Kentucky

Amend KRS 157.220 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with the maximum class sizes and caseloads specified for exceptional children and youth; make technical corrections; amend KRS 157.200 to define "caseload" and "special classes"; amend KRS 157.230, 157.3175, and 159.990 to conform.

Amend KRS 161.030 to require the Education Professional Standards Board to issue a 5 year teaching certificate to eligible applicants.

Direct the Legislative Research Commission to establish the Optometric Practice Task Force to conduct a comprehensive review of the regulatory and clinical landscape of the practice of optometry and to make recommendations regarding the practice of optometry; establish membership; direct the task force to meet monthly during the 2026 Interim and submit findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by October 31, 2026.

Amend KRS 158.307 to define "dysgraphia"; require the department to annually update the dyslexia toolkit; require the toolkit to include guidance on dysgraphia and strategies and other resources to be used for students displaying dyslexia and dysgraphia; require universal screeners and diagnostic tools be approved by the department; require each district to use evidence-based instructional strategies to provide intervention services; require school districts to report data to the department; amend KRS 164.304 to require postsecondary institutions offering teacher preparation programs include instruction on the application and implementation of a multitiered system of supports by the 2027-2028 school year.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to allow school districts to implement a wearable panic alert system; establish system criteria; require the Department of Education to provide a list of approved wearable panic alert systems; require the Center for School Safety to establish the Wearable Panic Alert Grant Program; amend KRS 158.446 to allow the Center for School Safety to distribute wearable panic alert grants using funds appropriated in the biennial budget to support school safety; provide that the Act may be cited as Alyssa's Law.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 148 to define terms; establish the Burnside Island Development Authority to develop, finance, maintain, and improve lodging and restaurant facilities on General Burnside Island State Park and surrounding area; require the authority to be governed by a board; establish board membership, terms, powers, and duties; establish duties and purposes of the authority; require the board and authority to be subject to the Kentucky Open Meetings Act and Kentucky Open Records Act; require the board to acquire authorization from the General Assembly prior to the sale, trade, or disposal of real property valued greater than $400,000 that is owned by the Commonwealth and managed by the Department of Parks; require that bond debt service be payable solely from the revenue of the bonds; require the Department of Parks to operate and maintain General Burnside Island State Park until an agreement between the authority and a private partner takes effect; amend KRS 132.195 to exempt the acquisition or lease of General Burnside Island State Park from taxation requirements; set forth the staggering of initial board terms.

Amend KRS 26A.020 to establish that any person may submit an affidavit to the Attorney General asserting that an assigned judge cannot impartially preside in a pending action; authorize the Attorney General to determine if the impartiality of the judge may reasonably be questioned; authorize the Attorney General to submit the affidavit to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who shall determine whether to appoint a special judge.

Amend KRS 61.7991 to add state and federal prosecutors and public defenders to the definition of "covered person"; authorize standing for a civil action for injunctive or declaratory relief for unauthorized disclosure; provide that the removal of information does not apply to financial disclosures required under KRS Chapter 61.

Amend KRS 160.210 to require a county school district having reached an end-of-year enrollment of 25,000 or more students to add 2 board members appointed by the Auditor of Public Accounts; require the appointed members to reside in the district, hold bachelor's degrees, and have at least 5 years of finance experience; specify that appointed members shall not serve more than 2 consecutive terms; amend KRS 156.132 to authorize the commissioner of education to remove an appointed local board member for malfeasance, misfeasance, incompetence, or gross neglect of duty; amend KRS 160.160, 160.170, 160.180, and 160.190 to conform; EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2027

Amend KRS 341.350, relating to unemployment insurance, to lengthen the verified definite return-to-work or recall-to-work period from 16 weeks to 12 months and add protections for employees whose place of employment can reasonably be expected to resume operations within 12 months following a natural disaster.

