Budget & Taxes

HB 167 allows Kentucky taxpayers to deduct theft losses on their state income tax returns, aligning with the federal Internal Revenue Code's Section 165(e). This provision directly affects individuals who experienced property theft, enabling them to reduce their taxable income by the amount of the loss. The bill amends Kentucky law to explicitly permit this deduction, which was previously excluded under state tax rules. It does not create new eligibility criteria but adopts the federal standard for theft loss deductions. This change applies to all individual taxpayers (not corporations) who qualify under federal guidelines.

Create a new section to KRS Chapter 141 to provide employers a tax credit for contributions to an employee's Kentucky Educational Savings Plan Trust account or STABLE Kentucky account; amend KRS 141.0205 to specify ordering of the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report on the credit.

Amend KRS 141.020, relating to the individual income tax, to establish graduated individual income tax rates for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027; remove provisions relating to tax rate reduction procedures.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 139 to define terms; establish a 3-day sales and use tax holiday during the first Friday through Sunday in August each year exempting eligible property, which includes tangible personal property, with certain exceptions, not to exceed $3,000, and clothing or clothing accessories or equipment if the price of the item does not exceed $200; direct that the first sales tax holiday will occur from August 7 to August 9, 2026; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 132.017, relating to the process for a recall of a local ad valorem tax rate, to define "school nickel tax rate"; require a petition process for recalling the levy of a school nickel tax rate; remove other taxes levied by local governmental entities from the petition process requirements; require an ad valorem tax levied by a local governmental entity and a general tax rate levied by a local board of education to be voted upon by the voters if the tax rate produces more than 4% in revenues over the revenues produced by the compensating tax rate; require the suspension of the ordinance, order, resolution, or motion levying the tax rate until after the required election; allow a local governmental entity or a local board of education to cancel a required recall election by reconsidering the levy and instead levying a tax rate that produces no more than 4% in revenues over the revenues produced by the compensating tax rate; specify ballot and public notification requirements for the election; provide that if a tax rate is recalled, the compensating tax rate shall be levied; amend KRS 68.245, 75A.050, 132.018, 132.023, 132.027, and 160.470 to conform; make technical changes; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 198A to create the affordable housing loan pool fund to be administered by the Kentucky Housing Corporation to provide rehabilitation and construction loans to eligible entities; specify terms and process; amend KRS 198A.080 to modify criteria for housing development loan fund, require notice of eligible funds, and allow expenditure of funds for technical and administrative costs; create a new section of KRS Chapter 198A to establish parameters by which the Kentucky Housing Corporation shall review and approve the affordable housing credit; create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish the affordable housing credit; amend KRS 141.0205 to order the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report on the credits; appropriate $102,000,000 from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund account for various affordable housing initiatives; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 158.196 to require the incorporation of instruction on the Civil Rights movement in the social studies academic standards for elementary through high school; specify minimum requirements; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Create a new section of KRS 164.740 to 164.7891 to establish a coal county paramedic scholarship to be administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA); define terms; establish a fund in the State Treasury to be administered by KHEAA for providing coal county paramedic scholarships.

Propose to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky to exempt homeowners who are 65 years of age or older from any increase in the valuation of their permanent residence that is assessed after the later of the year the homeowner turned 65 or the year the homeowner acquired the property; require the exemption to be in addition to the exemption provided in Section 170 of the Constitution of Kentucky and notwithstanding Sections 171, 172, and 174 of the Constitution of Kentucky; apply the exemption to increases in valuation that occur after the date the amendment is ratified by the voters; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.

Call on the United States Congress to submit to the states for ratification a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution and making a formal application to Congress to call a convention.