listed in the blue box below as well as the House changes to the accountability system in the red box. SFA6 (West) deleted language creating a threshold for all local school districts to be required to adopt a system of locally developed indicators of quality. The bill passed 32-5 with all of the no votes by Republicans.
HB398 (Williams) is an act relating to decommissioning costs for electric generating units. The bill passed 30-6 with all of the no votes being cast by Democrats.
HB490 (Thompson) allow for the removal of faculty members at public postsecondary education institutions for bona fide financial reasons. The bill passed 30-7 with Senator Smith joining the Democrats in voting against the measure.
HB627 (Bray) is an act relating to personal injury protection benefits. The bill passed 24-8 with Senators Rawlings and Tichenor joining the Democrats in voting against the measure.
GUBERNATORIAL VETOES
SB183 (Nunn) is an act relating to the regulation of proxy advisory services. Following is the governor’s veto message.
I am vetoing Senate Bill 183 at the request of faith-based organizations that believe it infringes on their First Amendment rights. Faith-based organizations provide retirement and health care benefits to their clergy and faith workers and should be free to do so in a way that reflects their faith and teachings. Clergy and faith workers may desire to invest their retirement savings according to the same deeply-held faith-based beliefs. Senate Bill 183 threatens the constitutional right of faith-based organizations to carry out their investments as they and their members wish to. The bill would force faith-based organizations that engage in proxy voting as an expression of their beliefs to expose faith-based investors to heightened disclosure and costly litigation, and would infringe on their right to exercise their faith in engaging with companies where they are shareholders.
WAIT … WHAT? Legislation that is bizarre, offensive, or otherwise notable.
SB19 (Madon) designates the indigo milk cap as the official state mushroom of Kentucky. The bill passed the House on Friday with discussion on how this was a bill that was brought forward by students.
BLOOM ELEMENTARY
On Monday, I visited Bloom Elementary. The fifth grade students each selected a Senate and a House bill to follow. They had great questions! It was exciting to see young people gain a first-hand look at the legislative process.
VISITORS
Much of my day while we are in session is filled with visits from advocates for various causes. While visits have tapered off as we near the end of the session, I still had some great meetings.
CARPOOL CHAT
On Friday morning, Rep. Stalker, Rep. Roarx, and I once again recorded a conversation about our week. We often carpool from Louisville to Frankfort, which gives us ample time to reflect on legislation, trade perspectives about the session, catch up on life beyond the General Assembly, and—most importantly—share a good laugh.
KET KY TONIGHT
On Monday evening, I joined Rene’ Shaw on KY Tonight to discuss the state budget. You can watch the show here. I joined the broadcast from the Louisville studio.
REP. ROARX’S BIRTHDAY
On Friday, Rep. Stalker and I attended Rep. Roarx’s birthday party. We enjoyed making bracelets and chatting with her family.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
This week I read Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands, by Chris Bohjalian. It is a story about 16-year-old Emily Shepard, who becomes homeless and a pariah after a nuclear meltdown at a Vermont plant where her father was the chief engineer, leading to his death and public blame.
I streamed the show Corporate Retreat, the second season of Jury Duty. While I did not enjoy Corporate Retreat as much as Jury Duty, it did bring the show Bones to my attention, which I have started watching.
This week the tulips are blooming! Once I get through this week, I’ll be on spring break. You will be able to find me in my garden!
We go through so many copies in Frankfort. I shredded the budget documents and will add them to my compost.
Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week.
Tina Bojanowski
SB 1’s intent is to provide for a Superintendent that can be controlled by Louisville’s business elite in GLI and impetus.
They attempted this when one of their own was chair. It’s why he got ousted.