Kentucky

Recognize January 2026 as Kentucky Mentorship Month.

Create a new section of Subchapter 12 of KRS Chapter 154 to create the Veteran Entrepreneur Program to be administered by the Office of Entrepreneurship; establish requirements and program details; amend KRS 154.12-277 and 154.12-278 to include the Veteran Entrepreneur Program; and amend KRS 154.12-330 to give preference to veterans in the issuance of small business loans.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to define terms; require Medicaid-enrolled providers prescribing psychotropic drugs to children to provide an FDA Medication Guide to parents or legal guardians; require medical care providers prescribing psychotropic drugs to children covered by Medicaid to obtain signed informed consent from a parent or guardian; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to develop and maintain an adverse drug reaction online reporting system; require the cabinet to compile and submit an annual report of the adverse drug reaction online reporting system to the Legislative Research Commission; require the cabinet to submit an annual report summarizing the implementation efforts and compliance statistics of Medicaid-enrolled providers; establish penalties; require the cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations to implement the system.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 383 to prohibit landlords from charging screening fees without notice to the applicant; require screening criteria from landlords; require landlords to provide notice of denial to applicants; allow applicants to view the property before a security deposit is paid.

Amend KRS 161.500 to allow members of the Teachers' Retirement System to recover up to 10 unpaid days that were missed to observe religious holidays; include the recovered days in count of days worked for service credit; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 337.327 to require employers to keep copies of a veterans' benefits and services document in a conspicuous and accessible place.

Amend KRS 383.020 to include duties of a landlord with respect to abandoned personal property.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to require persons seeking to receive compensation for advising or assisting with veterans' benefits claims to provide a signed disclosure document stating these services may be provided for free from other entities.

Amend KRS 337.275 to raise the minimum wage for employers to $9.50 an hour beginning on the effective date of this Act and incrementally thereafter to $15 an hour beginning on July 1, 2030; raise the state minimum wage for tipped employees to $5 an hour beginning on the effective date of this Act.

Propose to amend Section 170 of the Constitution of Kentucky to increase the homestead exemption to $75,000; require the homestead exemption amount to be indexed every year; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection; apply to property assessments beginning on or after January 1, 2027.

Create a new section of Subtitle 12 of KRS Chapter 304 to define terms; consolidate and modify existing credentialing requirements; require insurers and providers to use the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) credentialing form; prohibit insurers from requiring or otherwise requesting a provider to disclose any information that is not requested on the CAQH form or that relates to a provider's former or current health condition under certain circumstances; prohibit insurers from requiring a provider to be board certified; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with the credentialing requirements; amend KRS 205.560 to conform; amend KRS 216B.155 to conform and to prohibit health care facilities licensed under KRS Chapter 216B from requiring or otherwise requesting a provider to disclose a former or current health condition under certain circumstances; amend KRS 304.17A-545 and 311.6207 to conform; repeal KRS 304.17A-525 and 304.17A-576, relating to credentialing to consolidate provisions; direct that certain provisions apply to contracts issued or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act; require administrative bodies to amend any administrative regulations that conflict with the Act.

Amend KRS 164.7874 to define "eligible noncertified school graduate"; amend definitions of "KEES award," "KEES award maximum," and "KEES base amount" for an eligible noncertified school graduate; amend KRS 164.7879 to establish an equivalent grade point average for eligible noncertified school graduates based on the graduate's ACT score; amend KRS 164.7881 and 164.7884 to conform.

