Labor & Employment

Create a new section of Subchapter 20 of KRS Chapter 154 to establish the rural building and job creation revolving fund; specify uses of the fund to assist with compliance risk mitigation for the New Markets Tax Credits Program, or to issue low-interest loans to assist with construction of new buildings or renovations of existing buildings for lease to target wage economic development projects; require the Cabinet for Economic Development to report on the fund; create a new section of Subchapter 12 of KRS Chapter 154 to require the cabinet to work with the workforce liaison appointed by the president of the Kentucky Career and Technical College System to promote jobs created in the Commonwealth as a result of incentive programs; require the cabinet to conduct a feasibility and impact study on interstate reciprocity between state economic development programming; amend the general fund appropriation authorized in 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 199, Part I, B, 1.,(12) to not lapse and carry forward; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 198B to establish requirements for projects using structural steel welding, such as hiring a certified welder and meeting national welding standards; define terms; exempt welding projects performed or requested on the premises of a homeowner or farmer; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 61.598, relating to pension spiking and the definition of "bona fide promotion or career advancement," to retroactively exempt pension spiking adjustments that were due to increases in rates of pay authorized or funded by the legislative or administrative body of an employer or mandated in a collective bargaining agreement approved by the legislative body of the employer for members of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System, County Employees Retirement System, or State Police Retirement System who retired on or after July 1, 2022; require the Kentucky Public Pension Authority to review and make necessary adjustments to benefits payable on or after July 1, 2022, to impacted members; RETROACTIVE.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 335B.010 to 335B.070 to require hiring or licensing authorities to establish an application process that gives persons convicted of a crime an opportunity to obtain a determination about whether the crime will disqualify the individual from a position of public employment or occupational license before pursuing employment or training; require hiring or licensing authorities to formulate policies and procedures for the application process by promulgating regulations no later than January 1, 2027; provide an annual report to the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2027; provide that certain entities are exempted from the requirements of the application process; amend KRS 335B.020 to add criteria for hiring and licensing authorities to consider when determining if a conviction directly relates to the position of public employment or occupational license sought; amend KRS 335B.030 to require hiring or licensing authorities to evaluate information and provide written findings of fact to the applicant upon determination.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 342 to establish the Department of Workers' Claims to be administratively attached to the Office of the Governor; amend KRS 342.122 to provide that the combined budgets of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, Workers' Compensation Nominating Committee, Department of Workplace Standards, and the proportional support for general administration and approved indirect cost allocation to the Education and Labor Cabinet, shall not exceed 75% of the total combined budget submitted by the Workers’ Compensation Funding Commission and that the Workers’ Compensation Funding Commission, the Department of Workers’ Claims, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Workers’ Compensation Nominating Committee, the Department of Workplace Standards, excluding the Division of Wages and Hours contained within the Department of Workplace Standards, and the Education and Labor Cabinet, shall each submit a budget which shall be combined by the Workers’ Compensation Funding Commission and reflected in the enacted budget of the Commonwealth; amend KRS 342.228 to require the commissioner of the Department of Workers' Claims to have specified knowledge and experience in the areas of public administration, administrative law, and workers' compensation by having a minimum of 8 years of legal practice experience in the area of workers' compensation; amend KRS 342.230 to authorize the commissioner to fill all positions in the Department for Workers' Claims with KRS Chapter 18A employees; amend KRS 151B.015 to remove the Department of Workers' Claims from the Education and Labor Cabinet; amend various other sections to conform; provide that all records, equipment, staff, budgets, and unexpended funds associated with the Department of Workers' Claims shall be transferred as part of the reorganization; provide that all administrative regulations, decisions, and actions of the department that have not been repealed or rescinded shall continue in effect after the effective date of the Act, unless and until they are amended, repealed, or rescinded by the department after the effective date of this Act; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 205.2003 to require the cabinet develop and implement a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, education and training plan amendment to promote improved employment outcomes and workforce participation related to healthy workforce habits through public-private partnerships.

Amend various sections of KRS 216.701 to 216.709 to define terms; require health facilities to display a notice in a prominent location advising of possible consequences of threatening or aggressive behavior toward health care workers; require health facilities to notify health care workers of changes to policies, procedures, or the workplace safety plan based on a health facility's required annual review; require that any health facility procedure for incidents of workplace violence shall require certain notifications for the victim.

Amend KRS 61.315 to include additional cancers which, when they are the cause of death of a firefighter, would make the firefighter eligible for death benefits; make a technical correction.