Kentucky

Create a new section of KRS 17.500 to 17.580, relating to the sex offender registry, to define "costume" and "Halloween-related activity"; prohibit sex offenders who have committed a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor from participating in any Halloween-related activity; establish penalties.

Amend KRS 413.249 to remove the statute of limitations for civil actions arising from childhood sexual assault or abuse.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 503 to provide a justification for the use of physical force or deadly physical force by a defendant operating a motor vehicle while fleeing the immediate area of an obstruction of a highway or public passage; amend KRS 525.015 to expand the elements of obstructing an emergency responder; provide enhanced penalties; allow restitution to an agency for the reasonable costs of an emergency response; amend KRS 525.140 to expand the elements of obstructing a highway or other public passage; provide enhanced penalties; allow restitution to an agency for the reasonable costs of an emergency response; create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to establish a civil cause of action for recovery of damages caused by obstructing an emergency responder or obstruction of a highway or other public passage; amend KRS 413.140 to provide a 1-year statute of limitation for the cause of action for recovery of damages caused by obstructing an emergency responder or obstruction of a highway or other public passage; amend KRS 503.085 to conform.

Amend KRS 501.030 to insert gender-neutral language.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 41 to establish the Commonwealth Retirement Savings Plan as a voluntary payroll-deduction Roth IRA savings program for employees of private employers with fewer than 50 employees; define terms; create a governing board of trustees and specify responsibilities of the board in plan design and oversight; require the board to contract with a third-party administrator for plan administration; establish that the plan shall be implemented and enrollment of employees shall begin on July 1, 2028, if adequate funds to administer the plan are available; amend KRS 154.12-330 to authorize the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority to lend funds to help implement the plan; require the State Treasurer, on or before July 1, 2027, to provide the Legislative Research Commission with a written update on the plan's implementation status.

Honor Marie Childers for her service as the longest-serving Republican member of the Pike County Board of Elections.

Propose to amend Section 29 of the Constitution of Kentucky to establish the initiative power of the people to propose laws and to enact or reject proposed initiatives at an election; establish procedures for initiatives, effect of adopted initiatives, and parameters for the subject of any initiative; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.

Amend KRS 309.462 to require community health worker certifications to be renewed every 3 years.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 21A to establish parameters for compulsory dues for members of the bar; define who is a member of the bar for purposes of the section; amend KRS 21A.300 and 21A.310 to conform; repeal KRS 21A.160, relating to organization and control of State bar being vested in the Supreme Court.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 14 to provide for the issuance of jailer service cards by the Secretary of State to jailers who are currently serving or have previously served as jailers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Amend KRS 160.210 to establish new numbers for membership of a local board of education based on district enrollment; require the Kentucky Board of Education to determine the required number of members every 10 years; provide for the election of additional members and for the reduction of membership; require local boards of education to report new electoral divisions to the Kentucky Board of Education and the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 160.200, 160.160, 160.042, and 116.200 to conform; require the Kentucky Board of Education to make initial determinations of board size by December 31, 2026, and local boards to conduct required division changes with created positions being treated as vacancies under KRS 160.190.

Urge Congress to create an accreditation pathway through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for private companies assisting veterans with their benefits.

Amend KRS 230.210 to redefine "sports wagering"; amend KRS 230.805 to change the age of access to sports wagering from 18 to 21; prohibit sports wagering licensees or service providers from offering proposition bets; amend KRS 2.015 to conform.