Amend KRS 304.17A-660 to specify classifications to be included in the term "classification of benefits"; specify requirements, standards, and methodologies to be included in the term "nonquantitative treatment limitation"; change the definition of "mental health condition" to the definition of "mental health or substance use disorder condition"; amend KRS 304.17A-661 to require an insurer's mental health parity analysis to include an evaluation of standards relating to network composition, out-of-network utilization rates, and medical management techniques; require insurers to submit a remediation plan for the commissioner's approval if its mental health parity analysis indicates noncompliance; require insurer's annual mental health parity report to be submitted to the Legislative Research Commission; delete language applying remedies under Subtitle 12 of KRS Chapter 304 to violations; authorize the Attorney General to enforce the mental health parity law; establish duties, remedies, and penalties for enforcement by the Attorney General; authorize a private cause of action by any person directly injured by a violation or likely violation of the mental health parity law; establish duties, remedies, and penalties for a private right of action under the mental health parity law; establish construction clauses; authorize the Attorney General to promulgate administrative regulations for proper enforcement of mental health parity law; create new sections of KRS 304.17A-660 to 304.17A-669 to define "health care professional"; require insurers to comply with KRS 304.17A-700 to 304.17A-730 for claims submitted by health care professionals for the diagnosis or treatment of mental health or substance use disorder conditions; authorize the Attorney General to enforce the requirement to comply with KRS 304.17A-700 to 304.17A-730; create the Advisory Council on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity; establish duties and membership; amend KRS 304.17A-665 to require the commissioner of insurance to publish a summary of each insurer's mental health parity report and report findings to specified legislative committees; amend KRS 304.17A-669 to conform; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with KRS 304.17A-660 to 304.17A-669; provide terms for initial appointment of members of the Advisory Council on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity; provide that certain sections apply to contracts issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE, January 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 41 to define terms; recognize gold specie and silver specie as legal tender in Kentucky; provide for use of gold specie and silver specie as legal tender; require the State Treasurer to promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to designate or establish a bullion depository and authorize 1 or more electronic payment systems to facilitate electronic payment transactions; establish requirements for system participants, transaction information, and bullion deposits; require the State Treasurer to submit an annual report to the Legislative Research Commission and to implement the system within 1 year; amend KRS 141.109 and 141.039 to exempt capital gains and losses attributable to the sale or exchange of gold specie and silver specie; provide that Section 1 of the Act may be cited as the Kentucky Transactional Gold and Silver Act.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 367 to define terms; prohibit social media platforms from providing minors an addictive feed and sending push notifications to minors between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. without permission from a parent or legal guardian; require social media platforms to determine a user's age upon account creation and establish guidelines for handling the information; require social media platforms to develop and implement a proactive strategy to prevent a minor from exposure to harmful material; grant enforcement power to the Office of the Attorney General and provide a private right of action to parents and legal guardians; provide that the Act may be cited as the Youth Online Safety Act, include severability clause. EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 532 to allow evidence relevant to sentencing to be introduced by the Commonwealth and evidence in mitigation or support of leniency to be introduced by the defendant during sentencing hearings in non-felony cases.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 367 to define terms; prohibit a health care professional from furnishing medical debt to a consumer reporting agency; require a contract between a health care professional and collection entity to include a provision prohibiting the reporting of medical debt to a consumer reporting agency; provide that medical debt that is reported in violation of the section is void and unenforceable; make a violation of the section an unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice in violation of KRS 367.170; establish remedies for a violation of the section; provide that section shall not be construed to limit or restrict any powers, duties, remedies, or penalties available; direct that provisions apply to contracts entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act.

Amend KRS 164.515 to allow the spouse or a child under the age of 26 of a disabled veteran free tuition at public universities, colleges, or vocational traiing institutions for up to 128 credit hours of undergraduate instruction.

Amend KRS 164.020 to require the Council on Postsecondary Education to consider individuals born in Kentucky as Kentucky residents when determining residency for tuition and admission purposes in the state postsecondary education system; provide that the Act may be cited as the Welcome Back to My Old Kentucky Home Initiative.

Amend KRS 61.592 to redefine "hazardous position" to include Department of Kentucky State Police forensic lab and crime scene personnel.

Amend KRS 23A.080 to allow appeals to be taken to the Circuit Court by the state in criminal cases from an adverse decision or ruling of the District Court.

Amend KRS 156.160 to require any course meeting the health requirement for high school graduation include information on direct the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations to organ donation.

Propose to amend Sections 32, 72, 91, 100, and 122 of the Constitution of Kentucky to require candidates for the General Assembly, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture, Secretary of State, Attorney General, county clerk, Circuit Court clerk, Commonwealth’s attorney, county attorney, District Judge, Circuit Judge, Court of Appeals Judge, and Justice of the Supreme Court to be a natural born citizen of the United States and a national of only the United States in order to hold each respective office; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.

Amend KRS 160.345 to require a school council to adopt a policy requiring students to be assigned a lunch period of at least 30 minutes in length; amend KRS 158.153 to conform.

Amend KRS 139.470 to exempt gross receipts derived from aircraft sold and delivered in this state to a resident of another state from sales and use tax; EFFECTIVE August 1, 2026.