Kentucky

Amend KRS 403.270, 403.280, 403.315, and 403.340 to remove the presumption in favor of joint custody and equal parenting time; amend KRS 403.320 to conform.

Urge the United States Congress to pass the Major Richard Star Act to ensure veterans with disabilities receive their full United States Department of Defense retirement pay and United States Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation without offset.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 335B to allow universal recognition of occupational licenses and government certifications; include work experience as a basis for licensure or certification; explicity include military personnel and their spouses; provide that the Act may be cited as the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act.

Appropriate $221.4 million, $18.7 million, and $16 million in fiscal year 2026-2027 for the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) nonhazardous pension fund, the KERS hazardous pension fund, and the State Police Retirement System pension fund, respectively, to provide a one-time 2% COLA effective July 1, 2026; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 48.705 to allow the Governor to authorize limited use of moneys in the budget reserve trust fund to provide for the continuity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during a lapse in federal appropriations; require repayment of the moneys within 90 days of restoration of federal appropriations; require reporting to the Legislative Research Commission and the State Budget Director; require prior approval of the General Assembly if more than 5% of the total balance of the budget reserve trust fund is used; EMERGENCY.

Honor Dr. Jacqueline Sugarman upon receiving the 2026 Jean Sabharwal Award for her advocacy for Lexington's children and families.

Amend KRS 141.010 to define "qualified tips" and "qualified overtime compensation"; amend KRS 141.019 to allow the same treatment of qualified tips in accordance with 26 U.S.C. sec. 224 and qualified overtime compensation in accordance with 26 U.S.C. sec. 225; RETROACTIVE; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 158.1415 to exclude puberty instruction from the prohibition of human sexuality instruction for students in the fifth grade and below; make human sexuality instruction opt-out for parents instead of opt-in.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to define terms; create the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program for funding the construction and installation of accessibility ramps on residences of disabled veterans; establish the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program grant fund to be used for the program and administered by the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to provide a remedy for employees misclassified as independent contractors; amend KRS 337.010 to define "independent contractor" and "misclassified"; repeal KRS 336.137, relating to marketplace contractors.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 establishing the refundable home installation credit, not to exceed $7,500 annually, for qualifying home installations to increase the habitability or efficiency of the residence for individuals that are age 65 or older or have a physical or mental impairment; effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, but before January 1, 2031; amend KRS 141.0205 to establish ordering of the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow information to be provided to the Legislative Research Commission.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require coverage for emergency ground ambulance services; establish minimum allowable reimbursement for out-of-network emergency ground ambulance services; establish requirements for reimbursement of out-of-network ground ambulance providers; prohibit balance billing by out-of-network ground ambulance providers; establish construction clause in the event of conflicts; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with emergency ground ambulance coverage and payment requirements; provide that Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 156.660 to define terms; create a new section of KRS Chapter 156 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a model education technology fiscal policy; state requirements of policy; require the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations to require local school districts to adopt a model education technology fiscal policy; require local school districts and the Kentucky Department of Education to annually report on technology status for the prior school year; amend KRS 156.670 to move the responsibilities of the Council for Education Technology to the Kentucky Department of Education; amend KRS 156.160, KRS 157.615, 157.660, and 157.655 to conform.

Amend KRS 141.0401 to exempt entities doing business in Kentucky with gross receipts of less than $100,000 from paying the limited liability entity tax for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 162.060 to require a school district to notify the Transportation Cabinet before construction on a new public school building may begin; require the Transportation Cabinet to provide the chief state school officer with a design and cost estimate for any new routes to access the school site and to identify any cost estimates and improvements to existing routes serving the school site.

Amend KRS 199.894 to define terms; apply definitions to Section 2 of the Act; amend KRS 199.8982 to require that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services allow certified family child-care home providers and licensed type II child-care centers to participate in the Child Care Assistance Program and establish requirements related to a provider's children in the program and other nonrelative children of the provider that are served in the program.

Amend KRS 199.570 to allow the names of adopted parents and deceased biological parents to appear on a new birth certificate issued upon adoption if it is requested by the court, adopted parents, or adopted child; direct the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to create a birth certificate form that complies with this section through the promulgation of administrative regulations.

Amend KRS 217.186 to require each public postsecondary educational institution to provide access to opioid antagonists on campus; permit access to be provided by emergency opioid antagonist cabinets; permit application for funds from the opioid abatement trust fund and other available sources to coordinate, maintain, and supply the opioid antagonists; amend KRS 15.291 to add providing access to opioid antagonists on the campuses of public postsecondary educational institutions to the list of projects that may be provided with funding from the opioid abatement trust fund.

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 438.305 to 438.350 to require a retailer to verify that a recipient of a shipment or delivery of tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, or vapor products is at least 21 years old; require visual examination or use of age verification technology to verify the recipient's identity at delivery; establish penalties for a retailer or common or private carrier in violation; establish penalties for a consumer who intentionally causes an unlawful delivery; require products to be returned to the retailer if the common or private carrier cannot complete delivery.

Adjourn in honor and loving memory of Brian Jay Hatt.

Amend KRS 510.060, relating to rape in the third degree, to prohibit a school employee from engaging in sexual intercourse with a student enrolled in an elementary or secondary school with whom he or she comes into contact with as a result of that employment; amend KRS 510.090, relating to sodomy in the third degree, to prohibit a school employee from engaging in deviate sexual intercourse with a student enrolled in an elementary or secondary school with whom he or she comes into contact with as a result of that employment; amend KRS 510.110, relating to sexual abuse in the first degree, to prohibit a school employee from subjecting a student to sexual contact, engaging in masturbation in the student's presence, or engaging in masturbation while using the internet, telephone, or other electronic communication with a student who can see or hear the school employee masturbate; amend KRS 510.010 to define "school employee"; amend various sections of the Kentucky Revised Statutes to conform and make technical corrections.

Honor Elder Nathan Craig and his wife, Sister Amy Craig, for their calling to the Ghana Accra South Mission.

Amend KRS 319.020 to expand the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology from 9 members to 11 members; make 1 of the new members a doctoral-level psychologist and the other a masters-level psychologist; amend KRS 319.030 to require the board to submit its annual report to the Legislative Research Commission and post the report on its website; include both the average and modal time it takes the board to issue or deny a license and to complete the disciplinary process; amend KRS 319.050 to require an applicant to pass examinations related to mental health law and psychology practice; direct the board to schedule an examination within 30 to 60 days of accepting the examination application; allow an examinee to delay the examination for accident, illness, or injury, if approved by the board chair or the chair's designee; allow the board to suspend the applicant's temporary license for any unapproved examination delay.

Amend KRS 401.010 to allow a family member of a deceased person to posthumously change the deceased person's name if the name is the result of marriage to a person arrested for or charged with committing an offense intentionally, knowingly, or wantonly, which resulted in the death of the deceased; provide that the order of priority of family members is the same as in KRS 367.93117.