Kentucky Bills

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.

Create a new section of KRS 15.800 to 15.876 to require staff in the Department of Law with access to or use of federal tax information to submit to a criminal background check to be provided to the Attorney General; create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to define terms; establish that each state agency is for all purposes the custodian of its own records; create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to establish a 10-year statute of limitations in actions brought by the Attorney General; amend KRS 13B.140 to prohibit a hearing officer from being named as a party in any court action seeking judicial review of a final order of an agency; amend KRS 216B.115 to establish that in any appeal to the Franklin Circuit Court, neither the Attorney General nor any hearing officer shall be named as a party; amend KRS 322A.030 to remove the Attorney General as legal adviser to the Board of Registration for Professional Geologists; amend KRS 403.213 to remove the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services as a member of the commission charged with review of the child support tables to conform with the transfer of child support enforcement to the Attorney General; amend KRS 367.160 to conform; make technical corrections.

Amend KRS 138.220 to set a single excise tax on gasoline and special fuels; set initial base rate at 29.6 cents per gallon (cpg); subject tax to annual adjustment; eliminate references to taxation on the average wholesale price of gasoline and the supplemental tax on gasoline and special fuels; require annual notification to motor fuel dealers of the adjusted rate of the excise tax on gasoline and special fuels for each upcoming fiscal year; amend KRS 138.660 to set the initial base rate for the heavy equipment motor carrier surtax for gasoline at 2.2 cpg for fiscal year 26-27 and 4.3 cpg for fiscal year 27-28 and set the rate for special fuels at 3.6 cpg for fiscal year 26-27 and 7.2 cpg for fiscal year 27-28; subject the surtax to annual adjustment; create a new section of KRS Chapter 138 to define "taxes"; provide a mechanism for annual adjustment of the excise tax on gasoline and special fuels and the heavy equipment motor carrier surtax based on changes in the National Highway Construction Cost Index 2.0; allow these taxes to increase or decrease no more than 5% from one year to the next, subject to the statutory minimums; amend KRS 186.018 to increase the fee for a driving history record from $3 to $6; amend KRS 186.020 to eliminate the requirement to present a vehicle's registration receipt when renewing the vehicle registration and allow mail or online registration renewal with no additional fee; amend KRS 186.040 to eliminate the $30 county clerk fee for motor carrier registrations on vehicles in excess of 44,000 pounds; increase the county clerk fee for motor vehicle registrations from $6 to $8; amend KRS 186.050 to increase to state fee for motor vehicle registrations from $11.50 to $22; increase other state registration fees; provide for a $10 late charge for vehicle registrations not renewed within 30 days of expiration; make technical correction; amend KRS 186.162, 186.180, and 186.240 to conform; amend KRS 186.531 to set the reinstatement fee for a suspended operator's license at $100 and provide for distribution of funds; amend KRS 281A.150 to increase reinstatement fees for suspended CDLs from $50 to $100; amend KRS 186A.130 and 186A.245 to set the fee for an initial title at $25, the fee for a duplicate or replacement title at $10, and the fee for a speed title at $40, and adjust the distribution of fees between the Transportation Cabinet and the county clerk; amend KRS 189.574 to increase to fee for state traffic school from $15 to $50; create a new section of KRS Chapter 174 to create the multimodal transportation fund, specify allowable uses for moneys in the fund; amend KRS 177.320 and 177.365, regarding allocation of a portion of fuel tax revenue to county road aid funds and municipal road aid funds; change the revenue-sharing formula on the portion of fuel tax revenue available for revenue sharing which exceeds $825 million in any year from 18.3% to counties and 7.7% to cities to 13% for each fund; amend KRS 176.080 to establish limitations and awarding of single bid construction contracts the exceed, engineer's estimates, require reporting of such contracts; amend KRS 176.210 to prohibit the Department of Highways from revealing the identities of eligible bidders on a project until the project bid letting; amend KRS 138.210 to delete the definitions for "average wholesale price," "average wholesale floor price," and "quarterly survey value"; amend KRS 138.695, 138.270, 42.409, 234.320, 234.380, and 186A.035 to conform; repeal KRS 138.228, regarding the calculation of average wholesale price of gasoline, KRS 138.4602, regarding determination of total consideration on vehicles purchased between 2009 and 2014, and KRS 175.505, regarding the debt payment acceleration fund for turnpike authority debt; EFFECTIVE, in part, July, 1, 2026, and January 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 205.6412 to require the Department for Medicaid Services to seek authorization from the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a state-directed payment for physician and nonphysician professional services provided to a Medicaid beneficiary by a qualifying hospital's affiliated physician groups or physicians and other professionals employed or contracted by the qualified hospital; require the Department of Medicaid Services to direct Medicaid managed care organizations to issue payments back to January 1, 2026, upon federal approval; RETROACTIVE.

