Create new sections of KRS Chapter 61 to require a permitting authority to issue a decision on any permit application within 60 days; automatically grant any permit if a permitting authority fails to render a decision within 60 days; require any denial or conditional approval of a permit to be based on clearly established applicable laws or regulations; grant Circuit Court jurisdiction over any permitting matter; require the Circuit Court to determine whether a permitting decision by the permitting authority was based on clear and convincing evidence; require the Circuit Court to award the applicant attorney's fees and costs if the court finds against the permitting authority; allow third-party challenges to permitting decisions only if the third-party has property adjacent to property that has been granted a permit and where the third-party can demonstrate concrete and particularized harm resulting from issuance of a permit; allow an applicant to appeal any adverse decision from a third-party challenge; require a third party to pay applicant's attorney's fees and costs if the permit is finally approved following a third-party challenge; create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to grant by-right approval to housing projects which meet a planning unit's code or regulations; grant Circuit Court jurisdiction over any denial of a housing project under the section; require the Circuit Court to determine whether a denial by the planning unit was based on clear and convincing evidence; require Circuit Court to award the applicant attorney's fees and costs if the court finds against the planning unit; provide that the section does not prevent monitoring by the planning unit or affect restrictions in rules or regulations of a homeowners association, condominium association, or other property owners association; amend KRS 198B.060 to permit third-party plan review and inspections under new procedures; create a new section of KRS Chapter 198B to define terms; require regulatory authorities to provide information to prospective applicants regarding requirements to apply for a permit; require a regulatory authority to inform an applicant of whether the application is complete within 3 days and include whether the regulatory authority is able to perform plan review and inspection within specified time limits; require a regulatory authority to conduct plan review within 7 days of receipt of a complete application and inspections within 5 days of any request for an inspection being made; permit an applicant to use a qualifying third-party inspector; set out circumstances under which a regulatory authority may collect fees depending on use of a third-party inspector; set out what a third-party inspector may review and set out qualifications and requirements the third-party inspector must meet; require a regulatory authority to issue a permit within 1 business day of the completion of required plan reviews and inspections associated with an otherwise complete application; state that any ordinance, rule, or regulation contrary is void and unenforceable; state that a regulatory authority may issue a stop work order if a condition of a project constitute an immediate threat to public safety and welfare; establish immunity for the regulatory authority for action of an applicant or third-party inspector.
Amend KRS 247.801 to amend the definition of "agritourism activity"; define "working animal"; create a new section of KRS 247.800 to 247.810 to prohibit a city, town, county, or other political subdivision of the Commonwealth from restricting a person from engaging in an agritourism activity; require that an agritourism activity comply with public health and safety requirements and any existing law enforceable by police powers of local government.
Amend KRS 525.120, relating to abuse of a corpse, to include the purchase or sale of a corpse or parts of a corpse after the corpse has been authorized for final disposition by burial or cremation.
Amend KRS 160.345 to remove the Kentucky Department of Education's reporting requirement on school physical activity, prohibit the department or the Kentucky Board of Education from requiring a school to complete any component of a comprehensive school improvement plan that is not expressly required from that specific school by federal law or state statute; amend KRS 156.101 to remove superintendents' reporting requirement on instructional leaders who fail to complete required training; amend KRS 160.380 to remove superintendents' annual reporting requirement on a district's minority teacher recruitment process; amend KRS 158.1413 to remove superintendents' reporting requirement on school districts' essential workplace ethics programs; repeal KRS 158.867, relating to minimum requirements for summer learning camps; authorize the Kentucky Department of Education and Kentucky Board of Education to continue to collect designated existing reports; prohibit the Kentucky Department of Education and Kentucky Board of Education from requiring designated reports; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2026.
Create new sections of Subtitle 19 of KRS Chapter 304 to establish regulatory requirements relating to credit personal property insurance; define terms; establish exemptions from the regulatory requirements; establish limits on the amount and term of credit personal property insurance sold in conjunction with a closed-end credit transaction; require credit personal property insurance to cover a substantial risk of loss of, or damage to, the collateral pledged or secured in the credit transaction; prohibit an insurer from requiring bundling of other credit insurance coverages and from using gross debt in determining premiums; require a creditor to deliver, or cause to be delivered, a policy, certificate, memorandum or other disclosure disclosing the costs and coverage within 30 days after the date of the loan; require policies, certificates, plans, contracts, applications, enrollment forms, and schedules of premiums rates to be filed with the commissioner of the Department of Insurance; establish requirements for the refund of unearned premiums upon cancellation prior to the scheduled maturity date; establish requirements relating to the reporting and payment of claims; provide that a person aggrieved by a decision of the commissioner may request an administrative hearing; provide that a violation by an insurer is subject to the penalty provisions of Subtitle 99 of KRS Chapter 304; amend KRS 304.19-010, 304.19-020, 304.19-080, 304.19-090, and 304.19-130 to conform; direct that certain sections apply to contracts issued or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act.
SB 6 appropriates $150 million from Kentucky's General Fund for the state's endowed research fund during the 2026-2027 budget year. The funds must be evenly distributed across five university research consortium accounts established under Kentucky law, with unspent money carried forward to future years to avoid lapsing. This bill directly supports Kentucky's public universities and their research initiatives by providing dedicated, long-term funding. The legislation declares an emergency to allow immediate implementation upon passage, emphasizing its focus on advancing research and economic opportunities.
