A laundry list of new state laws take effect in Kentucky next week, including key measures on crime, firearms, maternal health, and child protection.
The Kentucky General Assembly passed more than 200 bills during its latest 60-day session, and most will go into effect on Monday.
The Kentucky Constitution specifies that new laws take effect 90 days after the adjournment of the legislature unless they have special effective dates, are general appropriation measures, or include emergency clauses that make them effective immediately upon becoming law.
The general assembly adjourned the 2024 session on April 15, making July 15 the effective date for most bills.
Some of the key measures set to take effect include:
Adoption Records: House Bill 87 will allow some family members to inspect adoption records if they are related to someone who was adopted or to the birth parents who gave up a child for adoption. The records can only be inspected after both birth parents or the adoptee have passed away.
Animal Abuse: House Bill 258 seeks to strengthen state laws against torturing a dog or cat. That includes stiffer penalties for first-time offenders, who could face a class D felony rather than a misdemeanor charge under the bill.
Autonomous Vehicles: House Bill 7 creates a legal framework in state statute for operating autonomous vehicles in Kentucky. The bill will take effect July 15 except for one section related to platoons of vehicles, which does not take effect until August 2026.
Capitol Statues: House Bill 513 requires the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to receive approval from the Kentucky General Assembly before adding or removing any statues, monuments or art on permanent display in the Capitol rotunda.
Childcare Subsidies: Senate Bill 240 clarifies that foster parents who work remotely can receive childcare subsidies.
Child Protection: House Bill 278 will ramp up the criminal penalties for offenders who sexually abuse, assault or exploit children. The bill also seeks to prevent people convicted of sex crimes or violent felonies from working in public schools. Another provision in the final bill will require age verification to access adult websites.
Child Sex Dolls: House Bill 207 creates felony penalties for possessing, trafficking, importing or promoting the use of a child sex doll. It also expands laws against child pornography to include computer-generated images of an identifiable minor.
Civics Education: House Bill 535 calls on the Kentucky Board of Education to create academic standards for civic literacy in high schools. That includes lessons on America’s founding, the U.S. Constitution, principles of government and civil liberties among others.
Crime Victims: Senate Bill 319 calls for the Crime Victims Compensation Board to make its application process available online, to publish the application in additional languages, and to establish a tracking process for claims. It also clarifies who is eligible to file claims and extends the deadline to file claims.
Cursive Handwriting: Senate Bill 167 calls for elementary schools to teach cursive handwriting and ensure that students are proficient in cursive by the end of the fifth grade.
Emissions Standards: Senate Bill 215 forbids state agencies from adopting or enforcing California’s emission standards on motor vehicles.
Firearms: House Bill 357 forbids government agencies from creating a list of privately owned firearms – or their owners – unless the information relates to a criminal investigation. The bill also prevents credit card companies from creating unique merchant codes for gun stores.
Foster Care: Senate Bill 151 allows family members who take temporary custody of a relative’s child to apply to become a relative or fictive kin foster parent. That will help them access more state resources and support.
Gas Stations: House Bill 581 prevents local governments from passing or enforcing rules that treat retail gas stations differently from electric vehicle charging stations.
Health Care Background Checks: Senate Bill 145 will allow healthcare providers enrolled in the Medicaid program to conduct employee background checks through Kentucky’s child and adult abuse registries.
Healthcare Liability: House Bill 159 protects healthcare providers from criminal liability when a medical error harms a patient. The bill exempts harm resulting from gross negligence or wanton, willful, malicious or intentional misconduct.
Juvenile Offenders: Senate Bill 20 seeks to curb youth gun violence. Among several provisions, it clears the way for juveniles to stand trial as adults if they use a firearm in the commission of certain felonies and they are at least 15-years-old.
Kratom: House Bill 293 aims to regulate kratom, an herbal drug frequently sold online and in convenience stores. The bill prohibits sales to people under 21 and provides guidelines for manufacturing and labeling the product.
Kindergarten Readiness: House Bill 695 will establish the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Project within the Kentucky Department of Education. The program will offer reading, math and science instruction through an online platform.
