SB 79 Kentucky Senate · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT relating to state personnel.

Summary
Amend KRS 18A.005 to define "intern employee" and "intern position"; amend KRS 18A.050 to require a member of the Personnel Board to vacate his or her position or have the board terminate his or her position if he or she separates from the classified service; amend KRS 18A.0751 to no longer require the Personnel Board to promulgate administrative regulations pertaining to employee fines or employee reemployment after a layoff; amend KRS 18A.110 to allow the secretary of the Personnel Cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations to implement scholarship programs, internship programs, education programs, and educational assistance programs for employees; allow the secretary of the Personnel Cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations for the classified service governing layoffs, furloughs, and reduction of hours to include, but not be limited to reemployment of laid-off employees; amend KRS 18A.113 to provide that in the same department or office, county, and job classification, intern, interim and probationary employees shall be terminated before full-time and part-time employees with status are laid off; amend KRS 18A.115 to permit members and employees of boards and commissions exempt from the classified service to employ staff subject to the provisions of KRS 18A.005 to 18A.200, 18A.202, and 18A.203; exempt juvenile institution superintendents from the classified service; amend KRS 18A.125 to require all agencies and employees for which the Personnel Cabinet administers payroll to comply with the secretary's payroll administration; prohibit an executive branch agency for which the cabinet administers payroll from authorizing work performance outside of the Commonwealth without approval from the secretary; allow an agency to request the secretary deduct certain items from an employee's final paycheck so long as the deduction is expressly authorized in writing and does not reduce the employee's pay below the federal minimum wage; amend KRS 18A.135 to direct when reemployment rights expire; amend KRS 18A.197 and 18A.203 to permit an employee who has provided proper notice of resignation or retirement to transfer all or part of their remaining sick or annual leave balance even if they have accumulated under 75 hours of sick or annual leave; amend KRS 18A.035, 18A.095, 18A.100, 18A.355, 132.370, and 163.032 to conform and make technical corrections.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 4, 2025 Last action Feb 25, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Current/Final · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill restructures the definition of state employees and introduces a new telework policy. It creates new categories for 'centralized' and 'noncentralized' employees and allows state employees to work remotely during declared emergencies, subject to approval by branch leaders.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of the Personnel Board's authority to include employees of the judicial and legislative branches, not just the executive branch, and adds specific emergency telework provisions.
DEFINITION

New definitions for 'centralized employee' and 'noncentralized employee' were added to clarify which employees are subject to telework rules.

REQUIREMENT

A new telework policy was introduced that allows employees to work remotely for up to two days per month if approved by their branch leader during an emergency.

New exemptions were added for employees in professions like motor vehicle enforcement, plumbing inspections, health inspections, and building inspections.

SCOPE

The scope of the Personnel Board's authority was expanded to include employees of the judicial and legislative branches, not just the executive branch.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 20, 2025

How they voted

2812
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 43
Feb 20, 2025
D Democratic6
6 Nay
100% Nay
R Republican37
28 Yea 6 Nay 3
75% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
14
Key actions
5
Committee
4
Amendments
2
Feb 25, 2025
Introduced
floor amendment (1) filed
upper
Feb 21, 2025
Committee
to Committee on Committees (H)
lower
Feb 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
3rd reading, passed 25-10 with Floor Amendment (1)
upper
Feb 19, 2025
Introduced
floor amendment (1) filed
upper
Feb 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day
upper
Feb 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day
upper
Feb 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Committee
to State & Local Government (S)
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Introduced
introduced in Senate
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.