Create a new section of KRS 344.010 to 344.025 to define terms; set standards for determinations of impairments; amend KRS 344.010 to define "major life activities," "regarded as having such an impairment," and "transitory impairment"; amend KRS 344.020 to provide for execution of the policies embodied in the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008; amend KRS 344.030 to provide that "qualified individual with a disability" is to be interpreted consistently with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 2008; amend KRS 344.190 to remove the adjudicative powers of the Human Rights Commission regarding matters related to employment and public accommodations; amend KRS 344.200 to provide that an aggrieved individual may file a civil action for a discriminatory practice other than a housing practice without first filing a complaint with the Human Rights Commission; require a probable cause determination on a complaint to be made within 30 days of the commission's receipt of the respondent's response or the expiry of the time for a response, whichever is later; require orders dismissing complaints with the commission to be made without prejudice; allow an aggrieved individual to file a civil action for the same grievance while a complaint is either pending with or has been dismissed by the Human Rights Commission; provide that the filing of a complaint before the commission does not toll the statute of limitations for the filing of a civil action; provide that the statute of limitations for an action filed by the commission on behalf of a private party who has not previously filed an action for that grievance is 3 years as provided under KRS 413.115; provide that a civil action for a grievance may only be filed by either the private party or the commission but not both; allow for a private party or the commission to intervene as a third party in a civil action filed by the other; bar the recovery of monetary damages by the commission; limit a private party's remedies to those set out in KRS 344.450; provide that all matters of fact are to be triable by jury; allow a private party with an complaint already filed with or pending before the commission to bring a civil action for the same grievance within 1 year of the effective date of this Act; amend KRS 344.320 to eliminate adjudicative functions of local commissions; amend KRS 344.635 to allow a party to a complaint for a discriminatory housing charge with the Human Rights Commission to demand a trial by jury if a civil action is elected in lieu of administrative hearing; repeal KRS 344.210, 344.230, 344.240, 344.270, and 344.340 related to adjudicative functions of the Human Rights Commission; amend KRS 344.660 and 344.675 to conform.
Create a new section of KRS 78.510 to 78.852 to allow employers participating in the County Employees Retirement System (CERS) to make a one-time election to offer members who work in hazardous positions who are hired on or after January 1, 2014, but prior to July 1, 2027, so that, in lieu of continued participation in the hybrid cash balance plan (Tier III benefits), these members receive the benefits provided to members in a hazardous position who began participating immediately prior to January 1, 2014 (Tier II benefits); allow for employers in CERS to make a one-time election to opt in to the benefit change by July 1, 2027; allow members who are employed by an employer that makes a one-time election to make a one-time election to opt into the benefit change within 30 days of the employer election and allow a member to pay the costs to convert any other Tier III benefit service in a hazardous position to Tier II benefit service; provide that all new hires after July 1, 2027, in hazardous positions for any employer that makes a one-time election receive Tier II benefits; require that accumulated contributions in the hybrid cash balance plan remain in the member's account; provide that any member eligible to make a one-time irrevocable election to change their benefits shall not have the option to change or make a new election under any circumstances relating to a change in employment or reemployment with a participating employer; amend KRS 61.5955 to exempt members who are participating in Tier II benefits based upon an election of an employer pursuant to this Act; amend KRS 61.680 to allow members who have Tier II and Tier III service to consolidate that service for the purpose of determining eligibility and amount of benefits; amend KRS 78.510 to add December 31, 2013, to the definition of "membership date" for members whose benefit tier changes pursuant to this Act; amend KRS 78.5520 to allow members to pay the cost of converting any other Tier III service in a hazardous position to Tier II service and allow employers to pay the cost of converting any Tier III service that could be converted to Tier II service on behalf of the employee; amend KRS 78.635 to require employers who make a one-time irrevocable election to pay an additional actuarially accrued liability contribution that is sufficient to fund the conversion of benefits; amend KRS 78.640 to allow a member's accumulated employer credit attributable to service converted to Tier II benefits to be transferred to the retirement allowance account; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.
Amend KRS 78.5522 to allow for the 5 year service requirement for disability retirement to be waived for a person who works in a nonhazardous position that could be certified as a hazardous position who is injured in line of duty resulting in an incapacity to continue as an employee in the position that could be certified as hazardous; allow certain persons whose last day of paid employment was on or after January 1, 2022, but prior to the effective date of this Act to apply for disability benefits; RETROACTIVE.
This bill amends Kentucky law to clarify how public school districts must publish their annual financial statements and school report cards. It requires school superintendents to make these documents available either in the largest county newspaper, on the district's website, or as printed copies at the main public library. If the district chooses to post documents online or at the library, it must also publish a notice in the newspaper telling the public where to find them. The amendment also ensures all financial statements are prepared using consistent accounting methods across different school systems.
Amend KRS 116.055 to permit a registered independent to vote in the primary of 1 party for each primary opened by that party; require that an independent be registered as an independent on December 31 immediately preceding the primary; amend KRS 117.125 to require that electronic voting machines be reprogrammed to allow a registered independent to vote for a party's candidates in a primary; amend KRS 118.125 to prohibit a primary candidate from being a registered independent; EFFECTIVE December 1, 2027.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to create the physician recruitment and retention program to provide loan repayment to eligible medical students; define terms; specify the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority may provide awards to eligible students; require 10 years of qualified medical service; require repayment if services are not rendered; specify that failure to meet repayment obligations may be cause for revocation of a medical license at the discretion of the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure.
