Bill Tracker

KFTC's legislative issues during the

2019 Kentucky General Assembly

The session began January 8 and by the deadline in mid-February nearly 800 bills and 300 resolutions had been filed. KFTC will monitor legislation related to our platform. If you’d like to take action on any of the bills listed in the tracker, you can contact your legislators at 800-372-7181. Operators will help you find your legislator and it’s very simple to leave a message.

To read a bill or get additional information, click on the bill number in the Summary column.

You can get additional resources for taking action by visiting KFTC's General Assembly page. Here you will find resources for talking with your legislator, reporting back what you learn, information on lobby days, and more.

Finally, please like us on Facebook. That’s where we will provide the quickest, latest updates on important bills that begin to move or need action.

Bills to Watch
On Our Radar Studying Public Water Systems Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Tipton, Harris + 3 others	Summary House Concurrent Resolution 56 calls for establishing a 17-member legislative task force to study small community public drinking water systems to create mechanisms for oversight and intervention so as to prevent the drinking system's decline and failure.	Additional Information From the Kentucky Resources Council (KRC): This resolution seeks to prevent drinking system's decline and failure. KRC would have a seat on the task force. This editoral from the Lexington Herald Leader highlight issues with drinking water systems in Martin County an in numerous other communities across the state. "Stirring the Waters" is a series of investigative reports that highlights barriers that communities across Appalachia face in accessing clean water.
On Our Radar Special Tax Zones House Bill 203 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Angie Hatton, John Blanton + 4 others	Summary House Bill 203 would create a Kentucky Rural and Opportunity Zone to give tax breaks to job developers.	Additional Information HB 203 passed the House Economic Development and Workforce Investment Committee and was reassigned to the Appropriations Committee, where it died. News coverage from the Lexington Herald Leader
On Our Radar Counting Inmate Populations House Bill 6 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. R. Meeks & K. Flood	Summary House Bill 6 would ensure that folks who are presently incarcerated are counted in the 2020 census based on their last address.	Additional Information Ensuring that folks who are presently incarcerated are accurately counted at their last known addresses is an important piece of ensuring that Kentucky has an accurate 2020 Census count. Accurate Census counts are also important for informing legislative redistricting.
On Our Radar Earned Income Tax Credit Senate Bill 241 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. McGarvey	Summary Senate Bill 241 would establish a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) at 10% of the federal rate.	Additional Information The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy has an analysis of the impact of a state Earned Income Tax Credit here.
On Our Radar Forcible Entry House Bill 297 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. J. Petrie	Summary House Bill 297 would allow proceedings for forcible entry or detainer to include claims for damages and back rent.	Additional Information The Forcible Entry and Detainer process is an expedited process to get possession of real estate. This bill adds getting money from renters to that process. Presently, there are processes for monetary judgements between landlords and tenants. Those processes include the ability for renters to respond and file counter claims. This bill would remove these normal processes.
On Our Radar Foster Care & Adoption Discrimination House Bill 160 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. J. Petrie + 5 others	Summary House Bill 160 would essentially legalize discrimination in adoption decisions. A religious organization or an individual employed by a religious organization while acting in the scope of that employment cannot be required to provide foster care or adoption services to a person if the action would cause the organization or individual "to violate a sincerely held religious belief."
On Our Radar Accessible Renewable Energy House Bill 146 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. R. Meeks	Summary House Bill 146 would allow for "third party ownership" of solar or wind installations and removes the current capacity limit on renewable energy generation for those systems. The bill also sets standards for how the Public Service Commission (PSC) can interact with, and regulate, this third-party ownership.	Additional Information The implications of this bill are that it would greatly expand public access to renewable energy. Individuals, schools, churches, and other institutions could all access solar energy and lowered bills without paying the high upfront cost of a solar installation, by leasing energy from the third-party owner.
On Our Radar Repeal Youth Incarceration Bill House Bill 50 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Attica Scott	Summary House Bill 50 would repeal portions of the problematic "Youth Incarceration" Bill that became law during the 2018 legislative session.	Additional Information The 2018 Youth Incarceration bill layered on the punishment against young people who are alleged to have ever had a gang association. It promoted racial profiling and focuses on punishment rather than prevention.
