Labor & Employment

HB 251 expands eligibility for hazardous duty retirement coverage in Kentucky's state retirement system to include forensic lab and crime scene personnel from the Kentucky State Police. The bill amends KRS 61.592 to specifically define these roles as "hazardous positions" due to their routine exposure to chemicals, narcotics, and biohazardous materials at crime scenes or in labs. This change means these employees will now qualify for the same retirement benefits (including 8% employee contributions and employer matching) as other hazardous duty workers like police officers and firefighters. The bill directly affects Kentucky State Police forensic technicians and crime scene investigators by adding them to the list of positions eligible for this specialized retirement coverage.

Amend KRS 65.016 and 337.275 to allow a local government to adopt and enforce an ordinance that requires a minimum wage at a rate higher than that found in KRS 337.275 for employers located within that government's jurisdiction.

Amend KRS 337.275 to raise the minimum wage for employers to $9.50 an hour beginning on the effective date of this Act and incrementally thereafter to $15 an hour beginning on July 1, 2030; raise the state minimum wage for tipped employees to $5 an hour beginning on the effective date of this Act.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 61 to define "full-time position" and "qualifying employee"; permit a qualifying employee paid leave of absence of up to 30 days for the birth of a child; require leave of more than 1 child during a singular pregnancy to be taken concurrently; require the employee to use the leave within 1 year of the child's birth; require the employee to use the leave as a continuous 30-day block or as a 20-day block with the remainder to be used intermittently as full days; require the employee to request advance approval before using the leave; require the employee to use the paid leave before other types of accrued leave; require compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act; specify that any other type of leave not specified does not qualify for paid maternity leave; prohibit an employee from converting the unused balance of paid maternity leave to other types of paid leave, benefits, or compensation; require any administrative regulation in conflict with this Act to be amended, withdrawn, or repealed within 90 days of the effective date of the Act.

Amend KRS 141.019, relating to income tax, to define "professional membership dues" and "union dues"; allow a deduction from gross income for union dues and professional membership dues paid for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, but before January 1, 2031, and require the Department of Revenue to annually report information about this deduction to the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the department to report on the exclusion.

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.

Amend KRS 337.415 to define "crime," "immediate family," and "victim"; 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 private right of action for improper discharge, discrimination, retaliation, or failure to maintain confidentiality; amend KRS 337.990 to establish penalties for violations by an employer.