Kentucky

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 197 to establish the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Prison Education Program within the Department of Corrections in partnership with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to provide inmates with job training; require KCTCS to construct a facility to house the program at Northpoint Training Center; establish convictions that preclude participation in the program; require the parties to enter into a memorandum of agreement establishing the responsibilities of each party; amend KRS 196.281 to establish entitlement to a certificate of employability upon successful completion of the program and require reporting by the department; amend KRS 335B.020 to establish that a person shall not be disqualified from public employment or obtaining an occupational license solely because of previous criminal conviction and obtaining a certificate of employment from the department shall constitute rebuttable evidence of rehabilitation and fitness for the occupation; amend KRS 355B.030 to remove a conviction of a Class A felony, Class B felony, or any other felony offense other than a conviction that would qualify the individual as a registrant as defined in KRS 17.500 as supportive of a rebuttable presumption of a connection between that conviction and a license issuance request.

Amend KRS 224.80-190 to allow for the amendment of an environmental covenant without the approval of some of the previously required signatories if the sole effect of the amendment is to remove or reduce a land use restriction in the environmental covenant that the Energy and Environment Cabinet has determined is no longer necessary and certain new procedural requirements have been satisfied; provide that when the cabinet determines that a land use restriction in an environmental covenant can be reduced or eliminated, it shall provide notice to the affected parties and opportunity for them to object to the determination; allow for affected parties to seek judicial review of a cabinet determination; amend KRS 224.80-180 to conform; RETROACTIVE; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 286.8-125 to exempt loans for which the total points and fees do not exceed the threshold set forth in 12 C.F.R. sec. 1026.43(e)(3) from total net income limits; make technical amendments; direct that the Act applies to contracts entered into on or after the effective date of the Act.

Amend KRS 620.500 to add the Kentucky CASA Network to the definition of "association"; amend KRS 620.505 to decrease the minimum number of local CASA board members from 15 to 12; remove the provision that local CASA programs are required to comply with National CASA Association Standards for programs make technical corrections; remove "cabinet" and replace with "the Department for Community Based Services" relating to employees who are prohibited from becoming volunteers or employees of the court-appointed special advocate program; amend KRS 620.537 to make technical corrections; amend KRS 620.055 to conform.

Amend KRS 217.015 to add tallow-based cosmetic products to the definition of "home-based processor"; amend KRS 217.136 to allow home-based processors to produce tallow-based cosmetic products in accordance with the registration and regulation requirements set forth by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Amend KRS 367.620 to exclude certain activity from the definition of "goods or services relating to real estate"; amend KRS 367.624 to require contractors to furnish a notice relating to assignment of benefits prior to entering into a real estate goods or services contract; amend KRS 367.626 to prohibit requiring a person to pay a cancellation fee or any other fee contained in a contract that is not enforceable against the person; amend KRS 367.628 to prohibit certain representations and marketing by a contractor or person representing a contractor; provide that certain contracts between a contractor or person representing a contractor and an insured are not enforceable; modify provision prohibiting causing, or encouraging another person to cause, damage to real estate; prohibit contractors from having a financial connection with certain persons; prohibit contractors from soliciting or providing contracts on behalf of certain persons; provide that certain violations constitute a fraudulent insurance act under KRS 304.47-020 and criminal mischief in the first degree under KRS 512.020; amend KRS 367.627 to make technical amendments; require the Attorney General to enforce the contractor requirements; create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to provide the Attorney General with concurrent jurisdiction in the investigation and prosecution of offenses under KRS 304.47-020; amend KRS 304.47-020 and 512.020 to conform; create a new section of KRS Chapter 367 to authorize the Attorney General to issue an order during certain states of emergency to require persons engaging in business as a contractor in the designated area to obtain a certificate of registration; establish registration application requirements; authorize peace officers in the designated area to enforce an order issued by the Attorney General; require contractors to post a copy of the contractor's certificate of registration at each job site within the designated area; require contractors to provide a copy of the certificate of registration or proof of registration to specified persons; prohibit contractors from soliciting business in person within the designated area for 90 days after a state of emergency is declared; prohibit local governments from imposing emergency registration or licensure for contractors under certain circumstances; exempt contractors from the registration and related requirements if the Attorney General determines that the local government imposes greater emergency registration or licensing requirements; permit a local government to submit a declaration to the Attorney General stating that the local government's emergency registration or licensure requirements are greater than those imposed under the section; require the Attorney General to affirm or reject a local government's declaration; authorize the Attorney General to promulgate administrative regulations; amend KRS 411.230 to conform; direct that certain provisions apply to contracts entered into on or after the effective date of the Act.

