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.
Amend KRS 532.031, relating to hate crimes, to include offenses committed against an individual because of political creed; amend KRS 15.334 and 17.1523 to conform.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 43 to require the Auditor of Public Accounts to conduct a biennial audit of the contract procurement systems of the Department of Highways; enumerate issues to be examined in the audit; allow the Auditor to contract for professional services; require the Department of Highways to reimburse the Auditor for the cost of the audit; require submission of the audit to the LRC by October 31st of each odd numbered year; amend KRS 176.050 to require the Department of Highways to reimburse the Auditor for the biennial audit of contract procurement procedures; require the department to promulgate administrative regulations regarding the advertisement and award of bids for highway construction; amend KRS 176.210 to prohibit the Department of Highways from making public the identity of a qualified bidder on a particular project prior to the bid letting on that project.
Amend KRS 17.545 to prohibit a registrant from residing within 3,000 feet of a high school, middle school, elementary school, preschool, publicly owned or leased playground, or licensed day care facility; provide that the 3,000 feet restriction applies to any person who becomes a registrant after the effective date of the Act.
Amend KRS 411.100, relating to a city's liability for damage done during the course of a riot, to provide that any form of local government shall be liable for damage done during the course of a riot if they could have prevented the damage.
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.
Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require coverage for emergency ground ambulance services; establish minimum allowable reimbursement for out-of-network emergency ground ambulance services; establish requirements for reimbursement of out-of-network ground ambulance providers; prohibit balance billing by out-of-network ground ambulance providers; establish construction clause in the event of conflicts; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with emergency ground ambulance coverage and payment requirements; provide that Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.
Amend KRS 214.034 to delete hepatitis B from the list of required immunizations for children; prohibit additional immunizations from being required by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services without the approval of the General Assembly; delete requirement for hepatitis B immunization for sixth grade school attendance.
Maddy summaryHB 437 eliminates the one-week waiting period for new unemployment benefit claims in Kentucky. It directly affects unemployed workers filing initial claims by allowing them to receive benefits immediately upon eligibility, rather than waiting a week. The bill amends Kentucky Revised Statute 341.350 to remove the requirement for a waiting week, while keeping all other eligibility rules - like work search activities and base-period wage requirements - unchanged. This change applies to all new claims filed after the law takes effect.
