Agriculture

Amend KRS 246.055 to authorize the Department of Agriculture to accept nonfederal funds and grants from any source, public or private, that benefit the Department's programs; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 259.120 to allow the county judge/executive to contract for the performance of specific duties required to be performed when an equine is subject to being taken up by a person or organization that provides animal sheltering services; require the contract to be approved by the county fiscal court; establish immunity from criminal and civil liability.

Amend KRS 217.035 to remove meat or a meat product containing cultured animal tissue from the list of foods deemed misbranded; amend KRS 217.175 to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or exchange of meat or a meat product containing cultured animal tissue.

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.

HB 792 makes a technical correction to Kentucky law regarding the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement Fund. The bill amends the existing statute to clarify how funds from the tobacco settlement should be deposited into the Rural Development Fund, which supports agricultural development for Kentucky residents. The amendment ensures that 50% of tobacco settlement proceeds are properly allocated to this fund and establishes requirements for the Rural Development Board to create a strategic plan, submit annual reports, and undergo regular audits. This change does not alter the fund's purpose but corrects procedural details in the legal framework governing its administration.