Kentucky

Amend KRS 189.993 to establish enhanced penalties for a violation of KRS 189.505, including increased fines, vehicle impoudment for up to 6 months for the first offense, and vehicle forfeiture for the second or subsequent offense; amend KRS 500.090 to provide that the proceeds from any public auction of a vehicle that has been forfeited for a second or subsequent violation of KRS 189.505 be transferred to the Crime Victims Compensation Board.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to prohibit the Department for Medicaid Services, any Medicaid managed care organization contracted by the department, and the Medicaid state pharmacy benefit manager from denying coverage for a nonopioid analgesic in favor of opioid analgesic or establishing more restrictive or more extensive utilization controls for nonopioid analgesics than the least restrictive or extensive utilization controls for any opioid or narcotic analgesic; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or the Department for Medicaid to seek federal approval if it is determined that such approval is necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes to the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1).

Amend KRS 61.870 to change the definition of "resident of the Commonwealth"; amend KRS 61.872 to allow the official custodian of public records to require government-issued photo identification that includes an address from an applicant requesting to inspect records as proof that they are a resident of the Commonwealth; allow the agency to require a different form of identification or proof if the applicant does not possess photo identification; amend KRS 61.876 to conform.

Direct the Energy and Environment Cabinet's Division of Water to prepare and submit a report to the Legislative Research Commission by December 15, 2026, on recommendations for state and local governments to more easily access public waterways after flooding for debris removal and clean-up.

Amend KRS 402.020 to prohibit marriage with a person under 18 years of age; exclude from being prohibited and void, marriages entered into in the Commonwealth before the effective date of this Act and marriages entered into in another state or country; amend KRS 402.080 and 402.210 to prohibit the issuance of marriage licenses to persons under 18 years of age; amend KRS 402.030 to conform; repeal KRS 402.205, relating to petitions to courts filed by minors aged 17 years seeking permission to marry.

Amend KRS 213.136 to establish processes and procedures for requesing vital statistics records from the state or county registrar; amend KRS 213.141 to increase the fee for a certified copy of a vital statistic record to $10; establish fee exceptions; increase the fee for a certified copy of a birth record to $15; establish fee exceptions; establish that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall provide a copy of the Annual Lifetime Kentucky Death Report to the State Board of Elections on or before July 1 of each year; amend KRS 116.113 to conform.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 65 to define terms; establish the process for a local government to establish a residential infrastructure development district and for dissolution of a district; authorize a local government to issue bonds and other obligations to pay for infrastructure costs within a residential infrastructure development district; authorize a local government to collect special assessments on property within the residential infrastructure development district to pay for infrastructure costs and use special assessment revenue for administrative costs unless restricted; establish that the special assessment constitutes a lien, address lien priority, require delinquent property taxes to be paid prior to a special assessment, and allow for redemption of property sold as a result of delinquent payment of a special assessment; permit local governments to act jointly to establish and maintain a residential infrastructure development district; define terms and allow a local government to establish a housing development district and a Housing Incentive Payment Program; allow a local government to exempt housing developments within a housing development district from planning and zoning following a public hearing; permit other local taxing authorities to participate in a housing development district; allow a local government to accept applications from developers to undertake projects within a housing development district; allow a local government to negotiate with a developer whose application it has accepted regarding rates associated with incentive payments to the developer; establish a means by which a developer shall be paid incentive payments by a local government; require area development districts to provide assistance to a local government in establishing a housing development district; require the Cabinet for Economic Development to promote awareness of the housing development district and incentive program and the Certified Child Care Community Designation program set out in KRS 199.891; require the cabinet to post information including a list of local governments that have established housing development districts and have obtained the certified child care community designation to its website; require local governments that have established housing development districts to provide information to the Department for Local Government regarding the district and utilization of the incentive program; require the Department for Local Government to submit a report to LRC summarizing information received from local governments regarding housing development districts; provide that the Act shall not be construed to prohibit a local government from establishing any other incentive program for housing development.

Direct the Public Service Commission to open 1 or more administrative cases to investigate and identify measures to improve the affordability of utility service for low- and fixed-income individuals; direct that the PSC report to the Legislative Research Commission by September 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 199.896 to establish standards and factors for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to consider in determining whether to issue a plan of correction, directed plan of correction or suspension or revocation of a child-care license in response to any alleged violation of an administrative regulation by a child-care center; require that a single violation of a directed plan of correction not result in a suspension or revocation of a child-care center's license unless the violation is solely determined to be solely enough to justify the action; permit documentation to be submitted to the cabinet up to 5 business days following a request; require weekly support contacts for a child-care center with a preliminary license; prohibit the cabinet from issuing violations during the probationary period; permit but not require the inspector general, the inspector general's designee, or other cabinet representative, to take actions relating to a child-care center license; make technical corrections; apply provisions of the Act to pending and not yet final actions related to licensed child-care centers, and to all actions that occur on or after the effective date; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 70.280 to authorize certified court security officers to transport individuals being detained or in custody as ordered by the court and to go outside the immediate area of the court facility to provide the transport; authorize arrest powers for certified court security officers while engaged in transporting, monitoring, or supervising prisoners or other individuals ordered transported by the court; amend KRS 202A.028 and 202A.101 to permit certified court security officers to transport individuals under specified circumstances.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 281A to require the Transportation Cabinet to promulgate emergency and ordinary administrative regulations to extend the allowable time length a limited CDL in accordance with the maximum length allowed under 49 C.F.R sec. 383.3; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 161.155 to allow school district employees to use sick leave for observance of religious

