Rep. Derek Lewis

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 to seek federal approval if it is determined that such approval is necessary; and require the cabinet to comply with KRS 205.525.

Amend KRS 37.170 to create the Kentucky Emergency Volunteer Corps (KEV Corps) within the Kentucky State Defense Force; create a new section of KRS Chapter 37 to detail KEV Corps eligibility, supervision, training requirements, uniform details, and prohibitions and to create the KEV Corps fund; amend KRS 39B.030 to permit the local emergency management director to use the KEV Corps during a local disaster or emergency; amend KRS 39B.050 to include the KEV Corps as a part of the local disaster and emergency services organization; amend KRS 39B.070 to permit each city, urban-county government, or charter county government the use of the KEV Corps.

Amend KRS 227.480 to expand the group of entities whose model codes may be used as a source or basis for the standards required for electrical system construction, repair, and inspection as promulgated in the Uniform State Building Code; amend KRS 198B.050, 227.450, 227.489, 227.810, and 227A.010 to conform.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to define terms; establish a tax deduction for contributions made to an eligible savings account by a first-time home buyer and allow an exclusion from income for any interest earned from an eligible savings account of a first-time home buyer effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, but before January 1, 2036; require the Department of Revenue to report to the Legislative Research Commission and the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue; amend KRS 141.019 and 131.190 to conform.

Amend KRS 164.295 to permit Eastern Kentucky University to offer doctor of osteopathic medicine degrees required for professional practice and licensure in osteopathic medicine.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 65 preempting local governments from adopting or enforcing ordinances that create a registry of rental properties for enumerated reasons.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 311A to establish the emergency medical services education grant program under the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services to be used for student tuition support, agency support, and emergency medical services training or educational institution support.

Amend KRS 161.102 to require the Education Professional Standards Board to issue substitute teacher certificates based on education attained; specify the type of employment each certificate allows.

Amend KRS 158.162 to require local boards of education to maintain a portable automated external defibrillator in a public, readily accessible, well-marked location in all school buildings, including elementary school buildings, and at school-sanctioned athletic practices and competitions; require annual report on compliance with portable automated external defibrillator requirements to be submitted to the Kentucky Department of Education.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 224A to define terms; establish the Kentucky Water and Wastewater Assistance for Troubled or Economically Restrained Systems Program under the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) to provide for a loan application and evaluation process for eligible public water and wastewater systems to seek loan funds from the General Assembly; require the KIA to make available applications under the program, verify eligibility of proposed recipients, award loans as directed by the General Assembly, enforce compliance with loan conditions, and report quarterly to the General Assembly on the status of all loans under the program; allow the Kentucky Rural Water Association (KRWA) to contract or consult with third-party consultants, state agencies, or special purpose governmental entities in discharging its duties; require finalized loan applications to be made available to the public; allow eligible public water and wastewater systems to submit applications for regional projects; provide for forfeiture and repayment of loans; require the KRWA to evaluate applications according to specified criteria and to submit an annual report to the Legislative Research Commission containing the evaluations and scores of the proposed loan recipients; establish the Kentucky water and wastewater assistance for troubled or economically restrained systems fund; provide that all moneys in the fund shall be allocated by the General Assembly for providing loans for eligible projects; require that interest rates for loans be set in the same manner as the interest rates for loans from the federally-assisted wastewater and water supply resolving funds, except that the interest rates shall be one-half of a percent lower; establish the emergency Kentucky water and wastewater assistance for troubled or economically restrained systems fund; provide that moneys from the fund be dedicated to providing loans for capital and non-capital expenses relating solely to restoring or avoiding imminent interruption of utility service provided by a public water or wastewater system after a statewide or local emergency has been declared; allow the authority to require a corrective action plan to be submitted with a loan application; require that interest rates for loans be set in the same manner as the interest rates for loans form the federally-assisted wastewater and water supply resolving funds; create a new section of KRS Chapter 96 to define terms; create a forbearance period of three years for a utility acquiring a public water or wastewater system with existing violations; require the acquiring utility to correct past violations during the forbearance period; defer fines and penalties during the forbearance period; prioritize funding from the KIA for projects where the acquiring utility is making improvements to the acquired system; allow for a waiver of accrued fines and penalties if all deficiencies have been corrected and the public water or wastewater system has been sold to the acquiring utility or if the utility adopts a management and operations agreement handled by a well-operated utility; require the acquiring utility to make records available to ensure compliance; after the expiration of the forbearance period, allow the Energy and Environment Cabinet and the Public Service Commission to either waive fines and penalties, collect fines and penalties, or grant a discretionary extension of the forbearance period; allow priority in funding from the KIA to be predicated on timely payment of deferred fines and penalties; prohibit an acquired water or wastewater systems to which a forbearance period applied from being eligible for any additional forbearance periods; amend KRS 224A.316 to remove repetitive language and to require the KIA to prioritize funding for a utility acquiring a public water or wastewater system for the correction of deficiencies in the system identified in state and federal violations; APPROPRIATION.