Rep. Matt Koch

Maddy summaryHB 734 is a technical correction bill that updates Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 322.330 regarding professional engineering and land surveying boards. It requires boards to deposit collected fees into the State Treasury and mandate an electronic roster on their website listing licensed engineers, land surveyors, and related business entities. The bill directly affects professional licensing boards for engineering and land surveying, not individual practitioners or the public. This is a procedural update to clarify existing requirements, with no new fees or restrictions. The bill is currently in committee review after introduction in February 2026.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 138 to define terms; impose a 4% state retail regulatory license fee on all alcoholic beverage sales to consumers by alcoholic beverage retailers; establish procedures and duties of retailers; establish KRS Chapter 243A and create new sections thereof to impose state wholesale regulatory license fees on alcoholic beverages, state retail regulatory license fees on kratom, hemp-derived, and cannabinoid products, and penalties for violations; set out regulatory license fee rates, deductions for timely filing and payment, and licensee duties; amend KRS 211.285 to fund the alcohol wellness and responsibility education fund with 0.5% of the collected state retail regulatory license fees; amend KRS 241.010 to define "state or national conference" and redefine "alcoholic beverages"; amend KRS 241.069 to delete outdated language; amend various sections of KRS Chapter 243 to establish state license fees for new and existing license types; limit licensee discipline to only the specific license in question; establish a souvenir package license for distillers; authorize distillers, small farm wineries, and microbreweries to allow leashed dogs on their premises; allow caterers and special temporary auction licensees at state and national conferences; modify the privileges for various licensees, including a limited golf course, wholesaler, Class B distiller, and special agent or solicitor; allow a qualified historic site to sell alcoholic beverages by the package under a limited nonquota package license; add references to the new tax structure and statutes; modify requirements for public notice of a license application; sunset existing excise, wholesale, and other taxes on July 1, 2027, as they relate to alcoholic beverages; repeal and reenact KRS 243.075, relating to local regulatory license fees, to allow any moist or wet city or county to impose the fee; authorize audits of each city's or county's regulatory license fee fund by the Auditor of Public Accounts for the most recent 10 years; describe audit penalties for cities and counties that fail to substantially comply; establish the regulatory license fee audit fund; direct cities and counties to reduce the regulatory license fee to 3% within 4 years; limit future cities and counties to a 1% regulatory license fee; amend KRS 244.080 to permanently prohibit a retail license from using a premises if the licensee sold to minors at that premises 3 or more times in 24 months; amend KRS 244.585 to establish limitations for agreements between distributors and breweries or microbreweries; amend KRS 131.250, 139.010, 243.045, 243.430, 243.790, 243.850, and 243.990 to conform; EFFECTIVE, in part, July 1, 2027; EMERGENCY.

Urge Congress to create an accreditation pathway through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for private companies assisting veterans with their benefits.

Amend various sections of KRS Chapter 243 to allow a licensee to purchase alcohol directly from retailers only to be sold by the drink for consumption on the licensed premises or off-premises pursuant to KRS 243.081; amend KRS 244.590 to remove language relating to draught-line cleaning.