Amend KRS 205.2003 to require the cabinet develop and implement a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, education and training plan amendment to promote improved employment outcomes and workforce participation related to healthy workforce habits through public-private partnerships.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to establish the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program; define terms; require the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (authority) to annually submit recommendations to the General Assembly for awarding grant funding to eligible applicants for up to 1/3 of the actual costs incurred in applying for and procuring an early site permit, construction permit, or combined operating license from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, not to exceed $25,000,000; establish eligibility requirements and scoring criteria for applications; require the authority to make eligibility determinations and objectively score grant applications; require that applicants procure a surety bond or other similar security to guarantee the repayment of the grant amounts in the event of forfeiture for eligibility; provide for forfeiture and repayment of grant funding if certain permitting, licensure, or commencement of construction timelines are not met; establish the Kentucky nuclear reactor site readiness pilot program fund; create a new section of KRS Chapter 278 to allow a regulated utility to apply to the Public Service Commission for the recovery of costs not covered in its existing rates incurred in applying for and procuring an early site permit, construction permit, or combined operating license from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission; prohibit the recovery of costs for any amounts that have been offset by grant funding from the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program; amend KRS 164.2802 to require 12 hours of nuclear-related training for new and existing at-large voting members of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority; allow the director or the chair of the authority to waive the training requirement for any member who can demonstrate adequate knowledge of nuclear-related issues; require that the authority include its evaluations, scores, and funding recommendations for the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program with its annual report to the Governor and the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 164.2803 to allow fusion-related nuclear energy projects to be eligible for grant funding from the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program.

Amend KRS 194A.601 to require the dementia services coordinator to prepare an annual report on the operations of the Office of Dementia Services and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Council and a progress report on the Kentucky Alzheimer's and Related Dementias State Plan to submit to the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 194A.603 to increase the membership of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Council from 15 to 16 by increasing the individual unpaid caregiver members by 1; change the council's annual reporting date to December 1 from July 1; require the council to develop and implement annual year-long initiative advancing a key area of the state plan; direct the council to create a provider toolkit on early detection and diagnosis as its first year-long initiative beginning December 1, 2026 to be distributed to stakeholders.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to define terms; make affordable housing developed by a religious developer a permitted use and require only a ministerial review by a planning unit for compliance with the section; include requirements that an affordable housing development must meet including that it be on property owned by a religious institution prior to January 1, 2026, exclusively contains affordable housing, be less than 24 units and be located only on a parcel in certain zones, and to have obtained all other permits; require a religious institution that does not continue to qualify to seek approval from a planning unit; allow the Kentucky Housing Corporation to advise religious developers regarding affordable housing developments; allow homeless shelters operated by a religious institution to be permitted uses in commercial or business zones.

Amend KRS 158.150 to require a local board of education to expel a student for at least 12 months if the student intentionally causes physical injury to educational personnel at a school or school function; amend KRS 158.155 to require that school employees report attempted assault of any school employee to law enforcement; amend KRS 158.990 to provide for penalties for any person who intentionally violates KRS 158.155; amend KRS 610.200 to provide that a peace officer is not required to retain custody of a child for a felony violation of assault in the third degree; amend KRS 635.020 to provide that a child 14 years of age or older who is charged with a felony violation of assault in the third degree may be tried as an adult.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 68 to authorize a county to utilize a consolidated procedure in the collection of delinquent tax bills; amend KRS 134.504 to require the allowance of a consolidated procedure for the collection of delinquent taxes in the terms of a contract between the Department of Revenue and a county attorney; amend the fees a county attorney may receive in the process of litigation for the collection of a certificate of delinquency; amend KRS 91.481, 91.484, 91.487, 91.488, 91.4882, 91.4883, 91.4884, 91.4885, 91.494, 91.501, 91.504, 91.507, 91.511, 91.514, 91.517, 91.521, 91.527, 91.550, and 92.810 to make technical corrections.

Amend KRS 148.021 to allow PGA HOPE program graduates and 1 guest to use golf courses at state parks for golf cart rental fees only.

