Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday took action on several pieces of legislation passed by the General Assembly this session, signing 17 bills, vetoing four bills and returning three bills without a signature.
“I will always put our Kentucky families first,” Beshear said. “I was proud to sign into law several measures that will do just that – increasing opportunity and making our New Kentucky Home a better place to live, learn and do business. The bills that received my veto are bills that harm Kentucky workers or violate our constitution and longstanding laws.”
Beshear signed the following bills, which will become law on their effective dates:
House Bill 10 allows owners to request that law enforcement immediately remove someone unlawfully occupying property, under certain circumstances. The bill gives clear instructions to property owners on dealing with squatters.
House Bill 30 supports state police, as well as other state and county employees, by ensuring mandated salary increases do not negatively impact the calculation of their final retirement compensation. The bill also requires Kentucky State Police to increase leave time for retired troopers and commercial vehicle enforcement officers who return to work.
House Bill 38 increases the penalties for those who violate a protective order.
House Bill 73 amends a statute to add WeLeadCS, a virtual computer science career academy for Kentucky high school students, to the list of participating employers in the Teachers’ Retirement System.
House Bill 152 relates to a Medicaid supplemental payment program for public ground ambulance providers. The bill helps support public ambulance services which provide life-saving services to many Kentuckians in their time of need.
House Bill 184 supports economic growth by extending an existing regulatory relief program.
House Bill 306 supports job growth by allowing an individual to qualify for licensure as a professional engineer if they have graduated from an accredited fire protection engineering technology program and obtained at least six years of progressive experience.
House Bill 313 establishes June as Kentucky History Month, putting a spotlight on Statehood Day – June 1 – and the runup to our nation’s Independence Day on July 4.
House Bill 415 amends the Kentucky Insurance Code to exempt certain health policies from wider requirements, which makes these policies more flexible and affordable for Kentuckians.
House Bill 605 will expand the number of eligible recipients for the GRANT program. The program ensures communities have the resources needed to leverage federal grants including infrastructure upgrades, creation of recreational facilities, increased childcare access and public transportation, among other eligible uses.
House Bill 783 will clarify the rules on the use of temporary motor vehicle tags.
Senate Bill 4 makes the Commonwealth Office of Technology responsible for standards for the use of artificial intelligence systems. The measure creates an Artificial Intelligence Governance Committee to develop standards to manage emerging risks.
Senate Bill 22 allows the Board of Barbering to govern, regulate and license mobile shops.
Senate Bill 100 seeks to create a licensing and regulatory framework for tobacco and vape retailers. The measure will help keep these products from being marketed and sold to minors in the commonwealth. The implementation of this bill will be halted by House Bill 6 if passed over the governor’s veto.
Senate Bill 120 protects children from child abuse by requiring coaches and others surrounding kids to report abuse, neglect or other concerns. Under state law it’s everyone’s legal obligation to report child abuse.
Senate Bill 133 allows certain amateur boxing and wrestling competitions to charge admission without having to be licensed by the Boxing and Wrestling Commission.
Senate Bill 169 protects children from child abuse by adding internet service providers, social networking companies, mobile payment services and cloud storage services to the list of those subject to subpoena in investigations of exploitation and internet crimes against children.
Beshear vetoed the following bills:
House Bill 6 violates the Kentucky Constitution by giving the Legislative Branch and its employees a veto of administrative regulations issued by the Executive Branch, the governor’s office said. In the governor’s veto message he wrote, “The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled more than 40 years ago that the General Assembly cannot interfere with the Executive Branch’s authority to file regulations to carry out the law.”
If overridden and not enjoined by a court, House Bill 6 will prevent the implementation of numerous bills passed this session. Read the veto message.
House Bill 398 abandons Kentucky’s longstanding policies that protect Kentucky workers. The Beshear Administration said the bill would make Kentuckians less safe in the workplace and hand over much of the authority to regulate, investigate and enforce Kentucky workplace safety and health standards to the federal government. For example, Kentucky workers would lose important safeguards related to fall protection, exposure to toxic and hazardous materials, high voltage electrical lines and bulk hazardous liquid unloading.
In the governor’s veto message he wrote, “House Bill 398 will lead to more workplace injuries, with Kentucky workers paying the price.”
Senate Bill 65 is another instance of legislative overreach that violates the Kentucky Constitution, according to the governor’s office. The bill would void and nullify administrative regulations filed by Executive Branch agencies, including three that were before a subcommittee for informational review only. Read the veto message.
Senate Bill 84 was vetoed because the bill violates the separation of powers, the governor’s office said. It prohibits courts from deferring to a state agency’s interpretation of any statute, administrative regulation or order. The governor wrote in his veto message, “The Judicial Branch is the only branch with the power and duty to decide these questions.”
The bills that were returned without the governor’s signature are:
House Bill 137 clarifies that the state can use any method approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for air quality monitoring. The concern with the bill is that it leaves the state dependent on the EPA methods.
House Bill 196 establishes the required number of certified emergency medical and mine emergency technicians (METs) at underground coal mines. The measure will reduce from two to one the number of METs required for small mine operators with 10 or fewer employees. However, it adds one additional MET for underground mines with over 50 workers and each additional 50 employees. The governor said the bill was a “mixed bag,” as it reduces technicians at small mines, but increases them at larger mines.
Senate Bill 63 adds a statute allowing special purpose vehicles equipped with the required street-legal features to drive on state roadways after being registered and insured. The bill, which passed with little opposition, does add additional safety requirements for the vehicles. The governor said the main concern with the bill is the safety of Kentuckians, especially children riding in ATVs, UTVs, mini-trucks and certain military vehicles on roadways. There is also a nearly $500,000 cost to implement the bill as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would be required to add additional licensing and enforcement staff and technology upgrades.
Two more veto days remain before the General Assembly convenes for the last two days of the 2025 regular session, which concludes on Friday.
(Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