Amend KRS 341.350 to eliminate the 1 week waiting period for unemployment benefits; amend KRS 341.090 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 532 to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without parole for inmates presently sentenced to death; amend KRS 532.030, relating to authorized dispositions for felony offenses, to remove the death penalty; amend KRS 533.010, relating to probation, to prohibit probation for a person sentenced to life without parole or life without parole for 25 years; amend KRS 640.010 to define terms; amend KRS 640.040, relating to penalties for juveniles convicted of felony offenses, to prohibit life imprisonment without benefit of parole for a capital offense; amend KRS 422.285, 532.050, and 532.100 to conform; repeal KRS 431.213, 431.2135, 431.218, 431.220, 431.223, 431.224, 431.240, 431.250, 431.260, 431.270, 507A.060, 532.025, 532.075, 532.130, 532.135, 532.140, 532.300, 532.305, and 532.309.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 610 to establish a pilot program to be known as the Supporting Opportunities for Accountability and Restoration Program for children who are truant; require the pilot program to be established in no less than 10 public school districts; establish the responsive interventions to support and empower teams; establish criteria for participation and procedure for the program; create a new section of KRS Chapter 159 to establish the duties of the director of pupil personnel in school districts that are participating in the pilot program; amend KRS 159.140 to conform; create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to require schools to collect certain data relating to habitual truancy and require the Kentucky Department of Education to annually report data relating to habitual truancy to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education and the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary; amend KRS 610.030 to require the use of an evidence-based family screening tool to identify family strengths, needs, and risks; create family diversion plans and require a child's parent to participate; amend KRS 605.030 to require a court-designated worker to coordinate the pilot program in the school districts that participate; amend KRS 17.125 to allow responsive interventions to support and empower teams to access information on juveniles involved with the juvenile justice system; amend KRS 600.020 to amend the definition of "habitual truant" and define "Supporting Opportunities for Accountability and Restoration Program" or "SOAR Program" and "Responsive Interventions to Support and Empower Teams" or "RISE teams"; create a new section of KRS Chapter 630 to provide that a child who is alleged to be a status offender, adjudicated a status offender, or is a status offender alleged or found to have violated a valid court order shall not be detained in a secure detention facility until the child is at least 16 years old; amend various sections to conform; repeal KRS 630.100.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 198A to define terms; establish a revolving account to be known as the first-generation homebuyer trust fund; establish eligible activities and uses of the trust fund; require Kentucky Housing Corporation to operate a forgivable loan program for eligible first-generation homebuyers applicants, administer the fund, and submit annual reports to the Legislative Research Commission.

Encourage the Kentucky High School Athletic Association to recognize girls flag football as a sanctioned sport offered to its members.

Propose to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky to allow the General Assembly to provide by law a property tax exemption for the permanent residence of an owner who is a veteran with a service-connected disability; require the law to specify the amount of the exemption, the qualifications for claiming the exemption, and whether the exemption transfers to the veteran's surviving spouse; prohibit more than 1 exemption per permanent residence; disallow the exemption to be combined with an exemption under Section 170 of the Constitution of Kentucky; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.

Create a new section of KRS 164.6941 to 164.6951 to define terms; require an intercollegiate athletics enterprise that provides a cumulative sum of more than $1,000 to coaches and student-athletes to register with the Council on Postsecondary Education; provide for the terms of the license, require the reporting of contracts and amounts of intercollegiate athletics compensation; set the registration fee at 10% of all compensation provided to student-athletes and coaches during the previous year; deposit fees into restricted scholarships account; create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to distribute moneys to postsecondary institutions proportionally to the intercollegiate athletics compensation received by the institution's student-athletes and coaches; require postsecondary institutions to establish a scholarship program with funds received, set requirements for scholarship program, EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 164.5161 to define "spouse"; rename the National Guard Tuition Award Program the National Guard Tuition Scholarship Program; allow current National Guard members and their spouses up to 130 total credit hours at a postsecondary institution; allow the total number of credit hours to be transferrable between the member and his or her spouse; grant authority to the adjutant general to award up to 45 additional nontransferable credit hours within the program; amend KRS 164.5165 and 164.5169 to conform.

Amend KRS 336.130 to delete references prohibiting employees becoming a member of a labor or organization as a condition of employment; amend KRS 336.990 to conform; amend KRS 67A.6904, 67C.406, 70.262, 78.470, 78.480, and 345.050 to remove exceptions; amend KRS 336.1341 and 336.135 to conform; repeal KRS 65.016, 336.132, and 336.134.

Amend KRS 341.005 to define "certified mail," "multi-factor authentication," and "notice"; creates a new section of KRS Chapter 341 to require any notice from the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet or any employer to employers or employees to be in writing and delivered by any method of governmental, commercial, or electronic delivery; require the secretary to provide employers and employees the option to receive only electronic notices; require the electronic notice system to utilize effective privacy controls, including multi-factor authentication procedures.

Amend KRS 158.814 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a career and technical education program or pathway in performing arts.

Adjourn in honor and loving memory of Joseph Hardin McFarland.