HB 185 Kentucky House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT relating to employment and declaring an emergency.

Summary
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 335B.010 to 335B.070 to require hiring or licensing authorities to establish an application process that gives persons convicted of a crime an opportunity to obtain a determination about whether the crime will disqualify the individual from a position of public employment or occupational license before pursuing employment or training; require hiring or licensing authorities to formulate policies and procedures for the application process by promulgating regulations no later than January 1, 2027; provide an annual report to the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2027; provide that certain entities are exempted from the requirements of the application process; amend KRS 335B.020 to add criteria for hiring and licensing authorities to consider when determining if a conviction directly relates to the position of public employment or occupational license sought; amend KRS 335B.030 to require hiring or licensing authorities to evaluate information and provide written findings of fact to the applicant upon determination.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 7, 2026 Signed Apr 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Current/Final · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to clarify its purpose by explicitly stating it declares an emergency and to improve the flow of the introductory text. The document's page count increased from 7 to 12, indicating that new substantive content or sections were added to the bill, though the specific text of those additions is not visible in the provided diff.
Scope change
The bill's scope appears to have expanded due to the increase in page count, but the specific new provisions cannot be identified from the provided text.
TECHNICAL

The title was updated to include 'and declaring an emergency', and the introductory text was rephrased for clarity.

The document length increased from 7 pages to 12 pages, suggesting new sections or content were inserted, but the specific details of these additions are not present in the provided diff.

Floor votes · House Feb 23, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
23
Key actions
10
Committee
9
Apr 10, 2026
Signed into law
signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 72)
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Upper · Passed
enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
upper
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
passed 91-0
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
House concurred in Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
lower
Mar 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Committee
to Rules (H)
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 37-0 with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
lower
Mar 13, 2026
Committee
to Licensing & Occupations (S)
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 95-0
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
lower
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H)
lower
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (H)
lower
Jan 7, 2026
Introduced
introduced in House
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.