Rep. D.J. Johnson

Amend KRS 441.005 to define "restricted custody center" and make technical changes; create new sections of KRS Chapter 441 to require the Department of Corrections to promulgate administrative regulations providing the minimum standards for holdover facilities; require the Department of Corrections to contract with a fiscal court of a county or local or regional correctional authority to provide correctional services to state prisoners; allow prisoners being held for a nonviolent or nonsexual misdemeanor conviction to be housed in a restricted custody center; require jailers to get permission from the Department of Corrections before transferring a Class C or Class D felon to another jail unless required by statute or an emergency exists; establish the regional jail authority construction fund, and establish requirements for the Department of Corrections to submit a list of regional jail construction projects to the Legislative Research Commission; establish the regional jail conversion fund and establish requirements for receiving grant funds; amend KRS 431.215 to require the Commonwealth to pay a county a fee per day based on the county's actual costs to house prisoners for the time the prisoner was held before a conviction if the sentence the prisoner receives in whole or in part includes the amount of time served prior to judgment; amend KRS 441.025 to allow counties to contract with the Department of Corrections to house state prisoners and operate holdover facilities; amend KRS 441.045 to require the Commonwealth to pay counties for the costs of providing health services to prisoners the county is responsible for; amend KRS 441.420 to require the Department of Corrections to pay for architectural plans and engineering services associated with any tentatively approved construction of a local correctional facility; amend KRS 441.430 to allow a regional jail authority to receive tentative approval for new regional jail construction; amend KRS 441.520 to specify the rate that a jail that receives a transferred inmate can charge the originating jail; amend KRS 441.810 to require that the jailer of each county within a regional jail authority be a member of the board; amend various sections to conform.

Amend KRS 139.495 to define "educational or charitable institution" and "religious institution"; exempt purchases and sales of tangible personal property, digital property, or services made by qualifying religious institutions from state sales and use taxes; make technical changes.

Amend KRS 211.190 to make water fluoridation programs optional; allow the governing bodies of water systems subject to regulation by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to decide whether they participate in water fluoridation programs; provide that a water fluoridation program in place on the effective date of the Act continues until action is taken by its governing body to end its participation; provide that any decision regarding participation in a water fluoridation program made by the governing body of a water system shall be binding on all water systems it supplies; provide that a governing body, a member or employee of a governing body, or any public or private entity that may be held liable for the actions of a governing body that makes any decision regarding its participation in an optional water fluoridation program shall be immune from civil or criminal liability for acts carried out reasonably and in good faith regarding its decision of whether to participate in the water fluoridation program.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 216 to define terms; permit a resident of a long-term care facility to install an electronic monitoring device; require a resident to give consent to install an electronic monitoring device; establish the actions that a resident and a facility may take if consent is granted or if consent is not granted; require the cabinet to create a form to authorize the installation and use of an electronic monitoring device and set requirements; establish installation, use, and retention requirements for devices and recordings; require a long-term care facility to post a notice that an electronic monitoring device is used in a room; prohibit a resident from being discriminated or retaliated against because of the decision to authorize and use an electronic monitoring device; establish guidelines on who can view or listen to the images displaced by the monitoring device; prohibit unauthorized individuals from destroying the device or recordings; establish limits on liability and liability defenses; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to promulgate administrative regulations; exempt specific provisions if a monitoring device is installed by a law enforcement agency; establish penalties.

Maddy summaryHR 7 is a symbolic resolution (not a law) passed by Kentucky's House of Representatives to formally recognize seven guiding principles for elections, including security, accessibility, transparency, and federalism. It does not create new voting rules or affect voters directly - it merely affirms existing election practices Kentucky has followed. The resolution states that election laws should ensure "fair and secure" processes, prevent partisan manipulation, and maintain uniform administration, but it imposes no legal requirements. As a procedural resolution, it has no direct policy impact beyond expressing legislative sentiment.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to define terms; create the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program for funding the construction and installation of accessibility ramps on residences of disabled veterans; establish the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program grant fund to be used for the program and administered by the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Maddy summaryHR 38 is a resolution recognizing September 17, 2026, as United States Constitution Day and June 1, 2026, as Kentucky Constitution Day in Kentucky. It designates these specific dates for Kentuckians to reflect on their state and national constitutional heritage, without creating new laws or policies. The resolution honors the historical significance of the U.S. Constitution and Kentucky's constitutional history, including its 1792 founding. As a procedural resolution, it has no binding legal effect beyond the symbolic recognition.

Amend KRS 158.1415 to require a school district to adopt health curricula that includes human growth and development instruction that meets specific criteria; set restrictions for the instruction that grants parents an opportunity to review materials and opt their child out of instruction.

Maddy summaryThis bill defines "unauthorized alien" as a person unlawfully present in the U.S. under federal immigration law. It makes it a Class A misdemeanor for such individuals to knowingly seek or perform work for pay in Kentucky. The law would directly affect non-citizens working without authorization in the state, criminalizing their employment activity while using plain language to describe the prohibition.