Maternal Health: Senate Bill 74 aims to support maternal and infant health and reduce the high mortality rate for mothers in Kentucky. Several sections of the bill are set to take effect on July 15, including one that will provide more information about breastfeeding and safe sleep to at-risk parents. Other sections will establish a state maternal fatality review team and require state Medicaid services to cover lactation consulting, breastfeeding equipment, and in-home and telehealth services. The bill also calls on state health officials to compile an annual report about the number and types of delivery procedures performed at each hospital. Other sections of the bill will not take effect until 2025.
Mathematics Education: House Bill 162 seeks to improve numeracy in Kentucky. It calls for reform to early education math standards and for more professional development for teachers. The bill will also create multitiered support systems for struggling students.
Medicinal Cannabis: House Bill 829 seeks to update some aspects of Kentucky’s upcoming medicinal cannabis program. It will allow schools to opt out and allow local governments to apply a small fee to the program, among other changes. Three sections of the bill related to applications for business licenses, state enforcement and patient pamphlets will not take effect until 2025.
Missing Adults: Senate Bill 45 calls on Kentucky State Police and other state officials to operate a new alert system that helps find missing people over the age of 17.
Nuclear Energy: Senate Bill 198 establishes the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority to support and facilitate the development of a nuclear energy ecosystem across the state.
Official State Rock: House Bill 378 changes the official state rock from Kentucky agate to coal. It also changes the official mineral from coal to calcite and the official gemstone from the freshwater pearl to Kentucky agate.
Pseudoephedrine: House Bill 386 eases purchase limits on pseudoephedrine to help people with chronic allergies legally obtain enough of the medication to meet their medical needs.
Recording Food Operations: Senate Bill 16 forbids people from capturing or distributing unauthorized video, audio or photos from a commercial food manufacturing facility or an animal feeding operation. Violators could face a class B misdemeanor on the first offense and a class A misdemeanor for a subsequent offense.
Research Consortiums: Senate Bill 1 creates an endowment fund to support collaborative research consortiums among public universities in Kentucky. Administered by the Council on Postsecondary Education, the program will focus on research projects that seek to improve quality of life through medicine, health and economic development.
Safer Kentucky Act: House Bill 5 aims to crack down on repeat, violent offenders. It will also allow prosecutors to file a manslaughter charge against anyone who sells or distributes fentanyl that causes a fatal overdose. Other provisions seek to curb unlawful street camping and set limits on charitable bail organizations.
School Bus Behavior: House Bill 446 seeks to address disciplinary issues on school buses. Under the bill, every bus rider and at least one of their parents or guardians will need to sign a transportation agreement with the district. The agreement would outline expectations for students and parents and explain the consequences for misbehavior.
School Notifications: Senate Bill 11 seeks, in certain cases, to speed up notifications to schools when a student has been charged with a crime.
School Safety: Senate Bill 2 seeks to enhance school safety by allowing some veterans and former police officers to serve as school “guardians.” It also calls on school districts to assemble trauma-informed teams to improve mental health interventions.
Sex Offenders and Social Media: Senate Bill 249 will require sex offenders who have been convicted of abusing a minor to use their legal name on social media platforms.
Truancy: House Bill 611 calls for school officials to file a complaint with the county attorney when a student misses 15 days or more of school without an excuse. For students in elementary school, the parents would be held responsible.
Vaping in Schools: House Bill 142 will ban all tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products in Kentucky public schools. It will also require school districts to adopt disciplinary procedures for students who violate the bans.
Veteran Suicide Prevention: Under House Bill 30, the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs will create a suicide prevention program for service members, veterans and their families.
Window Tinting: Senate Bill 46 allows windshield tinting on vehicles as long as at least 70 percent of light can still pass through the material.
Youth Employment Programs: Senate Bill 128 allows nonprofit organizations to employ 12- and 13-year-olds for the purpose of learning life and employment skills. To participate, organizations would need to first receive approval from the state Department of Workplace Standards, and the work cannot exceed 18 hours a week.
Youth Medical Records: House Bill 174 stipulates that parents have access to their child’s medical records. Right now, children ages 13 and older must sign a waiver for parents to have access.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
