Budget & Taxes

Amend KRS 156.660 to define terms; create a new section of KRS Chapter 156 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a model education technology fiscal policy; state requirements of policy; require the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations to require local school districts to adopt a model education technology fiscal policy; require local school districts and the Kentucky Department of Education to annually report on technology status for the prior school year; amend KRS 156.670 to move the responsibilities of the Council for Education Technology to the Kentucky Department of Education; amend KRS 156.160, KRS 157.615, 157.660, and 157.655 to conform.

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 Chapter 160 to establish the calendar and procedures for a district superintendent and local board of education to adopt a school district budget; require that a budget must include a reserve of not less than 2%; amend KRS 160.431 to require the annual financial report and the Kentucky Department of Education's written report be published on the district financial disclosure website; amend KRS 160.463 to require a school district to maintain a district financial disclosure website; identify the information that shall be published on the website; amend KRS 157.440, 160.390, 160.460, 160.470, 160.473, 160.530, 160.550, and 424.250 to conform; require districts to publish the most recent information available on the district financial disclosure website upon the effective date of the Act.

Appropriate $96 million from the Kentucky Permanent Pension Fund in fiscal year 2026-2027 to the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority to fund 1-time supplemental payments on July 1, 2026, to recipients of a retirement allowance who have been retired for at least 12 months from the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) and the State Police Retirement System (SPRS); allow the Board of Trustees of the County Employees Retirement System to, by board decision, provide a one-time supplemental payment to recipients of a retirement allowance who have been retired at least 12 months by increasing employer contribution rates over a one-year or two-year period; specify that the 1-time supplemental payment shall be equal to the monthly payment received by the recipient in the month of June 2026; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 139.010, relating to the sales and use taxes, to define terms; amend KRS 139.480 to exempt from sales and use tax the sale or purchase of baby bottles, baby wipes, breast pumps, breast pump collection and storage supplies, breast pump kits, diapers, incontinence products, and menstrual discharge collection devices; apply to sales or purchases made on or after August 1, 2026, but before August 1, 2030; require the Department of Revenue to report annually to the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue the total exemptions claimed for the previous fiscal year; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report to the Legislative Research Commission.

HB 28 repeals Kentucky's Education Opportunity Account Program by removing its associated tax credit (KRS 141.522) from the state's tax code. This bill eliminates the specific tax credit that allowed taxpayers to claim benefits under the Education Opportunity Account Program. The change directly affects individuals or entities that previously claimed this credit, discontinuing the program's tax incentive component. The bill focuses solely on removing this provision from existing tax credit ordering rules, with no new program or funding established.

