With two-thirds of the legislative session now behind us, lawmakers have already worked through a significant portion of this year’s agenda. By the Wednesday, March 4 deadline to file new legislation, House members introduced 938 bills. As is typical each year, only a small share of those proposals will ultimately make it through the full legislative process and become law.
By March 6, 137 bills have cleared the House chamber, reflecting weeks of committee hearings, debate, and votes on the floor. Three measures have successfully passed both the House and Senate. Of those, one has already become law, while two others are now awaiting the governor’s consideration. Under Kentucky law, the governor has ten days to sign or veto legislation once it reaches his desk. If no action is taken within that time frame, the bill automatically becomes law without the governor’s signature.
Some of the bills that passed the House this week include:
HB 5 would expand prison-based education and job-training programs proven to reduce crime by developing a model vocational campus at a state prison offering intensive education and workforce training for incarcerated individuals while they complete their sentences.
HB 67 would clarify a law providing oversight of communications between students and public school faculty and staff. The measure exempts cousins, nieces, nephews, and any adult who lives in the same household as the student, as well as group texts involving two or more school employees or qualified volunteers and one or more students for an academic, athletic or extracurricular purpose. The bill would allow teachers who interact with students because of other jobs, like a youth pastor, delivery driver, or a photographer, may disclose that job and be exempt from using a traceable communication system for those purposes under the bill. HB 67 also addresses emergency communications, better defines a qualified school volunteer, and mandates notification of parents and guardians if an unapproved communication occurs.
HB 254 would exempt temporary sanitation facilities, including shower and toilet units, brought in after a disaster or other emergency from inspections required by the state and local governments.
HB 282, Troy’s Law, would allow tow trucks to be equipped with one or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating green lights.
HB 307 would create a proactive postsecondary admissions program requiring the Kentucky Department of Education to share information about all incoming seniors with state universities. Colleges and universities must adopt a common application with minimum admission standards and notify every Kentucky senior of their KEES award, eligible institutions, and application instructions.
HB 364 would make Kentucky National Guard members eligible to receive emergency response pay when called to active duty after a declaration of emergency in the Commonwealth.
HB 418 would strengthen domestic violence protections by limiting reunification orders, treating repeat domestic violence as a presumptive bar to unsupervised visitation and custody, and holding accountable anyone who makes false domestic violence claims in custody cases.
HB 519 would allow individuals to voluntarily add a communication disorder notation to their driver’s license, instruction permit, or state ID card – providing a simple, discreet way to alert first responders that they may communicate or process information differently.
HB 586 would clarify that sunscreen is not a medication and ensures that students can apply sunscreen at school.
HB 593 would require data centers locating in Kentucky to meet their energy needs responsibly by generating their own power, purchasing it on the national market, or paying upfront to expand generation and transmission capacity. The measure also establishes a $75,000 application fee for any entity seeking to construct a data center in Kentucky, ensuring applicants have a meaningful stake in the process from the outset.
HB 658 would require the transportation cabinet to extend the waiting period for a limited commercial driver’s license (CDL) from 180 days to 210 days with a 12-month period for agriculture businesses.
Three measures would bring Kentucky into interstate licensure compacts for respiratory therapists (HB 36), dietitians (HB 92), and athletic trainers (HB 628). By joining these compacts, Kentucky would promote license portability and expand access to qualified professionals while helping address ongoing workforce shortages in critical health fields. Equally important, interstate compacts make it easier for military spouses and families to continue their careers when they relocate, strengthening Kentucky’s reputation as a military-friendly state.
I hope you will continue to monitor our work. The legislature’s website provides links to the bill summaries and full text of legislation we are considering; livestreamed and recorded committee meetings and floor debate; and meeting materials. You can also visit @KYHouseGOP on YouTube for a searchable archive of clips of floor debate and feature pieces about the legislation that is moving this year.
As always, I can be reached anytime through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via email at Amy.Neighbors@kylegislature.gov and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.ky.gov.
(HD21 – News from the Office of Rep. Neighbors)