Adjourn in honor and remembrance of Technical Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt upon her passing and making the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 14 to elect for the Commonwealth to participate in the qualified elementary and secondary education scholarship federal tax credit; designate the Secretary of State as the sole official authorized to report the state's election and submit the required list to the United States Secretary of the Treasury; require the Secretary of State to publish associated administrative regulations and other guidance on a website; authorize the Secretary of State to promulgate administrative regulations to carry out the program; authorize the Secretary of State to collect a fee and accept private contributions to pay for necessary costs and establish requirements for the administration of the funds; waive Eleventh Amendment immunity for the section; amend KRS 141.019 to exclude qualified contributions made to scholarship granting organizations from allowed individual income tax dedications.

Amend KRS 317.430, relating to the Kentucky Board of Barbering, to add the executive director of the board as a nonvoting member; amend KRS 317.450 to remove language regarding good moral character and temperate habit requirements; reduce length of experience from 3 years to 1 year for certain out-of-state applicants; amend KRS 317.470 to change the title of "administrator" to "executive director"; amend KRS 317.540, relating to barber schools to reduce the number of required hours of course instruction from 1,500 to 1,200; increase the maximum number of hours allowed per day from 8 to 10 hours; make technical changes.

Amend KRS 45.760, relating to the state capital construction program, to insert gender-neutral language.

Amend KRS 160.463 to make technical corrections.

Amend KRS 241.140 to make technical corrections.

Direct the Personnel Cabinet, in consultation with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, to integrate community supported agriculture (CSA) purchases in the wellness rewards programs offered to public employees and retirees who receive health insurance coverage through the Kentucky Employees Health Plan; require the program to be offered for the 2027 KEHP plan year; require the Personnel Cabinet to report on the program.

Amend KRS 381.794 to exempt planned communities with 14 or fewer units from financial reporting and document retention requirements; amend KRS 381.9197 to exempt condominiums with 14 or fewer units from financial reporting and document retention requirements.

Recognize March 17, 2026, as Profound Autism Day in Kentucky.

Amend KRS 42.740 to reduce the number of candidates submitted by the Kentucky League of Cities and Kentucky Association of Counties from 6 persons to 3 persons for consideration of the Governor to be appointed to the Geographic Information Advisory Council.

Amend KRS 48.210, relating to branch budget bills, to require the Transportation Cabinet to provide assistance to the General Assembly during the budgeting process.

Amend KRS 100.326 to define terms; prohibit planning units from adopting or enforcing certain specified ordinances or regulations concerning aspects of commercial uses; state that a single principal structure or building on a single lot in a commercial zone for a permitted use shall be approved without a development plan; establish a cause of action by a developer to bring suit for a violation of the section; create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to state that a planning units activities are subject to its own land use and planning and zoning regulations.

Amend KRS 198B.030 to require the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction to consider the effects of any proposed new or amended regulation on residential construction by conducting a cost-benefit analysis and an analysis to determine the impacts on the amount of residential construction; require the analyses to be submitted to the Housing, Buildings and Construction Advisory Committee and the Legislative Research Commission; establish a moratorium on the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction altering or amending any state code in a way that would result in an increase in residential construction costs until January 1, 2029.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 65 to define terms; establish that an applicant has a vested right to the development standards in place at the time of application for a building permit, development plan, or subdivision plat upon the submission of the application to a relevant authority; establish vesting periods; allow for extensions to the vesting period; establish that the relevant authority may terminate the vested rights under specified circumstances; establish enforcement authority; allow for the amendment to a development plan on a vested right; amend KRS 100.347 to limit entities which have standing to challenge a final action of a planning and zoning authority.

Order the Public Service Commission to open a new or include in an existing administrative case by May 15, 2026, to review the fuel adjustment charge to reduce volatility in the surcharge; receive comments from the public and affected parties on the fuel adjustment charge; and issue an order and amend the administrative regulation on the fuel adjustment charge by August 15, 2026; provide a report to the Legislative Research Commission by December 15, 2026; EMERGENCY.