Labor & Employment

Amend KRS 61.621 to allow a member of a state-administered retirement system who works in a nonhazardous position that could be certified as a hazardous position and who receives a duty-related injury to be eligible for the same minimum retirement benefit provided to members who receive a hazardous disability retirement; amend KRS 61.702 to allow Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) members working in a nonhazardous position that could be certified as a hazardous position who receive a duty-related injury to receive the same health benefit provided to members who receive a hazardous disability retirement; amend KRS 78.5536 to allow County Employees Retirement System (CERS) members working in a nonhazardous position that could be certified as a hazardous position who receive a duty-related injury to receive the same health benefit provided to members who receive a hazardous disability retirement; allow certain persons whose last day of paid employment was on or after January 1, 2022, but prior to the effective date of the Act to apply for benefits; RETROACTIVE.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 336 to allow public employee collective bargaining organizations to represent only dues-paying members; allow nonmember employees to be represented by counsel of their choosing, subject to reasonable employer procedures; grant the labor organization the right to represent a nonmember employee in an action involving the interpretation or enforcement of a collective bargaining agreement; allow nonmember employees to enter into a written agreement with the labor organization for representation for a reasonable fee; apply to agreements entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 336 to define terms; establish the Kentucky FLOW Program and specify eligible participants, activities, and uses of funds; establish the Kentucky FLOW Program fund; appropriate $1,347,500 in each fiscal year from the General Fund to the Kentucky FLOW Program fund; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY, effective, July 1, 2026.

Amend KRS 337.415, relating to court-ordered appearances by employees, to define terms; prohibit employers from discharging or retaliating against an employee who is a crime victim when the employee takes leave to attend proceedings associated with the prosecution of the crime; require an employee to give an employer reasonable notice to take leave when practicable; provide guidelines for use of paid leave; require the employer to maintain confidentiality of records and communication with employee crime victim; create a civil cause of action for improper discharge, discrimination, retaliation, and failing to maintain confidentiality; amend KRS 337.990 to establish a civil penalty for employer violations.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to require employers to provide earned paid sick leave to employees; provide that employees earn paid sick leave upon the date of hire and can use the leave after being employed for 90 days; set forth allowable uses of accrued earned paid sick leave; designate how notice of need to use earned paid sick leave is provided by employees; amend KRS 337.990 to establish the penalty for employers that fail to follow earned paid sick leave requirements.

Amend KRS 164.936 to establish maximum loan repayment awards under the Healthcare Worker Loan Relief Program for dentists and dentists in counties that do not have an actively practicing dentist; provide rural dental practice grant awards and criteria; establish distribution requirements for funds appropriated to the Center of Excellence in Rural Health for loan repayment awards for dentists and rural dental practice grants; amend KRS 164.937 to require information on the Healthcare Worker Loan Relief Program to be reported to the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 313.035 to require the Kentucky Board of Dentistry to create a Rural Dental Fellows Network; require the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates by 25% for dental services in federally designated health professional shortage areas; appropriate $4,400,000 in each fiscal year of the 2026-2028 fiscal biennium to the Center of Excellence in Rural Health budget unit; appropriate $600,000 in each fiscal year of the 2026-2028 fiscal biennium to the Kentucky Board of Dentistry; appropriate $1,000,000 in each fiscal year of the 2026-2028 fiscal biennium to the Department for Medicaid Services; provide that the Act may be cited as the Rural Dental Incentive and Access Program Act; specify that the expanded award eligibility, required reporting on the Healthcare Worker Loan Relief Program, and the Rural Dental Fellows Network shall expire on July 1, 2036; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Create a new section of KRS 18A.005 to 18A.200 to define "child," "family medical leave," "fictive kin," "foster care placement," "kinship care placement," and "parent"; provide classified and unclassified employees family medical leave of up to 6 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child, placement of a child in foster care or kinship care, or a serious health condition that would render the employee unable to perform his or her job functions; require the employee to complete 30 days of service before he or she is eligible for family medical leave; require the leave be used within 1 year of the birth, adoption, foster or kinship care placement, or serious health condition; require any leave which involves the birth of more than 1 child during a particular pregnancy or the adoption or placement of more than 1 child with an employee to be taken concurrently and used as 1 adoption or placement; allow the employee to use the leave as a block or intermittently; allow both parents to use the leave concurrently or consecutively under certain conditions; require the employee to use family medical leave before using any other accrued leave; limit use of family medical leave to 2 times during a 60-month period; provide that once an employee leaves the position eligible for family medical leave, any unused balance shall lapse; require an employee who returns to a position in state service that provides family medical leave to complete 30 days of service before becoming eligible for the leave; prohibit an employee from converting any unused balance of family medical leave to any other type of paid leave, benefit, or compensation; require the employee to submit written verification of the birth, placement of a child, or serious health condition; amend KRS 18A.025 to conform; amend KRS 18A.110 to authorize the secretary of the Personnel Cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations pertaining to the family medical leave program.

Amend KRS 337.010 to define "committed relationship," "family care leave," "family member," "health care provider," "same employer," and "serious health condition"; create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to prohibit employers from refusing to grant a qualified employee family care leave; entitle an employee to family care leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child or to take care of a family member and establish parameters; amend KRS 337.990 to establish penalties for violations by any person.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish a refundable Kentucky working credit equal to 30% of the federal earned income credit allowed for the taxable year; a taxpayer's modified gross income to be in excess of the amount eligible for the family size tax credit allowed in KRS 141.066(limit the credit to $2,000 per taxable year; make credit effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, but before January 1, 2031; amend KRS 141.0205 to order the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report on the credit.

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.