Amend various sections of KRS Chapters 230 and 238, relating to the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, to define "Kentucky quarter horse purse fund," "proof of wagers," "unclaimed pari-mutuel winning ticket," and "unredeemed pari-mutuel voucher"; confirm the corporation's jurisdiction over racing and gaming entities; require an annual audit of the corporation by a qualified auditing entity and reduce audits by the Auditor of Public Accounts to once every four years; grant the corporation flexibility in promulgating administrative regulations; authorize the corporation to participate in state agency master agreements; prohibit banning or reducing charitable games or charitable gaming activities approved as of July 1, 2025; create staggered initial terms for members of the corporation's board of directors; add two board members, one representing charitable gaming and the other representing the quarter horse industry; appoint all three charitable gaming board members immediately; make those associated with the corporation subject to KRS Chapter 11A, but state that KRS Chapter 230 will control if there is a conflict; permit the board to remove the corporation president; establish qualifications of the corporation's chief financial officer; require the Office of Charitable Gaming to make formal recommendations to the president on charitable gaming matters; combine racing and charitable gaming security and investigators into one group; allow investigators to acquire criminal justice training certification under KRS Chapter 15; establish to corporation's authority over all aspects of charitable gaming, including its employees, agency structure, licensing, and administrative regulations; create a new section of KRS Chapter 230 to direct state financial officers to transfer existing moneys and future receipts to designated accounts; create a new section of KRS Chapter 230 to allow the corporation to control the disbursement of unredeemed pari-mutuel voucher funds held by tracks; create new sections of KRS Chapter 230 to set up quarter horse development and purse funds; amend KRS 230.400, 230.445, 230.446, 230.770, 230.800, 230.802, and 230.804 to modify all equine development, breeder incentive, and purse funds into corporation accounts, with at least 90% of each fund going directly to the fund's primary purpose; allow the corporation to use up to 10% from each fund for its administration and operation; remove quarter horses from all paint horse, Appaloosa, and Arabian funds; amend KRS 230.811 to pay sports wagering license fees directly to the corporation; amend KRS 230.817 to allow the corporation to use up to 10% from the sports wagering administration fund for its administration and operation; require quarterly and annual reports on the status of the sports wagering administration fund; distribute sports wagering funds as they are received; create a new section of KRS Chapter 238 to maintain existing excess charitable gaming licenses; revoke excess licenses after the licensee's commission of listed offenses; amend KRS 238.535 to exempt public or private elementary and secondary schools from charitable gaming licensure; maintain reporting, records retention, and net receipt requirements; amend KRS 238.570 to remove the corporation's ability to adjust the charitable gaming fee; amend KRS 18A.115 to exempt all corporation employees from the classified service; amend KRS 238.550 to allow charitable organizations to make bank deposits up to five days after a charitable event; make technical corrections; amend KRS 68.182, 91.202, 92.282, 138.510, 230.374, 230.3771, 238.536, and 238.540 to conform; repeal KRS 230.270, 238.520, and 238.522; direct the corporation to evaluate and propose its licensing structure to the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations by October 1, 2025; make sections relating to the corporation board and funds effective immediately and all other sections effective July 1, 2025; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 322.040 to allow an individual to qualify for licensure as a professional engineer if he or she has graduated from a fire protection engineering technology program of four years or more accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to limit the compensation for advising or assisting with veterans' benefits; prohibit persons seeking compensation for advising, assisting, or consulting on a veterans' benefits matter from utilizing international call or data centers, directly or aggressively soliciting business, gaining access to personal medical, financial, or benefits log-in or password information, charging late fees, and utilizing a doctor with whom they have an employment or business relationship; limit the fee for representation; provide that attorneys and law firms seeking to receive compensation for advising, assisting, or consulting any individual with any veterans' benefits matter shall be governed by limitations set forth in 38 C.F.R. sec. 14.636.

Amend KRS 241.010 to define "cannabinoid" and "cannabis-infused beverage"; create a new section of KRS Chapter 243 to indicate that the Department for Public Health regulates the manufacture, distribution, and retail sale of cannabis-infused beverages containing cannabinoids; make technical corrections; amend KRS 217.039, 243.034, and 243.0341 to conform.

Amend KRS 243.036 to allow a licensed auctioneer to hold a special temporary alcoholic beverage auction license; establish duties, privileges, and limitations for auctioneers who hold the license; suspend the auctioneer's special temporary alcoholic beverage auction license if the person ceases to be a licensed auctioneer; make a special temporary alcoholic beverage auction license valid for one year; create a new section of KRS Chapter 330, relating to auctioneer licensing, to allow a licensed auctioneer to obtain a special temporary alcoholic beverage auction license; make an auctioneer whose alcohol license is suspended or revoked subject to potential discipline by the auctioneer board; prohibit the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control from taking any action against an auctioneer's regular license; allow the auction of alcoholic beverages either separately or as a part of another auction; amend KRS 243.033 to conform.