Direct the Department for Libraries and Archives and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to cooperate in exploring ways to increase enrollment in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program; direct the department and the cabinet to submit a report on the progress of identifying ways of increasing enrollment in the program to the Governor and the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2026.

Amend KRS 424.110 to define "advertisement" and "published statement of ownership"; amend KRS 424.120 to determine where newspaper advertisements shall be placed when 2 or more newspapers meet the initial qualifications; determine when alternative publication procedures may be used when there is no newspaper in the county containing the government seeking to make the advertisement or no suitable newspaper in an adjoining similarly sized county; define "adjoining similarly sized county", and set publication parameters for advertisements, along with parallel advertising in the largest association of newspapers within the Commonwealth; set time requirements for publication; provide when digital newspapers may be used for advertising and when publication is deemed to have occurred; amend KRS 424.147 to expand remedial advertising to satisfy not only the provisions found in KRS Chapter 424, but the remainder of the Kentucky Revised Statutes relating to timing or manner of publication; amend KRS 424.160 to set the rates for advertising; require contractual terms offered to public agencies of the Commonwealth that are offered to commercial customers; require the rate charged by a newspaper shall be the lowest advertising rate provided for in KRS 424.215; provide volume discounts for display forms; amend KRS 132.027, 68.245, 132.023, and 160.470 to specify that publication shall be made in the qualified newspaper under KRS 424.120 rather than in the largest newspaper within the county; remove the requirement for display type and column inch minimum; expand the requirement that publication be made not less than 7 days nor more than 21 days.

Amend KRS 405.021 to establish a clear and convincing standard of evidence in determining grandparent visitation; establish factors the court may consider in determining the best interests of the child; remove rebuttable presumption standard; amend KRS 620.090 to conform.

Amend KRS 190.046 to define "parts," "qualifying repair," "qualifying repair order," "repair order," "warranty," and "warranty work"; establish requirements for dealer performance of warranty work, including time allowances, labor rates, parts markups, and payment procedures and terms.

Create a new section of KRS 186.400 to 186.640 to define "communication disorder"; establish that at the time of application for an instruction permit, operator's license, or personal identification card a person may choose to have a notation on the document indicating that they have a communication disorder; direct that no fee shall be charged for the inclusion or removal of a notation; provide that a person may request removal of the notation; direct that the Department of Kentucky State Police shall implement training on interacting with persons who have a communication disorder; amend KRS 186.531 to conform; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 61 to prohibit public agencies from denying permits or licenses for reasons not specified by law; implement a 30-day time frame for ruling on applications for a permit or license if no time frame is otherwise specified by law; establish procedures for applications for a permit or license which are not ruled upon during the applicable time frame or are denied; for appeal process.

Amend KRS 161.540 to specify payment obligations for the inclusion of annual leave payments in a retiring member's pension benefits from the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) by requiring the state to pay the actuarial costs for annual leave accrued through July 31, 2026, and the last employer pay the actuarial costs for annual leave accrued on or after August 1, 2026.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 138 to define terms; impose a 4% state retail regulatory license fee on all alcoholic beverage and cannabis-infused beverage sales to consumers by alcoholic beverage retailers; establish procedures and duties of retailers; impose state wholesale regulatory license fees on alcoholic beverages and cannabis-infused beverages and state retail regulatory license fees on kratom, hemp-derived, and cannabinoid products; set out regulatory license fee rates, deductions for timely filing and payment, and licensee duties; amend KRS 211.285 to fund the alcohol wellness and responsibility education fund with 0.5% of the collected state retail regulatory license fees; create a new section of KRS Chapter 217 to establish Department for Public Health laboratory and testing standards and procedures; amend KRS 241.010 to define "state or national conference" and redefine "alcoholic beverages"; amend KRS 241.069 to delete outdated language; amend various sections of KRS Chapter 243 to establish state license fees for new and existing license types; limit licensee discipline to only the specific license in question; establish a souvenir package license for distillers; authorize distillers, small farm wineries, and microbreweries to allow leashed dogs on their premises; allow caterers and special temporary auction licensees at state and national conferences; modify the privileges for various licensees, including a wholesaler, Class B distiller, and special agent or solicitor; add references to the new tax structure and statutes; modify requirements for public notice of a license application; sunset existing excise, wholesale, and other taxes on July 1, 2027, as they relate to alcoholic beverages and cannabis-infused beverages; repeal and reenact KRS 243.075, relating to local regulatory license fees, to allow any moist or wet city or county to impose the fee; authorize audits of each city's or county's regulatory license fee fund by the Auditor of Public Accounts for the most recent 10 years; describe audit penalties for cities and counties that fail to substantially comply; direct cities and counties to reduce the regulatory license fee to 3% within 4 years; limit future cities and counties to a 1% regulatory license fee; amend KRS 244.080 to permanently prohibit a retail license from using a premises if the licensee sold to minors at that premises 3 or more times in 24 months; amend KRS 244.585 to establish limitations for agreements between distributors and breweries or microbreweries; amend KRS 131.250, 139.010, 243.045, 243.430, 243.790, 243.850, and 243.990 to conform; EFFECTIVE, in part, July 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.

