Appropriations and Revenue

Amend KRS 132.380 to require the examination of candidates for the office of property valuation administrator to be offered by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS); require the Department of Revenue to provide KCTCS with examination questions and other relevant examination information; establish the examination period; require KCTCS to work with the department to promulgate administrative regulations for the examination registration and establishment of fees; require KCTCS to provide the Department of Revenue information from a candidate's examination for purposes of determining if the candidate passed the examination; establish a deadline for the Department of Revenue to issue a certificate of fitness and qualification to candidates who passed the examination; make technical corrections.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to establish the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program; define terms; require the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (authority) to annually submit recommendations to the General Assembly for awarding grant funding to eligible applicants for up to 1/3 of the actual costs incurred in applying for and procuring an early site permit, construction permit, or combined operating license from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, not to exceed $25,000,000; establish eligibility requirements and scoring criteria for applications; require the authority to make eligibility determinations and objectively score grant applications; require that applicants procure a surety bond or other similar security to guarantee the repayment of the grant amounts in the event of forfeiture for eligibility; provide for forfeiture and repayment of grant funding if certain permitting, licensure, or commencement of construction timelines are not met; establish the Kentucky nuclear reactor site readiness pilot program fund; create a new section of KRS Chapter 278 to allow a regulated utility to apply to the Public Service Commission for the recovery of costs not covered in its existing rates incurred in applying for and procuring an early site permit, construction permit, or combined operating license from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission; prohibit the recovery of costs for any amounts that have been offset by grant funding from the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program; amend KRS 164.2802 to require 12 hours of nuclear-related training for new and existing at-large voting members of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority; allow the director or the chair of the authority to waive the training requirement for any member who can demonstrate adequate knowledge of nuclear-related issues; require that the authority include its evaluations, scores, and funding recommendations for the Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program with its annual report to the Governor and the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 164.2803 to allow fusion-related nuclear energy projects to be eligible for grant funding from the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 96 to define "municipal interlocal gas utility"; provide that a municipal interlocal gas utility is exempt from the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission and KRS Chapter 278 exempt as provided in KRS 278.495; authorize a municipal interlocal gas utility to determine its own service territory through official acts of its governing authority; allow a municipal interlocal gas utility to have the primary right to provide service in its service territory and to have the right to be the first provider for new customers in the service territory; authorize the municipal interlocal gas utility to acquire an existing natural gas system through eminent domain and specify the valuation method for the acquired plant or system; exempt a municipal interlocal gas utility from the provisions of KRS 96.5375, 96.045, and 96.538; amend KRS 65.240 to allow a public agency to acquire natural gas facilities inside or outside of its jurisdictional boundaries; amend KRS 96.5375 to allow a municipal interlocal gas utility to extend an existing natural gas system or construct a new system inside or outside its constituent cities' boundaries; specify the valuation of natural gas distribution system or plant acquired by eminent domain; define "municipal interlocal gas utility"; amend KRS 278.010 to exempt to municipal interlocal gas utilities from the definition of "utility" for the purpose of establishing the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission; define "municipal interlocal gas utility"; amend KRS 96.045 and 96.538 to conform; RETROACTIVE.

HB 674 makes technical corrections to Kentucky's budget submission rules for government branches. It requires all budget recommendations to include specific dollar amounts for every item, banning vague terms like "necessary government expense" without them. The bill also mandates that when a fund's entire proceeds are assigned to specific budget units, agencies must provide annual revenue estimates for the current and prior two fiscal bienniums. This affects all state government branches submitting budget recommendations to the General Assembly. The changes clarify procedural requirements without altering funding levels or policy substance.

HB 640 is a technical correction bill to Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 131.170, which governs tax filing extensions. It fixes a minor wording error in the statute (adding "of Revenue" after "department") and clarifies existing procedures for granting tax filing extensions. The bill directly affects taxpayers who request extensions and the Kentucky Department of Revenue, which administers these extensions. It does not change any substantive tax rules or create new requirements. This is a procedural adjustment to ensure the law is accurately worded.