Friday marked the 24th day of the 30-day session, which is scheduled to end March 28th. The are 814 House bills, and 313 Senate bills under consideration.
A note on this report: Bills that are not likely to move this session have been removed. If they begin to move, they will be added in again.
KACP PRIORITIES:
Pension System Health Insurance:
SB10, Sen. Robby Mills (R), Amend KRS 78.5536, relating to the County Employees 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, 2026; 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, 2026, 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.
Passed out of committee. Passed the full Senate 35-0. Posted in the House Local Government Committee. We have been told the bill will be heard in the Committee on March 11th
If you have a legislator on this committee, please reach out to the and ask them to support SB10. House Local Government Committee.
Open Records:
HB520, Rep. Chris Fugate (R), Amend KRS 61.878, relating to open records, to provide that law enforcement records shall be exempt from public inspection if the disclosure of the information could pose an articulable risk of harm to the law enforcement agency or its investigation by revealing the identity of informants or witnesses not otherwise known.
Passed by the full House 78-21. Assigned to Senate State and Local Government Committee. Should be heard this week.
Pension Spiking:
HB30, Rep. John Blanton (R), Amend KRS 61.598 to exempt from the pension spiking provisions any increases in rates of pay authorized or funded by the legislative or administrative body of an employer or mandated in a collective bargaining agreement approved by the legislative body of the employer that are provided to members of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System, County Employees Retirement System, or State Police Retirement System.
Passed out of Committee. Passed the full House 92-0. Assigned to the Senate State and Local Government. Passed out of Committee. Awaiting action by the full Senate.
LEGISLATION KACP SUPPORTS:
House:
HB96, Rep. Stephanie Dietz (R), Amend KRS 403.720, relating to orders of protection, to define “coercive control” and “stalking”; amend the definition of “domestic violence and abuse” to include coercive control of a family member or member of an unmarried couple; amend KRS 456.010 to define “coercive control”; amend the definition of “dating violence and abuse” to include coercive control of a person with whom the perpetrator is or has been in a dating relationship; amend KRS 209A.122 to require the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide information on petitions for orders of protection where the basis of the petition is coercive control and whether parties to a petition for an order of protection were represented by a legal representative.
Passed out of Committee, awaiting action by the full House.
HB234,Rep. Wade Williams (R), Amend KRS 16.220, relating to confiscated firearms sold at public auction, to add airport safety and security department to the list of agencies that are eligible to receive grant funds from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security for purchasing body armor and other necessary equipment. This will allow our Airport Police Departments to participate in grant funding.
Passed the full House 92-0. Passed the Senate 36-0. Signed by the Governor 3/7/35.
HB340, Rep. Tony Hampton (R), Create a new section of KRS Chapter 17 to define terms and require criminal justice agencies to provide criminal history records information to requesting agencies when they are conducting a basic suitability or fitness assessment for federal or contractor employees under 5 U.S.C. sec. 9101; authorize the agency to request a fee of $25 for reimbursement of expenses related to the check; amend KRS 610.340, relating to juvenile justice records, to conform.
Passed the House 81-3. Awaiting committee assignment in the Senate
HB369, Rep. Mark Hart (R), Amend KRS 95.495 to stipulate that the annual leave designated for police officers subject to the section may be accrued over a year’s time as established in the personnel policy of the department.
Passed the House 86-7. Assigned to Licensing & Occupations in the Senate. Should be heard this week.
HB437, Rep. Tony Hampton (R), Amend KRS 241.090, relating to the police powers of state Alcoholic Beverage Control administrators and investigators, to provide that a state administrator shall not have the power to make arrests unless he or she is certified in accordance with KRS 15.380 to 15.404; amend KRS 241.110, relating to the appointment of county Alcoholic Beverage Control administrators and investigators, to provide that a county investigator shall not have the power to make arrests unless he or she is certified in accordance with KRS 15.380 to 15.404; amend KRS 241.170, relating to the appointment of city Alcoholic Beverage Control administrators and investigators, to provide that city administrators and investigators shall not have the power to make arrests unless he or she is certified in accordance with KRS 15.380 to 15.404; amend KRS 241.230, relating to the appointment of urban-county Alcoholic Beverage Control administrators and investigators, to provide that urban-county administrators and investigators shall not have the power to make arrests unless he or she is certified in accordance with KRS 15.380 to 15.404.
