Kentucky

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 218A to make possession of a personal use quantity of cannabis exempt from civil or criminal penalty; amend KRS 218A.010 to define "cannabis," "personal use quantity of cannabis," and "cannabis accessory"; redefine "marijuana"; amend KRS 218A.1422, regarding cannabis possession, to conform; amend KRS 218A.1423, regarding cannabis cultivation, to conform; amend KRS 218A.500, regarding drug paraphernalia, to exempt personal use cannabis accessories; amend KRS 218A.1421, regarding cannabis trafficking, to exempt personal use quantities; amend KRS 138.872 to exclude personal use quantities from the cannabis stamp tax; amend KRS 218A.276, 218A.410, and 533.030 to conform; create a new section of KRS Chapter 431 to allow expungement of certain convictions relating to cannabis and to apply expungement retroactively; RETROACTIVE, in part.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define "Success Sequence"; require all students to receive instruction on the Success Sequence during grades 7 and 10 beginning with the 2027-2028 school year; require the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations to establish academic standards for instruction on the Success Sequence; require the Department of Education to develop guidelines for implementing Success Sequence instruction; permit superintendents to partner with Kentucky-based nonprofits to develop required curriculum.

Create a new section of KRS 344.030 to 344.110 to prohibit employers from considering or requiring disclosure of prior criminal history as part of the initial job application; provide that the Act may be cited as the Ban the Box - The Criminal Record Employment Discrimination Act.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 237 to require background checks for private firearms sales and transfers; amend KRS 237.990 to establish a penalty for violations.

Amend KRS 61.702, relating to the Kentucky Employees Retirement System and the State Police Retirement System, to increase the nonhazardous and hazardous duty under age 65 retiree health subsidy to $40 and $50 per month for each year of service, respectively, for those members who meet the "career threshold" who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and who are eligible for a fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy not tied to the premium; extend the employee contribution used to fund retiree health benefits to include members who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and increase the current hazardous employee contribution rate to 2% of pay for those eligible for the fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy; make technical amendments regarding the retiree health premium reimbursement program to conform to current policy; provide that the amendments to the employee contributions shall be effective July 1, 2027; for calculation of the retiree health subsidy increase, provide that the change shall apply to service earned prior to the effective date of this Act by eligible members, including retirees, and shall prospectively be adjusted annually by the 1.5% increase currently provided in statute; provide that subsidies payable to impacted retirees shall begin on or after January 1, 2027, to coincide with the next health plan year; direct the Public Pension Oversight Board to continue to review the retiree health fund actuarial data and evaluate potential legislative options to address any future continued improvements in the funds; RETROACTIVE.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish an eligible caregiver credit against the tax imposed in KRS 141.020; amend KRS 141.0205 to order the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report on the credit.

Amend KRS 337.010 to define "job posting" and "wage range"; create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to require all employers to include the wages or wage range for the advertised position in any job posting; amend KRS 95A.250 and 337.020 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to prohibit a public school district or public charter school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement relating to misconduct involving a minor or student; amend KRS 160.380 to define "abusive conduct"; require school district applicants to disclose being the subject of any disciplinary actions in the previous 12 months relating to abusive conduct and consent to a reference check; require school districts to conduct reference checks; require nonpublic schools and public school districts to disclose any disciplinary actions related to abusive conduct of applicants; provide immunity for disclosures made about school employee conduct; require school districts to request all related information from public and nonpublic schools and the Education Professional Standards Board (ESPB); require schools and EPSB to provide the records; require requests for information to be satisfied in 10 working days; require EPSB to create and implement procedures for information requests; require all school district applicants to list all schools of previous and current employment on the application; require a school district to internally report and investigate to completion all allegations of abusive conduct; require all records relating to an allegation of abusive conduct to be retained in an employee's personnel file unless the allegation is proven false; provide that certain requirements apply to public charter schools; amend KRS 156.160 to direct the Kentucky Board of Education to include employment standards in the voluntary certification standards for private schools; make technical corrections; amend KRS 160.151 to define "certified nonpublic school"; require employees of certified nonpublic schools to submit to a national and state criminal background check and a CA/N check; require certified nonpublic school personnel to have a state criminal background check every 5 years; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from hiring a violent or felony sex crime offender; require a certified nonpublic school to conduct reference checks on all applicants; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement related to misconduct involving a minor or student; make technical corrections; amend KRS 156.095 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a training related to sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships for employees to undergo every 5 years; make technical corrections; amend KRS 161.151 to conform; require that an allegation of abusive conduct be reported pursuant to KRS 620.030; amend KRS 158.4431, 156.492, and 158.200 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 43 to elect for the Commonwealth to participate in the qualified elementary and secondary education scholarship federal tax credit program; designate the Auditor of Public Accounts as the officer to submit the Commonwealth's election and list of scholarship granting organizations to the United States Secretary of the Treasury; require the Auditor to maintain the Commonwealth's list of scholarship granting organizations and maintain certain information on the Auditor's website; authorize the Auditor to promulgate administrative regulations necessary to establish the list; and authorize the Auditor to enter into agreements to assist with implementing the section.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 405 to define "child" and "parent"; establish specific fundamental rights of parents relating to care, custody, and control of their children, including the right and duty to make decisions regarding a child's use of cellular phones; provide a cause of action against the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions for violations of a parent's fundamental rights.

