The second half of the 2025 Legislative Session is off and running as new bills and resolutions are filed, committees meet to hear testimony and consider legislation, and hundreds of guests visit to advocate for their communities and organizations.
I had the opportunity this week to meet with constituents from Central Kentucky Community Action, Creekside Elementary, The Heart of Kentucky Association of Realtors, Kentucky Association of Independent Recovery Organizations, Kentucky Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Kentucky Senior Living Association, and Reyes Coca-Cola.
In addition, several bills made their way through committee and are up for consideration on the House floor. The General Assembly is dedicated to bettering the lives of Kentuckians, one bill at a time. Among the pieces of legislation up for consideration this week are:
House Bill 48, known as the “Red Tape Reduction Act,” would reduce the overall administrative burden on educators in our state, allowing them to focus on teaching rather than paperwork. The bill streamlines processes for teachers and school districts. HB 48 seeks to extend the period between mandatory summative evaluations for tenured, certified school staff from once every three years to once every five years, allowing room for additional evaluations to take place at the discretion of supervisors. This bill would also allow teachers to have access to their employment contracts upon request.
Further, HB 48 would require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a four-year recurring professional development training schedule that consolidates state-required training and ensures all certified school employees complete designated trainings within 12 months of initial hire and at least once every four years.
HB 48 also aims to eliminate state mandates for comprehensive school district improvement plans not required by federal law. Finally, HB 48 would direct the Kentucky department of Education to review and eliminate reporting requirements not expressly mandated by state or federal law. Overall, this legislation is meant to relieve our educators of their massive administrative burden, in order to allow them to focus their time and energy on quality instruction inside the classroom.
HB 44, also known as “Landon’s Law,” had its first reading in the House this week. This bill would address choking incidents in schools by mandating that if a school acquires an anti-choking device, that cafeteria staff and other designated users, such as school nurses, must be trained in its proper use. In addition, it would provide civil immunity to any individual who attempts to administer emergency care using an anti-choking device or preforming the Heimlich maneuver. HB 44 applies to both public and private schools across the Commonwealth. This legislation would ensure that school personnel in the state are better equipped and protected when responding to choking emergencies.
HB 27 passed House Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee this week, and has been sent to the House floor for further consideration. HB 27 would amend existing statute to ensure that specific regulations apply uniformly to all planned communities within the Commonwealth. Planned communities, housing developments, subdivisions, or residential areas where homeowners are subject to certain rules and regulations, typically by a Homeowners Association (HOA), will be uniformly governed under HB 27. This bill would also ensure that existing contradictory rules are voided, standardizing regulations across all planned communities in the state ensuring fairness and consistency for Kentuckians.
Finally, HB 45 also cleared the Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee this week to be considered on the House floor. The measure is aimed at bringing consistency in election laws banning foreign nationals from attempting to influence our elections via donations and political advertising. Foreign nationals are already banned from donating to influence candidate elections, and this law would extend that ban to proposed ballot measures, like the constitutional amendments that were on our November ballot.
As always, I hope you will feel free to contact me with any questions or issues. I can be reached through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Please feel free to email me at Samara.Heavrin@kylegislature.gov. If you would like more information about the legislature, you can visit the Legislative Research Commission website at legislature.ky.gov.
Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield
