Rep. D.J. Johnson

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 150 to define terms; require that any permit issued to take a lower Ohio River trophy catfish shall expire on May 31, 2027; prohibit the issuance or reissuance of an any lower Ohio River trophy catfish permits after that date; after the effective date of the Act, prohibit the transfer or reissuance of any lower Ohio River trophy catfish permit; prohibit the transportation of live trophy catfish except by boat while in the course of legally fishing; amend KRS 150.990 to make a violation of the prohibition on transporting live trophy catfish a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class D felony for each subsequent offense.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 199 related to the quality-based graduated early care and education rating system program to establish the intent of the General Assembly related to the program; establish processes and procedures for how the program is changed by administrative regulation; require a program modernization plan and final recommendations for modernization to be created and submitted to the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 199.891 to define terms; create new requirements for how the Cabinet for Health and Family Services establishes and operates the Certified Child Care Community Designation Program; delete language related to a previous 1 time requirement for the cabinet to submit recommendations and best practices to the Legislative Research Commission; establish a new January 1, 2028 submission deadline for the cabinet to make publicly available a standardized application for certification and instructions for the program; establish new requirements for applications by local governments to participate in the program; require an annual report by the Cabinet for Economic Development regarding the program; amend KRS 199.8983 to increase the membership of the Kentucky Child Care Advisory Council; establish that the council shall additionally advise the Cabinet for Health and Family Services on the operations, funding, and licensing of child-care microcenters; create new sections of KRS Chapter 199 to define terms; establish licensure for child-care microcenters; establish the Kentucky Child-Care Microcenter Program to regulate the standards and operations of child-care microcenters; establish early care and education training requirements for licensed child-care providers and certified family child-care home providers; establish that the Education and Labor Cabinet shall compile, produce, and make publicly available a monthly report providing a comprehensive snapshot of all licensed and certified child care services, Head Start services, child care services regulated by the United States Department of Defense, and state-funded public preschool services operating within the Commonwealth; establish a voluntary designation process through which any licensed or certified child-care provider may identify as a faith-based program; require the Office of State Budget Director to produce a comprehensive annual report outlining all state and federal spending on child care and early childhood education services and submit it annually to the Legislative Research Commission; establish that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall submit an approval request to the federal Administration for Children and Families to utilize a cost estimation model to inform payment rates beginning with the fiscal year 2028-2030 Child Care and Development Fund state plan; amend KRS 199.882 to change the definitions of "contribution" and "state match" and define "third-party administrator"; amend KRS 199.883 to establish that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall enter into a contract with a private third-party administrator to administer the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership Program and establish duties and requirements of the third-party administrator; amend KRS 199.885 to establish the third-party administrator is responsible for issuing state fund matches out of the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership fund; amend KRS 199.886 and 199.887 to specify how employers and employees interact directly with the third-party administrator instead of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Amend KRS 116.112 to allow the State Board of Elections to enter into intergovernmental agreements with other governmental agencies to exchange data to assist in investigating violations of election offenses; amend KRS 117.125 to require voting systems and equipment meet or exceed a standard approved by the Election Assistance Commission; amend KRS 117.145 to require that county clerks provide voting equipment with the necessary supplies for write-in votes on the day before any in-person voting occurs; amend KRS 117.265 to change the date a person running for President or Vice President must file a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate to the same deadline as the certification of candidates; amend KRS 117.355 to require county boards of elections to deliver signature rosters and precinct results to the State Board of Elections within 10 days after any primary or general election; amend KRS 117.379 to require voting systems meet a previously established Election Assistance Commission standard; amend KRS 117.389 to require county clerks to test automatic tabulating equipment after any petitions for local option elections have been filed; amend KRS 118.015 to change the definition of "political party"; amend KRS 118.125 to require that the notification and declaration be in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118.129 to allow a contraction as an acceptable form of a candidate's name; amend KRS 118.165 to require that candidates for Commonwealth's Attorney file nomination papers with the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118.315 to require that the form of petition be prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118.367 to specify that candidates for a special election or election for an unexpired term shall not be required to file a statement-of-candidacy form; require that the statement-of-candidacy form be prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 118A.060 to require that the petition for nomination be in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State; amend KRS 119.015 to remove the term "falsely"; amend KRS 119.165, relating to the penalty of a Class B misdemeanor regarding voters who vote at a regular or special election before being a citizen; make technical corrections; amend KRS 132.017 to require that questions as to whether the property tax rate shall be levied shall be submitted to voters in a common school election not less than 50 days nor more than 60 days from the date the signatures are validated; require the school district holding the election to post bond with the Circuit Court to cover the costs of the election within 5 days after the petition is found to be sufficient; amend KRS 160.210 to prohibit changes in the boundary of any division after June 1 in the year in which a school board member is to be elected; amend various statutes to conform; repeal KRS 118.551, relating to the definition of political party; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 205.6412 to require the Department for Medicaid Services to seek authorization from the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a state-directed payment for physician and nonphysician professional services provided to a Medicaid beneficiary by a qualifying hospital's affiliated physician groups or physicians and other professionals employed or contracted by the qualified hospital; require the Department of Medicaid Services to direct Medicaid managed care organizations to issue payments back to January 1, 2026, upon federal approval; RETROACTIVE.

Amend KRS 95A.020 to increase the Kentucky Fire Commission to 18 members by transferring the 4 ex officio members to full member status; provide for terms of office of the members not subject to gubernatorial appointment; amend KRS 95A.262 to specify that any reimbursement to the Kentucky Career and Technical College System for administrative activities is subject to the 5% reimbursement cap in KRS 94A.240; specify that cancer screening reimbursements can be made from revenues allocated to the Firefighters Foundation Program fund pursuant to KRS 42.190 and 136.392.

Amend KRS 531.335, relating to possession or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, to provide that the sexual performance may be by a computer-generated image of a minor; provide that any person convicted of possession or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor shall not be released on probation or parole without serving 85% of the sentence imposed.

Amend KRS 205.522 and 205.6485 to require Medicaid and KCHIP to comply with pharmacy reimbursement requirements established in KRS 304.12-237; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or the Department for Medicaid to seek federal approval if it is determined that such approval is necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes to the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1).

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to define terms related to automated license plate readers; restrict use of automated license plate readers; establish limitations on use and sale of data captured by automated license plate readers; provide that captured license plate data may be retained longer than 90 days only if it is being used in a criminal or insurance investigation or has become subject to a preservation of evidence notification; require law enforcement agencies to adopt and make public a written policy governing use of automated license plate readers; provide that any recorded images or data captured by an automated license plate reader may be made available to the National Insurance Crime Bureau or its successor organization; require the Transportation Cabinet to establish a permit process for installation of automated license plate readers on highway rights-of-way and to promulgate administrative regulations; amend KRS 189.990 to establish penalty for violation.

­Create a new section of KRS Chapter 510 to establish the offense of grooming a minor; amend KRS 510.010 to define "course of conduct," "grooming behavior," and "sexual conduct"; amend various sections to conform; make technical corrections.

Amend KRS 304.17A-132 to modify the definition of "hearing aid"; increase the coverage amount for hearing aids from $1,400 to $2,500; establish network adequacy requirements relating to the provision of hearing aids and related services that are required to be covered; amend KRS 18A.225 to increase the cap on hearing aids and hearing aid-related services under the state employee health plan from $1,400 to $2,500; direct that the Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.