Amend KRS 304.1-050 and 304.1-110 to make technical amendments; amend KRS 304.2-160 to define "licensee"; amend KRS 304.2-220 to modify persons who are subject to examination by the insurance commissioner; amend KRS 304.4-040 to apply license revocation for failure to pay tax or fee to licensees; amend KRS 304.5-080 to define "inland marine insurance" and repeal the definition of "marine and transportation insurance"; amend KRS 304.9-035 to provide for an insurer's liability for acts of its adjusters; amend KRS 304.9-051 to provide that certain individuals working for an administrator are not acting as an administrator; amend KRS 304.9-105 to modify financial responsibility requirement for an agent license; amend KRS 304.9-133 to establish individual designation requirements for licensed business entities; amend KRS 304.9-085 to conform; amend KRS 304.9-135 to modify the definition of "insurance agency activities"; amend KRS 304.9-140 to establish nonresident license requirements for nonresidents with a limited line of authority that is not offered in this state; repeal the requirement to surrender a license upon termination; amend KRS 304.9-170 to modify prelicensing education and examination exemption for applicants licensed within previous 12 months; amend KRS 304.9-200 to repeal refund of appointment fee upon license refusal; amend KRS 304.9-230 to repeal the surety limited line of authority and establish preneed funeral limited line of authority; amend KRS 304.9-260 to repeal the requirement to send license renewal list to an insurer or employer; require proof of compliance with continuing education requirements for nonresident independent or public adjusters; repeal the requirement to surrender license upon termination; amend KRS 304.9-270 to repeal approval requirement for specialty credit producers and managing employees; amend KRS 304.9-295 to require nonresident independent and public adjusters that designated Kentucky as their home state to satisfy continuing education requirements; modify requirements for continuing education certifications; repeal license surrender and reissuance requirement; repeal and reenact KRS 304.9-436 to provide that authorized insurers shall not do business with unlicensed persons; amend KRS 304.13-346 to require property insurers to offer an optional policy provision to upgrade the roof structure of non-FORTIFIED dwellings; amend KRS 304.13-400 to repeal workers' compensation insurance deductible range; amend KRS 304.14-120 to conform; amend KRS 304.15-365 to establish requirements for optional maturity dates offered for individual deferred annuities; amend KRS 304.17A-600, 304.17A-607, 304.17A-617, and 304.17A-623 to define "adverse benefit determination" and "coverage denial"; repeal definition of "adverse determination"; require internal appeal for adverse benefit determinations; require external review for adverse benefit determinations, other than coverage denials; amend KRS 304.17A-619, 304.17A-621, and 304.17A-625 to conform; amend KRS 304.99-020 and 304.99-100 to repeal civil penalties and renewal requirements for specialty credit producers and managing employees; make technical amendments throughout.

Amend KRS 209A.122 to require the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide information regarding whether parties to a petition for an order of protection were represented by a legal counsel; to require the Department of Kentucky State Police to provide all statistical information from all JC-3 forms and all fields on a JC-3 form, relating to domestic violence or abuse or dating violence or abuse; remove the number of orders of protection in LINK; amend KRS 15A.190 to require JC-3 forms to be electronic.

Create a new section of Chapter 311 to define terms; establish conditions and processes for pause in procedure for an organ donation; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to promulgate administrative regulations to implement and enforce the pause in procedure requirements; establish that the provisions should not be construed to conflict with KRS 446.400, discourage ethical organ donation, interfere with independent end-of-life decision making, conflict with the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, or authorize the Commonwealth to affect the federal certification, designation, or service area of an organ procurement organization; require the cabinet to submit report on pause in procedures to the Legislative Research Commission.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 17 to define terms and require criminal justice agencies to provide criminal history records information to requesting agencies when they are conducting a basic suitability or fitness assessment for federal or contractor employees under 5 U.S.C. sec. 9101; authorize the agency to request a fee of $25 for reimbursement of expenses related to the check from entities other than the Commonwealth; amend KRS 610.340, relating to juvenile justice records, to conform.

Amend KRS 67.767 to require the Secretary of State to prescribe standard forms for net profits, gross receipts, and payroll occupational tax returns; form an advisory committee to develop the forms; require the advisory committee to file the form with the Interim Joint Committee on Local Government for its November 2026 meeting; require the Secretary of State to file administrative regulations including the standard forms and electronic links; and require tax districts to accept the standard forms and the associated payments electronically on and after January 1, 2028.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require health benefit plans to provide coverage for prostheses and orthoses; establish minimum requirements for the required coverage; require utilizations review decisions to be made in a nondiscriminatory manner; require an insurer or its private review agent to provide notice of certain rights of the insured; establish notice requirements for denials; establish network adequacy requirements for the provision of a prosthesis or orthosis that is required to be covered; establish reporting requirements for insurers and the commissioner of the Department of Insurance relating to the required coverage; amend KRS 164.2871 and 18A.225 to require self-insured group health plans offering by the governing board of state postsecondary education institutions and the state employee health plan to comply with the requirements relating to coverage for prostheses and orthoses; provide that the Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 205.529, 218A.172, 218A.205, and 304.17A.165 to remove references to a Schedule III controlled substance containing hydrocodone; amend KRS 218A.010 to add optometrist and physician assistant to the definition of "practitioner" licensed in other states; amend KRS 218A.182 to exempt charitable health care practitioners from electronic prescription requirement; amend KRS 218A.202 to require an active account with the electronic monitoring system be maintained by practitioners or pharmacists prescribing or dispensing Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled substances; amend KRS 218A.245 to permit the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to enter reciprocal agreements or contracts with any federal agency of the United States or its territories.

