This resolution (SR 49) is a ceremonial honor from the Kentucky Senate for Dr. Jacqueline Sugarman upon her receipt of the 2026 Jean Sabharwal Award from Bluegrass Families First. It recognizes her professional work as a pediatrician, medical director for children's advocacy centers, and her advocacy for Lexington children and families through initiatives like the Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program. The resolution contains no policy changes - it simply formally acknowledges her contributions through a Senate resolution and adjournment. It was adopted by voice vote on January 29, 2026.
SR 63 is a ceremonial resolution honoring Reverend George Clifton Curington, Sr., a former Jefferson County Police Department detective and community leader who passed away January 18, 2026. The Senate formally adjourned on January 29, 2026, expressing condolences to his family and recognizing his lifetime contributions to Louisville, including his work as the first African American detective, community organizer, and church leader. This resolution has no policy impact - it serves solely as a memorial gesture by the Senate. It was adopted by voice vote on the Senate floor the same day it was introduced.
This resolution (SR 31) is a ceremonial gesture by the Kentucky Senate to honor cancer patients, survivors, families, and advocates. It specifically declares Thursday, January 29, 2026, as "Suits and Sneakers Day" in the Senate, recognizing a national initiative that raises cancer awareness through community efforts. The resolution does not create new laws or allocate funds; it is purely symbolic, aiming to acknowledge the impact of cancer on Kentuckians. It was adopted by the Senate with a voice vote on January 29, 2026.
HR 43 is a resolution recognizing Kentucky's long-standing economic and cultural partnership with Japan. It highlights that Japanese companies operate over 200 facilities in Kentucky, employing 45,000 Kentuckians and making Japan the state's top foreign investor, while Kentucky exports over $1 billion in goods (like bourbon and machinery) to Japan annually. The resolution also notes cultural ties, including seven sister city relationships and Japanese language education programs in Kentucky communities. It encourages lawmakers to join the Kentucky Japan Caucus to strengthen trade relations and directs the Clerk to share the resolution with Japan's Consul-General. As a symbolic gesture, it does not create new laws but formally acknowledges existing partnerships.
This is a commemorative resolution (not a policy bill), adopted by the Kentucky Senate on January 28, 2026. It formally adjourns the Senate in honor of Robert E. "Bob" Purnell, Sr., a Simpsonville, Kentucky businessman and community leader who passed away in October 2025. The resolution recognizes his 75-year career leading Purnell's Sausage Company (founded by his father), his community involvement, and his family. It directs the Senate Clerk to send a copy to his family, expressing the Senate's condolences.
This is a ceremonial resolution (SR 22), not a policy bill. It honors Brian Jay Hatt, a Raywick, Kentucky firefighter and U.S. Army veteran who died in a truck accident while responding to a fire call on August 25, 2025. The resolution expresses the Senate's sympathy to his family and directs the Senate to adjourn in his memory. It does not change any laws or affect any policies; it is a symbolic tribute to his service and life.
Amend KRS 160.145 to expand existing definitions and define "private electronic communication" and "qualified school volunteer"; limit the scope of unauthorized electronic communication to private electronic communication and exclude designated types of communication from the scope of the requirement to obtain written parental consent prior to communicating outside of the traceable communication system; limit the scope of the school volunteers subject to this section to qualified school volunteers; specify that the requirement to obtain written parental consent only applies to students enrolled within the same school district as the school district employee or qualified school volunteer; permit a local school district more flexibility in disciplinary actions arising from a violation of this section; permit a written parental consent form to designate more than 1 school district employee or qualified school volunteer; provide that the written consent may be revoked by the parent who filed the consent; require notice of the revocation to be sent to the identified school district employee or qualified school volunteer; prohibit a school or school district from refusing to accept parental consent forms; prohibit requiring parental consent forms under this section as a requirement for a student to participate in an academic, athletic, or extracurricular opportunity; provide an emergency exception to permit a school district employee or qualified school volunteer to communicate electronically without prior written parental consent if the individual discloses the communication after the fact; permit a school district to reconsider allowing previously prohibited volunteers; create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to prohibit a public school district or public charter school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement relating to unauthorized electronic communication or misconduct involving a minor or student; amend KRS 160.380 to define "abusive conduct"; require school district applicants to disclose being the subject of any disciplinary actions in the previous 12 months relating to abusive conduct and consent to a reference check; require school districts to conduct reference checks; require nonpublic schools and public school districts to disclose any disciplinary actions related to abusive conduct of applicants; provide immunity for disclosures made about school employee conduct; require school districts to request all related information from public and nonpublic schools and the Education Professional Standards Board (ESPB); require schools and EPSB to provide the records; require requests for information to be satisfied in 10 working days; require EPSB to create and implement procedures for information requests; require all school district applicants to list all schools of previous and current employment on the application; require a school district to internally report and investigate to completion all allegations of abusive conduct; require all records relating to an allegation of abusive conduct to be retained in an employee's personnel file unless the allegation is proven false; provide that certain requirements apply to public charter schools; amend KRS 156.160 to direct the Kentucky Board of Education to include employment standards in the voluntary certification standards for private schools; make technical corrections; amend KRS 160.151 to define "certified nonpublic school"; require employees of certified nonpublic schools to submit to a national and state criminal background check and a CA/N check; require certified nonpublic school personnel to have a state criminal background check every 5 years; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from hiring a violent or felony sex crime offender; require a certified nonpublic school to conduct reference checks on all applicants; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement related to misconduct involving a minor or student; make technical corrections; amend KRS 156.095 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a training related to sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships for employees to undergo every 5 years; make technical corrections; amend KRS 161.151 to conform; require that an allegation of abusive conduct be reported pursuant to KRS 620.030; amend KRS 158.4431, 156.492, and 158.200 to conform; provide that Section 2 may be cited as Erin's Law; EMERGENCY.
This resolution (SR 56) is a ceremonial honor from the Kentucky Senate for Elder Nathan Craig and Sister Amy Craig, recognizing their upcoming three-year service as leaders of the Ghana Accra South Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It commends their local community and church leadership in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and extends congratulations on their international missionary assignment. The resolution has no policy impact or financial effect; it solely serves to publicly acknowledge their service through the Senate's formal words of praise.
Amend KRS 511.010 to define terms; amend KRS 511.070 to expand the elements of criminal trespass in the second degree to include knowingly entering or remaining in a workplace while engaging in disruptive or threatening behavior where notice against trespass is given; establish that a second or subsequent criminal trespass in the second degree offense within 3 years is a Class A misdemeanor; amend KRS 511.080 to establish that a second or subsequent criminal trespass in the third degree offense within 3 years is a Class B misdemeanor.
Amend KRS 61.315 to include additional cancers which, when they are the cause of death of a firefighter, would make the firefighter eligible for death benefits; make a technical correction.
This resolution formally recognizes January 25-31, 2026, as Physician Anesthesiologist Week in Kentucky. It does not create new laws, allocate funding, or directly affect any individuals or organizations - it is a symbolic gesture honoring the profession's historical contributions to medicine. The resolution cites key advancements by physician anesthesiologists, such as pain management innovations, safety monitoring, and critical care developments. As a ceremonial measure, it has no binding policy impact.
This resolution (SR 38) is a formal statement by the Kentucky Senate recognizing January 27, 2026, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and honors survivors, rescuers, and liberators, while affirming the Senate's commitment to confronting antisemitism and hate. The resolution does not create new laws or policies but serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of historical events and ongoing vigilance against hatred. It directly affects the Senate's public record and its expression of values, without imposing requirements on citizens or government programs.