Propose to amend Section 170 of the Constitution of Kentucky to increase the homestead exemption to $100,000; require the homestead exemption amount to be indexed every year; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection; apply to property assessments beginning on or after January 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 205.5371 to require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to condition eligibility for enrollment or continued enrollment in the Medicaid program on demonstrated community engagement as required under federal law; require the cabinet to continue to condition eligibility on demonstrated community engagement if federal requirements are abolished, repealed, or otherwise diminished; amend KRS 205.6312 to require the cabinet and any contracted Medicaid managed care organization to impose cost-sharing requirements for Medicaid enrollees as required under federal law no later than January 1, 2027; establish minimum cost-sharing amounts; amend KRS 205.556 and 205.618 to conform; create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 to require the cabinet to, no later than July 1, 2026, begin conducting Medicaid eligibility redeterminations once every 6 months as required under federal law; require the cabinet to access and review certain data when conducting eligibility redeterminations; establish a process for identifying and, when appropriate, disenrolling individuals who are concurrently enrolled in the Kentucky Medicaid program and a Medicaid program administered by another state or states; amend KRS 205.178 to require the cabinet to receive and review information from the Kentucky Lottery Corporation, Department of Corrections, and the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation on at least a monthly basis, the Kentucky Department of Revenue on at least an annual basis, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on a quarterly basis; require the Department for Medicaid Services to enter into a data sharing agreement with the Social Security Administration to receive the full file of death information on at least a quarterly basis; prohibit the cabinet from seeking or requesting an exemption or waiver from federal community engagement requirements related to county unemployment rates unless specifically authorized by the General Assembly to do so; amend KRS 205.5375 to require hospitals to assist presumptively eligible individuals in submitting a full Medicaid application; amend KRS 205.200 to prohibit the cabinet from accepting self-attestation of income, residency, or age for the purpose of determining eligibility for Medicaid or compliance with community engagement requirements; create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 to establish Medicaid managed care organization contracting requirements and penalties; establish the Medicaid managed care organization compliance fund within the State Treasury; establish that amounts in the fund not appropriated at the close of a fiscal year shall not lapse and shall be carried forward; prohibit the expenditure of funds in the account unless expressly appropriated by the General Assembly; require the Department for Medicaid Services to submit recommendations for use of monies in the fund to the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2027, and November 1, of each following odd-numbered year; amend KRS 205.533 to require Medicaid managed care organizations to include certain information for providers on their websites; amend KRS 205.534 to require managed care organizations to allow providers 120 days to file an appeal or grievance related to a reduction of denial of a claim; establish penalties for a managed care organization's failure to ensure the timely disposition of any appeal or grievance; require payment of any amount owed to a provider following an appeal to be paid within 30 days; require payments made following an appeal to include interest and reasonable attorney's fees; establish standards and requirements for provider audits; require the inclusion of additional information in the monthly report filed by managed care organizations; require the Department for Medicaid Services to submit an annual report to the Legislative Research Commission related to Medicaid claims, appeals, and grievances; authorize the Department for Medicaid Services to promulgate administrative regulations; create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 to establish requirements for administration of the Medicaid-covered nonemergency medical transportation services; establish requirements for the administration of 1915(c) Medicaid waiver programs; require the Department for Medicaid Services to develop and implement a tiered priority system for assigning 1915(c) Medicaid waiver program slots by January 1, 2027; require administration of Medicaid-covered dental services by an administrative service organization; establish that the administrative service organization shall not assume any financial or insurance risk; limit compensation paid to the administrative service organization to no more than 2% of the actual Medicaid-covered dental service claims paid on an annual basis; require the Department for Medicaid Services to establish a Dental Program Advisory Panel; require the Department for Medicaid Services to employ a dental director; require the Department for Medicaid Services to submit an annual report on the Medicaid dental program to the Legislative Research Commission; create new sections of KRS 7A.270 to 7A.290 to establish legislative findings; require the cabinet to provide the Legislative Research Commission with access to all databases, datasets, electronic records, and files pertaining to any aspect of the Medicaid program determined by the director of the Legislative Research Commission to be necessary for the meaningful and effective discharge of the General Assembly's legislative duties; require the Legislative Research Commission, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville to enter into a partnership to design and develop a web-based healthcare transparency dashboard; require the dashboard be overseen by a subcommittee of the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board; require the dashboard be maintained and operated by the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 7A.283 to allow the appointment of individuals who are not members of the board to advisory committees or subcommittees upon approval of the Legislative Research Commission; create a new section of KRS Chapter 43 to require the Auditor of Public Accounts to conduct an examination of the state's Medicaid program and Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program; establish audit reporting requirements; require the Auditor to conduct a review of the Medicaid program and Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program to assess progress in addressing issues identified in previous examinations; establish that the Office of Program Performance in the Commonwealth Office of the Ombudsman shall conduct all quality control reviews of the Department for Community Based Services for the Medicaid program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to comply with federal law and regulations; establish that no other state agency shall conduct these quality control reviews unless otherwise authorized by the General Assembly; amend KRS 7A.286 to establish that examinations conducted by the Auditor may constitute fulfillment of certain duties assigned to the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board at the discretion of the Legislative Review Commission; repeal KRS 205.515 related to administration of the Medicaid program; repeal KRS 311A.172 related to nonemergency medical transportation services; appropriate $500,000 in General Fund moneys in fiscal year 2025-2026 for staffing and technology needs in the Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts; create a new section of KRS Chapter 6 to establish a Medicaid impact statement; require any legislation that makes or directs a change to the Medicaid program to be accompanied by a Medicaid impact statement; require certain factors to be analyzed and included in a Medicaid impact statement; require Medicaid impact statements to be completed by an economic consulting firm retained by the Legislative Research Commission; create a new section of KRS Chapter 13A to require the cabinet to provide a draft copy of certain administrative regulations related to the Medicaid program to the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board for comment at least 30 days before filing the administrative regulation with the regulations compiler; direct the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board to establish a Dental Services Transition Subcommittee; establish membership and duties of the Dental Services Subcommittee; require any contract between the Department for Medicaid Services and a Medicaid managed care organization entered into, renewed, or extended after the effective date of this Act to include notice to the managed care organization of the department's intent to transition to an administrative service organization delivery model for Medicaid-covered dental services; require the cabinet or the Department for Medicaid Services to seek federal approval if it is determined that such approval is necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes in the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1); direct the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board to evaluate the nonemergency medical transportation program and submit findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by December 31, 2026; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

HB 82 modifies Kentucky's tax code to exclude capital gains and capital losses from the sale or exchange of currency (like foreign coins) or bullion (precious metals) from taxable income. This change directly affects Kentucky residents and businesses that buy, sell, or trade physical currency or precious metals, such as gold or silver coins. The bill amends Section 141.019 of Kentucky law to implement this exclusion, effective for tax years starting January 1, 2027. It removes these transactions from state income tax calculations, aligning Kentucky's treatment with federal rules for such sales.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 194A to create the homelessness prevention fund to be administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services for continuum of care funds; specify eligible uses and eligible entities; amend KRS 198A.027 to allow appropriations to be used for homeless initiatives; appropriate $2,000,000 from the budget reserve trust fund to the homelessness prevention fund; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.