Passed the House 96-0. Assigned to Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection in the Senate. Should be heard this week.
Senate:
SB126, Sen. Chris McDaniel (R), Propose to amend Section 77 of the Constitution of Kentucky to prohibit the Governor’s ability to grant pardons or commute sentences beginning 30 days prior to a gubernatorial election and ending at that gubernatorial inauguration; amend Section 240 of the Constitution of Kentucky to conform; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.
Passed out of committee. Passed the full Senate 37-0-1. Awaiting committee assignment in the House.
LEGISLATION KACP FOLLOWING/MONITORING:
House
HB15, Rep. Steven Rudy (R), Amend KRS 186.450 to allow people who are at least 15 years of age to apply for a motor vehicle instruction permit; establish that an instruction permit is valid for four years; amend KRS 186.410, 186.452 and 159.051 to conform; EMERGENCY.
Passed out of Committee. Passed the full House 86-13. Passed out of Committee, awaiting action by the full Senate.
HB20, Rep. John Hodgson (R), Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to define terms related to automated license plate readers; establish limitations on use and sale of data captured by automated license plate readers; provide that captured license plate data may be retained longer than 60 days only if it is being used in a criminal or insurance investigation or has become subject to a preservation of evidence notification; provide that any recorded images or data captured by an ALPR may be made available to the National Insurance Crime Bureau or its successor organization; create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to define terms and establish limitations on the introduction of identification devices on or within the human body; create a new section of KRS Chapter 413 to establish a statute of limitations for an action filed for introduction of an identification device; amend KRS 508.152, relating to the unlawful use of tracking devices, to include the installation of a tracking device on the person or property of another without their consent and exempt parental tracking of minors from the prohibition.
Passed out of Committee. Passed the full House 90-1. Awaiting Committee action in the Senate.
HB399, Rep. John Blanton, Create new sections of KRS Chapter 519 to define terms; create the crime of interference with a legislative proceeding in the first degree; create the crime of interference with a legislative proceeding in the second degree; amend KRS 431.015 to require a peace officer to make an arrest for a violation of interference with a legislative proceeding in the first or second degree.
Passed out of Committee. Passed the full House 68-26. Awaiting Committee assignment in the Senate.
Senate
SB144, Sen. Danny Carroll (R), Amend KRS 16.220, relating to firearms confiscated by law enforcement, to provide that firearms which were used in a homicide be destroyed; provide that firearms in the possession of the Department of Kentucky State Police may be destroyed if they have been defaced, are contaminated by hazardous material, unsafe to discharge, or upon request of an innocent owner; amend KRS 500.090, relating to forfeiture of property in criminal cases, to require local law enforcement agencies to destroy firearms that have been used in a homicide; require that all firearms that are transferred to the Department of Kentucky State Police not be intentionally damaged, modified, or disabled by the agency having custody, except as may be necessary for forensic testing; amend KRS 15.440, to require law enforcement agencies to have a written policy and procedures manual relating to the destruction of firearms used in homicides by January 1, 2026.
Passed out of Committee. Passed the full Senate 38-0. Assigned to Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection. Awaiting Committee action in the Senate.
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
Feb. 17: Presidents Day holiday; legislature not in session
Feb. 18: Last day for introduction of new Senate bills
Feb. 19: Last day for introduction of new House bills
March 15-26: Veto recess
March 27-28: Final legislative days
FOR MORE INFO
As always, questions, suggestions, comments or concerns can be directed to Executive Director Shawn Butler, who can be reached at 859-743-2920 or sbutler@kypolicechiefs.org .