Rep. Bobby McCool

Amend KRS 314.042 to create the provisional advanced practice registered nurse applicant license; amend KRS 314.121 to require APRNs and registered nurses experienced in long-term care on the Board of Nursing; amend KRS 314.131 to allow the exective director of the Board of Nursing to hire officers and other personnel with the approval of the board; and repeal KRS 314.193, which creates the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Council.

Repeal and reenact KRS 157.069 to define terms; require the Office of Career and Technical Education within the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to identify career and technical education programs or pathways as high cost or general cost; provide for a funding calculation from general fund appropriations for career and technical education based 60% upon weighted full-time equivalents enrollment and 40% upon specified incentives; provide for state-operated area technology center operating costs to be funded by the general fund appropriation to KDE; allow funds to be used for career and technical education programming for students in grades 5-8; disburse 75% of administrative operating funds previously designated to state-operated facility administrative costs that were converted to locally operated facilities to the locally operated facility and 25% to the career and technical education innovation and support fund for innovation and support of career and technical programs; create the career and technical education support fund; require the Office of Career and Technical Education to provide oversight of fund usage by recipients; require promulgation of necessary administrative regulations by Kentucky Board of Education; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2024; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

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.

Amend KRS 223.170 to require the board of certification for water treatment and distribution system operators to submit to the Energy and Environment Cabinet on or before December 31, 2024, recommendations for the establishment of a voluntary certification program for supervisors of certified operators in primary responsible charge of water treatment plants or distribution systems as well as recommendations for the establishment of a program or strategy for recruiting applicants to work in the operation of water treatment plants or distribution systems who are not currently participating in apprenticeships or certification programs administered by the cabinet; amend KRS 224.73-110 to require the Kentucky Board of Certification of Wastewater System Operators to submit to the Energy and Environment Cabinet on or before December 31, 2024, recommendations for the establishment of a voluntary certification program for supervisors of certified operators in primary responsible charge of public or private sewage systems as well as recommendations for the establishment of a program or strategy for recruiting applicants to work in the operation of public or private sewage systems who are not currently participating in apprenticeships or certification programs administered by the cabinet.

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.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 156 to allow the Kentucky Department of Education to enter into an agreement with a building and construction trade organization to develop a training program for school counselors on building and construction trades; provide professional development credit to school counselors and teachers, if resources allow, who participate in the program; require the department to include the training program on the electronic consumer bulletin board.

Direct the Legislative Research Commission to establish the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) Task Force to study the various components of the SEEK formula, evaluate whether changes are necessary to the base, tiers, or add-ons to maintain the original goal of SEEK; outline task force membership; require the task force to submit any findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1, 2024

Create a new section of Subtitle17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require insurers and any exchange to provide a special enrollment period for pregnant individuals; specify requirements for coverage; require group plan insurers to provide notice of special enrollment rights; amend KRS 304.17A-145 to require health benefit plans that provide coverage for dependents to provide coverage for maternity care; amend KRS 304.17A-220 and 194A.099 to conform with the special enrollment requirement; amend KRS 18A.225 and 164.2871 to require the state employee health plan and self-insured state postsecondary education institution group health plans to comply with the special enrollment and maternity coverage requirements; create a new section of KRS Chapter 194A to define terms and provide for the payment of coverage premiums to eligible individuals; amend KRS 205.522 to require Medicaid coverage for maternity services; amend KRS 205.592 to allow the Medicaid income limit for certain women and children to be increased under certain circumstances; amend KRS 205.6485 to require Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program to provide maternity coverage; amend KRS 164.2847 to provide for a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees for a child conceived and born as a result of sexual assault; amend KRS 164.2849 to declare the interests of the Commonwealth in protecting the unborn and supporting a child conceived and born as a result of sexual assault within established parameters; amend KRS 199.011 to define a child conceived and delivered as a result of sexual assault; amend KRS 199.473 to waive certain fees related to adoption proceedings; amend KRS 199.502 to include a conviction for specified criminal acts for an adoption without consent of the biological living parents; create a new section of KRS Chapter 199 to establish entitlement to nonrecurring adoption expenses under specified circumstances; amend KRS 199.894 to define terms; create a new section of KRS 199.892 to 199.8996 to establish the Child Care Assistance Program and establish eligibility requirements; create a new section of KRS Chapter 211 to direct the Cabinet to provide informational material on benefits available to a victim of sexual assault and a child conceived as a result of the sexual assault; amend KRS 216B.400 to establish requirements for receipt of specified benefits related to sexual assault that results in pregnancy; create a new section of KRS Chapter 49 to establish benefits available to a child born as a result of sexual assault; amend KRS 49.310 to conform; amend KRS 625.090 to add a conviction or guilty plea to any degree of rape, sexual abuse, or sexual misconduct as a basis to terminate parental rights; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to apply for a Medicaid waiver if potential cost defrayment or loss of federal funds is identified; provide that the Act may be cited as the Love Them Both Act; EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2025.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to prevent the compensation for advising or assisting with veterans' benefits.

Amend KRS 164.746 to modify the membership of the governing board of the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority; amend KRS 164A.050 to modify the membership of the governing board of the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation; amend KRS 164A.055 to authorize the Asset Resolution Corporation to engage in student loan activities; remove references to administration by the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation; EMERGENCY.