Maddy summarySB 2 prohibits the use of public funds (state/local government money) in Kentucky correctional facilities for hormone treatments or surgeries related to gender reassignment. It defines "cosmetic service or elective procedure" to include cross-sex hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery, and bans funding for these except in rare cases where stopping treatment would cause immediate physical harm to an inmate. The law directly affects incarcerated individuals in Kentucky state and local correctional facilities by restricting access to these medical treatments using taxpayer money. It became law without the Governor's signature on March 27, 2025, after passing the legislature. The bill does not affect medical care unrelated to gender transition or private funding.
Sponsored bills
Amend KRS 21.450, 61.650, 78.790, and 161.430 relating to the fiduciary duties owed to the state-administered retirement systems to define "shareholder-sponsored proposal" and "economic analysis"; require a proxy adviser under contract with a state-administered retirement system to conduct and document an economic analysis prior to voting on or recommending a vote on a shareholder-sponsored proposal that is inconsistent with the recommendation of the board of directors of the issuer of shares in order to demonstrate that a vote against management's recommendation is solely in the interest of the retirement plan members and beneficiaries; make technical corrections.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 156 to establish a procedure for a local board of education to submit a waiver request to the Kentucky Board of Education to waive a statute or administrative regulation; set the terms and limitations of a waivers; authorize the identification of schools of innovation and establish parameters for the status; establish procedures for the renewal of approved waivers; provide the conditions and procedure for rescinding waivers by the state board; authorize the promulgation of administrative regulations to adopt necessary forms and procedures to process waiver requests; amend various sections to conform; repeal KRS 156.108 and 160.107; provide that the Act may be cited as the School Innovation Act.
Amend KRS 158.645 to change the required learning capacities of Kentucky public school students; amend KRS 158.6451 to provide that schools shall expect a high level of academic achievement and shall develop students' ability to think critically and independently; amend KRS 156.010 to include career and technical education; amend KRS 160.345 to remove the reporting requirement relating to physical activity of students; amend KRS 157.065 to remove the reporting requirement relating to participation in breakfast programs; amend KRS 424.250 to reflect that school boards are tax levying authorities and do not file budgets with the county clerk; require district budgets to be published in the same manner as school financial reports; repeal KRS 157.061 and 158.856.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to establish the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program to be administered by the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority; establish the nuclear energy development grant administration subcommittee and provide for its duties; limit individual grant awards from the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program to $2,000,000 per grant; amend KRS 164.2802 to require the director of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority to publicize and encourage application to the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program; require the evaluations and scores of grant applications and grant awards made from the program to be included in the annual report that the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority submits to the Legislative Research Commission; amend 2024 Kentucky Acts Chapter 173, Section 1, (207), at page 1766, to allow $10,000,000 of the amount appropriated to the University of Kentucky budget unit for the Center of Applied Energy Research's administration and support of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Authority and the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission for fiscal year 2025-2026 to be used for the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program; repeal KRS 154.12-340; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.
Amend KRS 78.5536, relating to the County Employees Retirement System, to increase the nonhazardous and hazardous duty under age 65 retiree health subsidy to $40 and $50 per month for each year of service, respectively, for those members who meet the "career threshold" who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and who are eligible for a fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy not tied to the premium; extend the employee contribution used to fund retiree health benefits to include members who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and increase the current hazardous employee contribution rate to 2% of pay for those eligible for the fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy; make technical amendments regarding the retiree health premium reimbursement program to conform to current policy; provide that the amendments to the employee contributions shall be effective July 1, 2026; for calculation of the retiree health subsidy increase, provide that the change shall apply to service earned prior to the effective date of this Act by eligible members, including retirees, and shall prospectively be adjusted annually by the 1.5% increase currently provided in statute; provide that subsidies payable to impacted retirees shall begin on or after January 1, 2026, to coincide with the next health plan year; direct the Public Pension Oversight Board to continue to review the retiree health fund actuarial data and evaluate potential legislative options to address any future continued improvements in the funds; RETROACTIVE.
Maddy summarySJR 26 is a joint resolution directing Kentucky's Department for Medicaid Services to prepare a report for the Legislative Research Commission by August 2025. The report will analyze the costs, administrative changes, and potential impacts of extending pharmacist payment parity (currently required for private insurers under House Bill 48) to Medicaid and KCHIP programs. It will cover how implementing this would affect billing for pharmacist services, rural access to care, Medicaid claims, and overall costs, using data on current reimbursement rates and service utilization. This resolution does not change current Medicaid policy but aims to provide data to inform future legislative decisions affecting over 1.4 million Kentuckians covered by Medicaid or KCHIP.
Amend KRS 237.109 to lower the age requirement for carrying a concealed and deadly weapon from 21 to 18; amend KRS 237.110 to conform; make technical corrections.
Urge the Council of Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Department of Education, in partnership with the Secretary of State and other education entities, to develop strategies and a timeline for improving Kentucky studentsâ knowledge and understanding of the constitutional republic of The United States of America and the democratic processes specified therein
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 183 to allow an air board that operates a commercial airport serving more than 1,000,000 passengers annually to utilize small purchase procedures established by the Federal Aviation Administration for purchases that do not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold identified in 2 C.F.R. sec. 200.88 and to purchase goods and services directly from vendors who maintain agreements with the General Services Administration; exempt these transactions from the requirements of KRS 45A.345 to 45A.460 and 424.260; amend KRS 82.084 to conform; amend KRS 183.525, regarding the Kentucky aviation economic development fund, to allow commercial airports to receive awards from the fund and require the Transportation Cabinet to report annually to the General Assembly through the Legislative Research Commission on expenditures from the fund; amend KRS 189.990 to increase monetary penalties for violations of the chapter; amend KRS 183.011, 183.012, and 183.120 to make technical corrections; repeal KRS 183.085, regarding an unmanned aviation facility map for commercial airports.