Create new sections of KRS 383.200 to 383.285 to provide for expungement of records in eviction proceedings that are dismissed; prohibit minors from being named in an action for forcible detainer unless the minor is a leaseholder; provide for expungement of a minor's name from an order; amend KRS 383.250 to provide for sealing of records; amend KRS 367.310 to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from maintaining information in their files relating to dismissed eviction actions; provide that the expungement of dismissed eviction actions applies to actions initiated on or after the effective date of the Act.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to limit the compensation for advising or assisting with veterans' benefits; prohibit persons seeking compensation for advising, assisting, or consulting on a veterans' benefits matter from utilizing international call or data centers, directly or aggressively soliciting business, gaining access to personal medical, financial, or benefits log-in or password information, charging interest, and utilizing a doctor with whom they have an employment or business relationship; limit the fee for representation; require any person receiving compensation for assisting on a veterans' benefits matter to report to the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs (KDVA) annually; allow KDVA to promulgate form for the report and display it on their website; establish that violators constitute a violation of the Consumer Protection Act; provide that attorneys and law firms seeking to receive compensation for advising, assisting, or consulting any individual with any veterans' benefits matter shall be governed federal regulations.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 367 to establish requirements to protect minors from AI companion platforms and social media platforms using addictive features and predatory data collection; define terms; require AI companion platforms and social media platforms to refine their age verification for users; prohibit AI companion platforms or social media platforms from maintaining accounts for children without verifiable parental consent; create a private right of action for violations by AI companion platforms or social media platforms; authorize the Attorney General to enforce violations.

Direct the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to conduct investigations measuring the Commonwealth's capabilities and vulnerabilities during a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific and European regions; specify certain confidentiality and reporting requirements; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 39G to define "center," "executive director," "foreign enterprise," and "resident of the Commonwealth"; prohibit a resident of the Commonwealth from engaging in a transaction with a foreign enterprise if the transaction would result in foreign control of intellectual property, infrastructure, technology, or assets critical to the economic security of the Commonwealth, obstruction of counter-intelligence efforts, or would compromise the economic security of the Commonwealth; require the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center to review and investigate a transaction between a foreign enterprise and a resident of the Commonwealth; require the center to notify the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security once it has determined that a transaction would compromise the economic security of the Commonwealth; require the center to refer the matter to the appropriate federal authorities if a transaction would compromise the security of the United States; allow the center to contact other state and local agencies and access state and local databases if necessary in pursuit of a review or an investigation; require the center to assess whether the transaction between a foreign enterprise and a resident of the Commonwealth would pose a threat to the security of the Commonwealth, the level of threat the transaction would pose, whether that threat has been mitigated, whether the transaction is with or on behalf of a foreign government, and whether a foreign entity may obtain control of critical infrastructure, technology, or assets critical to the economic security of the Commonwealth; require the center to refer the matter to the Attorney General and notify the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security if it determines that the transaction would pose as a threat to the Commonwealth and the threat cannot be mitigated; require the center to meet with the co-chairs of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee at least twice a year to discuss any findings in its review or investigations that would compromise the economic security of the Commonwealth; allow either co-chair of the Legislative Investigations and Oversight Committee to compel additional meetings; require the co-chairs of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee to have required security clearance before meeting with the center; prohibit the center from meeting with the co-chairs if neither have obtained the required security clearance; exempt the meeting between the center and the co-chairs of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee from the Kentucky Open Meetings Act and exempt any records produced in the meeting from the Kentucky Open Records Act; require center to submit an annual report to the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee; exempt certain data from the report from the Kentucky Open Records Act; exempt certain data from the report from the Kentucky Open Meetings Act; direct that the first report to the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee be issued by July 1, 2027.