HB 721 amends Kentucky law to require a statewide prescreening and admissions review system for long-term-care facilities and certain hospital-based skilled-nursing beds. It directly affects residents seeking admission to these facilities, requiring them to meet a resource means test (sufficient funds for 365 days of care) and obtain preauthorization from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services before admission. Key provisions include mandatory preadmission screening teams, determinations about care needs and alternatives, and penalties (a Class B violation) for facilities admitting patients without prior authorization. The bill aims to prevent inappropriate placements and control costs by ensuring residents meet financial criteria and receive proper review before admission.

Amend KRS 156.153 to permit schools to use non-school bus passenger vehicles designed for 10, instead of 9, or fewer passengers; limit statewide driver qualification, training, and drug testing requirements to drivers of non-school bus passenger vehicles along regular bus routes; EMERGENCY.

Create a new section of KRS 16.505 to 16.652 to change the retirement benefits for members participating in the State Police Retirement System (SPRS) or in a hazardous position in either the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) or County Employees Retirement System (CERS) who are hired after January 1, 2014, but before January 1, 2027, so that, in lieu of continued participation in the hybrid cash balance plan (Tier 3 benefits), these members receive the benefits provided to members in a hazardous position who began participating immediately prior to January 1, 2014 (Tier 2 benefits); for those eligible hazardous employees, create a presumption that service credit in a hazardous position earned after January 1, 2014, is service credit earned immediately prior to January 1, 2014; for eligible hazardous members transitioning to Tier 2, require that accumulated contributions in the hybrid cash balance plan remain in the member’s account, but any employer credit be transferred to the retirement allowance account; allow a member in a hazardous position subject to a change from Tier 3 to Tier 2 benefits to make a one-time election to opt out of the change of benefits within 30 days; establish exclusions; amend KRS 16.576, 16.577, 16.578, 16.582, 61.546, 61.552, 61.597, 61.615, 78.5512, 78.5514, 78.5524, 78.5528, and 78.616 to grant to members in a hazardous position who begin participating after January 1, 2027, or whose participation is presumed under Section 1 of this Act to begin immediately prior to January 1, 2014, the same benefits provided to members whose participation began immediately prior to January 1, 2014 (Tier 2 benefits), including death and disability benefits, benefit factors and service credit that includes service credit for unused sick leave, and eligibility for early retirement and service purchases; make technical corrections; amend KRS 16.583 and 78.5516 to limit the hybrid cash balance plan (Tier 3 benefits) only to members participating in SPRS or in hazardous positions in KERS or CERS who make an election to opt out of Tier 2 benefits under Section 1 of this Act or who make an election, prior to the effective date of the Act, under KRS 61.5955; amend KRS 61.5955 to provide that only a member in a nonhazardous position who began participating in KERS or CERS as a Tier 2 member may elect to receive Tier 3 benefits in the hybrid cash balance plan in lieu of Tier 2 benefits; amend KRS 16.505, 61.510, and 78.510 to amend definitions of various terms to conform and make technical changes; amend KRS 16.560, 61.575, and 78.640 to allow interest credited on the accounts of members participating in SPRS or in a hazardous position in KERS or CERS to be adjusted to conform; amend KRS 61.592 and 78.5520 to exempt only hazardous members who opt out of receiving Tier 2 benefits from eligibility for an employer payment to convert nonhazardous service to hazardous service; amend KRS 61.680 to require that a member who is eligible under Section 1 of this Act and who has nonhazardous service credit as a Tier 3 member of either KERS or CERS to have his or her nonhazardous and hazardous service consolidated to determine eligibility and benefits; amend KRS 78.545 to add Section 1 of this Act as one of the provisions that shall be administered for the CERS in the same manner as for the KERS.