Amend KRS 61.621 to allow a member of a state-administered retirement system who works in a nonhazardous position that could be certified as a hazardous position and who receives a duty-related injury to be eligible for the same minimum retirement benefit provided to members who receive a hazardous disability retirement; amend KRS 61.702 to allow Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) members working in a nonhazardous position that could be certified as a hazardous position who receive a duty-related injury to receive the same health benefit provided to members who receive a hazardous disability retirement; amend KRS 78.5536 to allow County Employees Retirement System (CERS) members working in a nonhazardous position that could be certified as a hazardous position who receive a duty-related injury to receive the same health benefit provided to members who receive a hazardous disability retirement; allow certain persons whose last day of paid employment was on or after January 1, 2022, but prior to the effective date of the Act to apply for benefits; RETROACTIVE.
Sponsored bills
Amend KRS 64.185 to establish a salary schedule for coroners; require the Department for Local Government to certify the population group within the salary schedule and the years of service for each coroner assuming office; provide for adjustments to compensation based on the consumer price index; allow additional compensation for training courses completed; require all coroners to be considered full-time and prevent any reduction of salary based on hours worked; EFFECTIVE January 4, 2027.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to define "lobbying" and "public school or school district"; prohibit a public school or school district from expending any moneys to compensate an external individual or entity to lobby; permit employees of public schools or school districts to engage in lobbying services; permit schools to compensate external individuals or entities to represent their interest before the executive or legislative branch of the federal government; create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to prohibit a public postsecondary education institution from expending moneys to compensate an external individual or entity to engage in lobbying services; permit employees of public postsecondary education institutions to engage in lobbying services; permit public postsecondary education institutions to compensate external individuals or entities to represent their interest before the executive or legislative branch of the federal government.
Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require health benefit plans to cover at least 2 medically necessary epinephrine devices per covered person; limit a covered person's cost-sharing amount to $100 annually; amend KRS 304.17A-099 to exempt the epinephrine device coverage requirement from being suspended under state law due to the triggering of federal cost defrayment requirements; amend KRS 205.522, 205.6485, 164.2871, and 18A.225 to require Medicaid, KCHIP, self-insured employer group health plans offered by the governing board of a state postsecondary education institution, and the state employee health plan to comply with the epinephrine device coverage requirement; provide that various sections apply to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; require the Department of Insurance to determine whether the epinephrine devices coverage requirement would be in addition to essential health benefits required under federal law; require the Department of Insurance to obtain federal approval, if necessary; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or the Department for Medicaid Services to obtain federal approval, if necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes in the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1); EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2027.
Amend KRS 45A.030 to expand the definition of "contract"; amend KRS 45A.035 to require promulgation of administrative regulations to establish policies regarding timely payments under contracts; create a new section of KRS Chapter 45A to establish timely payment penalty and procedures; require the Finance and Administration Cabinet to submit a detailed report of interest penalties and reimbursement payments every six months due to payments not timely made to the Legislative Research Commission; EMERGENCY.
Amend KRS 56.065, 56.070, 56.095, 56.100, 56.110, 56.120, 56.140, 56.150, 56.160, and 56.180 to rename the state fire and tornado insurance fund to the Commonwealth's property and casualty insurance fund and make technical corrections; to extend the reinsurance requirements for the Commonwealth's property and casualty insurance fund; amend KRS 42.0651 and 164A.577 to conform; EMERGENCY.
Maddy summaryHB 304 increases the soybean assessment rate from 0.25% to 0.5% of the net market price per bushel for soybeans sold within Kentucky. This change directly affects Kentucky soybean farmers, as the higher assessment is deducted from their payment at the first point of sale. The bill amends KRS 247.552 to set this new rate limit for assessments levied under Kentucky's soybean marketing program. The policy change is a straightforward adjustment to the existing assessment structure, with no additional provisions or exemptions described.
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 164 to define terms; prohibit a public postsecondary education institution from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; from influencing the composition of the student body or scholarship recipients on the basis of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; from implementing a student housing assignment plan on the basis of religion, race, color, or national origin with designated exceptions; from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion, the promotion of discriminatory topics, or bias incident investigations; from soliciting statements on an applicant's experience with or views on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; from requiring a course dedicated to discriminatory concepts; or disseminating or profiting from any research, work product, or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory concepts; prohibit a public postsecondary education institution from requiring any individual to endorse or condemn a specific ideology or viewpoint; prohibit the Council on Postsecondary Education from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin or from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion or discriminatory topics; establish exclusions for legal compliance; require each governing board of a public postsecondary education institution to ensure compliance with specific sections of this Act no later than June 30, 2025; authorize the Attorney General to bring an action for a writ of mandamus to compel the council or a public postsecondary education institution to comply; create a cause of action to permit a qualified individual to file a civil action against council or a public postsecondary education institution for injunctive relief and limited damages arising from a violation of certain sections of this Act; waive sovereign and governmental immunity for the limited purpose of bringing this claim; prohibit retaliation; require each public postsecondary education institution to submit and publish a certified annual report on governmentally mandated discrimination to the Legislative Research Commission by October 1 each year; provide that a public postsecondary education institution or the council cannot claim a federal, state, judicial, contractual, or accreditation mandate as a defense to a civil action filed under this Act unless the policy, practice, or procedure upon which the complaint is founded is listed and clearly and accurately described in the public institution's annual report filed in accordance with this Act; require each public postsecondary education institution to provide the Personnel Cabinet and State Treasurer the name, job title, duty station, and salary or wages of each employee each month beginning January 1, 2025, and to post its itemized annual budget; amend KRS 164.020 to prohibit the Council on Postsecondary Education from approving a degree, certificate, or diploma program that includes discriminatory concepts or diversity, equity, and inclusion iniatives; amend KRS 164.011, 164.131, 164.321, and 164.821 to conform; direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to consider certain enumerated conditions when considering the elimination of an existing program; direct each public postsecondary education institution and the Council on Postsecondary Education to discontinue designated programs and follow designated procedures when implementing this Act; provide specific instructions for public postsecondary education institutions and the Council on Postsecondary Education to follow in implementing this Act; direct public postsecondary education institutions and the council to submit a report on implementation of this Act.
Direct the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to return to permanent display on the New State Capitol grounds the granite Ten Commandments monument given to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1971 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 344 to define terms; prohibit discrimination against mental health care professionals, mental health care institutions, and ordained ministry for providing protected counseling services; prohibit discrimination against individuals for offering information, training, and referrals for protected counseling services; prohibit discrimination against parents and guardians who consent to their child receiving protected counseling services; prohibit reporting of a mental health care professional or mental health care institution to a hiring or licensing authority solely on the basis that it provides protected counseling services; prohibit a hiring or licensing authority from investigating a mental health care professional or mental health care institution solely on the basis that it provides protected counseling services; establish a civil cause of action for a person injured by a violation; provide that the Act may be cited as the Mental Health Counseling Protection Act; EMERGENCY.