Amend KRS 227.331 to define "fire protection official"; require anyone who violates any administrative regulation, emergency order, or final order of the fire protection official be subject to an administrative fine or suspension or revocation of certificate of authority, occupancy, or other license or permit; authorize the fire protection official to enforce proper orders of or taken by the fire protection official in Circuit Court; require all actions for enforcement, recovery of administrative fines, and injunctive relief for violations to be brought in the name of the fire protection official.

Amend various sections of KRS Chapter 327, relating to the practice and regulation of physical therapy, to state legislative findings; require a practitioner or employer to report a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who has been convicted of a misdemeanor; require potential board members to not have been under any disciplinary action in the past 5 years; permit the Board of Physical Therapy to purchase professional liability insurance; authorize the board to convene committees and task forces to review and advise the board on pertinent issues; authorize the board to promulgate administrative regulations to establish fee amounts, issue advisory opinions and declaratory rulings related to this chapter, and issue a license to a physical therapist assistant applicant; prohibit physical therapists and physical therapist assistants from engaging in sexual contact with any active patient of record or parent or legal guardian of an active patient of record; require the board to develop guidelines to follow upon receipt of an allegation of sexual misconduct by a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant; allow the board to receive periodic education on issues affecting the practice of physical therapy and public protection; allow the board to determine which disciplinary records may be expunged; authorize the board to establish the amounts, limits, or ranges for any fines imposed; repeal and reenact KRS 327.010 to define terms; repeal and reenact KRS 327.080 to deposit to the credit of a revolving fund for the use of the board; require all expenses of the board to be paid from the revolving fund.

Amend KRS 439.320 to establish a term of 4 years for members of the Parole Board; allow the Governor to extend a term not more than 1 year if the expiration of the term causes more than 2 terms to expire in the same calendar year; allow the board to utilize panels of 2 or more members for parole and final parole revocation hearings; amend KRS 439.340 to change the time for parole review eligibility to 180 or more days to serve.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to define terms; establish a proactive postsecondary admissions program to be managed by the Council on Postsecondary Education; require each public postsecondary education institution in Kentucky to establish the minimum academic qualification for prospective admission to the institution and implement the common online application approved by the council by July 1, 2027; require the Kentucky Department of Education and each certified nonpublic school to submit a compiled list with designated information of all high school students who most recently completed their junior year to the council and the Kentucky Center for Statistics on or before September 1 of each year; require the KHEAA to submit the KEES award amounts of public and certified nonpublic high school students to the council on or before September 1 of each year; direct the council to send a personalized prospective admissions letter notifying each eligible high school student of each public postsecondary education institution in Kentucky where the recipient qualifies for prospective admissions, provides instructions for the recipient to apply for full admission, and of the student's KEES scholarship amount; provide that the personalized letter shall not constitute a guarantee of admission; retain the right for public postsecondary education institutions to perform a comprehensive reviews of all admissions applications internally; create a new section of KRS Chapter 151 to direct the Kentucky Center for Statistics to collaborate with the Kentucky Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Education to publish annual data on academic and workforce outcomes; amend KRS 164.020 to direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to establish a common online application and maintain a website for students to apply to Kentucky public postsecondary institutions through the common online application.

Amend KRS 45A.345, relating to local procurement, to define "best value" and redefine "evaluated bid price" as "economic efficiency"; amend KRS 45A.365 to require invitations for bids to state that awards be made on the best value rather than the lowest evaluated bid price; delete requirement for the inclusion of a reciprocal preference for resident bidders; require awards to the best value bid rather than the bid that is lowest evaluated bid price remove reference to reciprocal preference; amend KRS 45A.370 to allow purchases through competitive negotiation using the best value bid rather than the lowest evaluated bid; remove references to reciprocal preference; amend KRS 45A.375, relating to competitive negotiation to allow awards to be made upon the best value rather than lowest evaluated bid, and remove reference to reciprocal preference; amend KRS 45A.385, relating to small purchase procedures, to increase the small purchase maximum amount to $60,000 from $40,000; index the maximum amount by $10,000 every 5 years beginning in 2030; require the Finance and Administration Cabinet to publicize the current amount; amend KRS 45A.420, relating to cooperative purchasing, to allow local public agencies to make agreements using an established discount, quote, formula, or other pricing method as established by the Commonwealth when an agreement does not establish a fixed unit price; amend KRS 82.083, relating to the disposition of property owned by a city, to amend the definition of "independent appraisal" as it relates to personal property for which there is no applicable nationally published valuation standard, to include a generally accepted method to determine a good-faith estimate; amend KRS 82.084 to add law enforcement vehicles and equipment to the exclusions from KRS 45A.345 to 45A.460 and 424.260; amend KRS 424.260 to increase the limit for making advertisements for purchases to $60,000 from $40,000; index the small purchase maximum amount by $10,000 every 5 years beginning in 2030; amend KRS 157.420 and 157.440 to conform; repeal KRS 65.027, relating to reciprocal preference to resident bidders.