On Our Radar Medical Marijuana House Bill 136 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Diane St. Onge + 6 others	Summary House Bill 136 would establish requirements for the cultivation, production, processing, distribution, and sale of medical cannabis. It would also restrict medical cannabis to certain patients with qualifying debilitating conditions. On March 6, the House Judiciary Committee approved an amended version of the bill. The vote was 16-1, with 1 pass. However, House leaders did not allow a vote on the House floor.	Additional Information The KFTC platform supports the legalization of production, sale and consumption of cannabis and cannabis-based products for medical and recreational use, and amnesty of anyone currently experiencing legal ramifications of cannabis related charges. We support policies that restrict the monopolization of cannabis by corporate entities.
On Our Radar School Security House Bill 1 Senate Bill 1 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Carney & Sen. Wise + 45 others	Summary House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 would establish requirements for school safety and security. These bills include a variety of regulations, including school security risk assements and requirements and regulations for law enforcement.	Additional Information SB 1 passed the Senate, 38-0, on February 8. With some changes, it was passed by the House, 96-3, on February 27. The Senate accepted the House changes the next day. SB 1 was signed into law by Governor Bevin on March 11.
On Our Radar Hate Crimes and Sentencing House Bill 145 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. R. Meeks	Summary House Bill 145 would create the offense of hate crime and determine when a judge may determine during sentencing whether a crime was committed as a result of a hate crime.
On Our Radar Hate Crimes House Bill 129 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Reggie Meeks	Summary House Bill 129 would create and outline the offense of hate crimes.
On Our Radar Voting Rights House Bill 91 Senate Bill 90 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Brown & Booker, Sens. Neal & McGarvey	Summary House Bill 91 and Senate Bill 90 (as well as Senate Bill 91 and Senate Bill 93) would restore voting rights to folks formerly convicted of a felony, each include a variety of exclusions and regulations.	Additional Information KFTC is working to restore voting rights to folks who have been convicted of a felony in their past through advancing a clean restoration bill without exclusions. To learn more about the movement to restore voting rights in Kentucky as well as KFTC's work on this issue, and to connect with Kentuckians taking action for the restoration of voting rights, contact Dave Newton at: dave@kftc.org
On Our Radar School Councils Senate Bill 3 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. John Schickel + other Republicans	Summary Senate Bill 3 would make a variety of changes to the regulations that govern the ways that school boards and school councils relate to one another.	Additional Information School councils in Kentucky are composed of parents, teachers and administrators. They are responsible for establishing school policies that create positive learning environments for students. School councils ensure that the voices of students, parents and teachers are heard in schools' decision-making processes. SB 3 would dilute the voices of students, parents and teachers in decision making and shift more control to district administrators. SB 3 was fast tracked and passed the Senate, 23-13, on January 11. It is now before the House Education Committee.
On Our Radar Limit Death Penalty Senate Bill 17 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Julie Raque Adams + 3 others	Summary Senate Bill 17 would prohibit application of the death penalty if the accused has a diagnosis of serious mental illness.	Additional Information KFTC's platform supports the abolition of the death penalty. SB 17 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 7. However, Senate Republican leaders refused to allow the bill a vote before the full Senate.
On Our Radar Recreational Marijuana Senate Bill 80 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Dan Seum	Summary Senate Bill 80 would legalize marijuana use and possession for adults 21 years old and above and establish regulations.
On Our Radar Taxing Pension Income House Bill 15 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. John Blanton + 3 others	Summary House Bill 15 (and House Bill 58) would increase the pension income exclusion from $31,110 to $41,110.
On Our Radar Paid Maternity Leave House Bill 48 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. McKenzie Cantrell & Joni Jenkins	Summary House Bill 48 would require employer with 50 or more employees to provide six weeks of paid maternity leave for an employee who has been employed for at least one year.
On Our Radar Paid Sick Leave House Bill 47 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. McKenzie Cantrell & Joni Jenkins	Summary House Bill 47 would require employers to provide earned paid sick leave to employees.
On Our Radar Surprise Medical Billing House Bill 138 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. John Sims & Cherlynn Stevenson	Summary House Bill 138 would limit patients' financial liability for uninteneded out-of-network medical care.
On Our Radar Kentucky Pregnant Workers Act Senate Bill 18 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Alice Kerr + 3 others	Summary Senate Bill 18, the Kentucky Pregnant Workers Act, would ensure that pregnant workers are given fair treatment on the job and would promote equal opportunity in the workplace. Read a Health Impact Assessment about SB 18 from the Center for Health Equity in Louisville. one-page handout full report	Additional Information SB 18 was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 14. It was approved by the full Senate on February 22, 25-7. The bill was approved by the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, 20-1, and the full House on the last day, 87-5. It was signed into law by Gov. Bevin on April 9,
On Our Radar Payday Loans Senate Bill 43 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Dennis Parrett	Summary Senate Bill 43 would limit interest rates on deferred deposit transactions (payday loans) at 36%, among other restrictions.

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