Amend KRS 140.080 to exempt Class B beneficiaries from inheritance taxation when receiving property from a decedent who died on or after January 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 216B to require hospitals that offer emergency medical services to have at least 1 licensed board certified or board eligible emergency medicine physician on site and on duty who is responsible for the emergency department at all times the emergency department is open.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 216B to define terms; require hospitals to disclose prices for certain items and services provided by hospitals; require hospitals to make public a digital list of all standard charges and a consumer-friendly list of charges for a set of shoppable services; require hospitals to provide descriptions of different services and standard charges of those services; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to promulgate administrative regulations to establish a template for each hospital; require the cabinet to monitor each facility's compliance; provide for administrative penalties; require health care providers to provide patients with written pricing sheets for health care services provided except in an emergency; require the cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations to establish a template for the written pricing sheets; require the cabinet or the Department for Medicaid Services to seek federal approval if they determine that such approval is necessary to comply with KRS 205.5372(1).

Amend KRS 532.025 to include abuse of a corpse of the victim of kidnapping or murder by engaging in deviate sexual intercourse, sexual intercourse, or sexual contact as an aggravating circumstance; provide that the Act may be cited as Angela's Law.

Amend KRS 317A.010 to allow fixed or mobile beauty salons, esthetic salons, nail salons, and limited beauty salons; amend KRS 317A.020 and 317A.145 to consider any type of mobile salon a "facility" and a "premises"; amend KRS 317A.060 to require the Board of Cosmetology to set the standards for mobile and fixed salons and establish inspection schedules; direct any administrative regulations to balance licensee and public interests; amend KRS 317A.050 and 317A.155 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to require the Office of the Kentucky Center for Statistics to establish a certified living wage based on occupation type and geographic area utilizing data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program if the employer receives certain financial incentives from local, state, or federal agencies; amend KRS 151B.133 to require the Office of Kentucky Center for Statistics to establish a certified living wage by July 1, 2027, and every year thereafter; amend KRS 337.990 to establish civil penalties.

Amend KRS 139.480, relating to the sales and use taxes, to exempt bees used in a commercial enterprise for the production of honey or wax for sale or for the pollination of crops, and certain items used in that pursuit; EFFECTIVE August 1, 2026.

Repeal various sections of KRS Chapter 141 to repeal the Education Opportunity Account Program; amend KRS 141.0205 and 131.190 to conform.

Amend KRS 314.011 to define "dispense" or "dispensing" if prescribed, as receiving and distributing nonscheduled legend drugs; include receiving and distributing nonscheduled legend drug samples from pharmaceutical manufacturers; define "dispense" or "dispensing" for an advanced practice registered nurse as the same as in KRS 315.010.

Adjourn in honor and loving memory of the victims of UPS Airlines Flight 2976, and recognize the efforts of first responders and other agencies that responded to the crash.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 13A to find 201 KAR 9:270 and 201 KAR 20:065 deficient and void; create new sections of KRS Chapters 311, 313, 314, and 315 to establish that the State Board of Medical Licensure, Board of Dentistry, Kentucky Board of Nursing, and Kentucky Board of Pharmacy shall not promulgate administrative regulations that restrict or limit the prescribing, dispensing, or administering of buprenorphine-mono-product, buprenorphine-combined-with-naloxone, or any other Schedule III, IV, or V medication approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a substance use disorder; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 157.420 to preclude the Kentucky Board of Education from approving the working budget or salary schedule of a local board of education unless it incorporates a salary increase for certified and classified staff consistent with the percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U); EMERGENCY; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2026.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require health benefit plans to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization, intrauterine insemination, and any other assisted reproductive technology; establish minimum requirements for the coverage; suspend the coverage requirement's application to qualified health plans if the state would be required to make cost defrayal payments; amend KRS 304.17A-099 to conform; amend KRS 164.2871 and 18A.225 to require self-insured employer plans provided by the governing board of a state postsecondary education institution and the state employee health plan to comply with the assisted reproductive technology coverage requirement; direct that certain provisions apply to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS 383.200 to 383.285 to require expungement of records in forcible detainer actions that are dismissed; allow for the expungement of the name of an unemancipated minor improperly named as a defendant in forcible detainer actions; amend KRS 383.250 to provide for sealing of records; direct that the required expungement of records of dismissed actions applies to forcible detainer actions brought on or after the effective date of the Act.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require health benefit plans to cover at least 2 medically necessary epinephrine devices per covered person; limit a covered person's cost-sharing amount to $100 annually; amend KRS 304.17A-099 to exempt the epinephrine device coverage requirement from being suspended under state law due to the triggering of federal cost defrayment requirements; amend KRS 205.522, 205.6485, 164.2871, and 18A.225 to require Medicaid, KCHIP, self-insured employer group health plans offered by the governing board of a state postsecondary education institution, and the state employee health plan to comply with the epinephrine device coverage requirement; provide that various sections apply to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; require the Department of Insurance to determine whether the epinephrine devices coverage requirement would be in addition to essential health benefits required under federal law; require the Department of Insurance to obtain federal approval, if necessary; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or the Department for Medicaid Services to obtain federal approval, if necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes in the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1); EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2027.