LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Week In Review: House continues advancing legislation as regular session enters final days

The legislature is scheduled to adjourn the 2025 regular session by midnight, March 28. As this date now draws closer, the House has continued its passage of many key measures related to education, Medicaid, criminal justice, and more. The following bills were passed and will now move to the Senate for consideration: 

Protecting the rights of property owners: House Bill 10 is aimed at protecting property owners from unlawful occupation and damage caused by squatters. Kentucky property owners have increasingly faced challenges with squatters who illegally occupy homes, commercial properties, railroads, and land, often leaving behind immense destruction and costly repair bills. This measure would establish a streamlined process for law enforcement to remove unauthorized occupants from private property while enhancing penalties for those who unlawfully damage real estate.

Providing additional student and school safety measures: House Bill 14 would allow school districts to employ an enhanced security system that includes a wearable alert alarm system and direct the Center for School Safety to establish the Wearable Panic Alert Grant Program to support districts as they seek access to these devices.

Reducing red tape for teachers: House Bill 48, otherwise known as the Red Tape Reduction Act, would remove burdensome administrative policies and standards that take a teacher's time away from the students in the classroom. This legislation would standardize professional development schedules, reduce the frequency of summative evaluations, and remove unnecessary requirements set by the Kentucky Department of Education to give teachers more time to focus on instruction.

Amending landowner liability: House Bill 114 would amend the landowner liability exemptions list to include rock climbing, bouldering, and rappelling. 

Expanding options for high achieving students: House Bill 190 would require school districts to establish an advanced coursework pathway policy for distinguished high-potential students in grades 4-12. 

Improving farm-to-table poultry access: House Bill 278 would align state law with federal policy by allowing small poultry farms and processors to use an exemption from the United States Department of Agriculture to sell poultry directly to consumers at farms, farmers markets, and roadside stands. Currently, Kentucky is one of two states in the nation that does not utilize this exemption.

Strengthening DUI penalties: House Bill 456 would toughen the penalties for repeat offenders who drive under the influence of drugs and enhance requirements for ignition interlock devices. The measure would also clarify testing protocols and enhance legal consequences for aggravated circumstances, such as excessive speeding, driving the wrong way on highways, and DUI incidents resulting in serious injury or death.

Ensuring continuity of care: House Bill 501 would ensure that patients still have access to their necessary prescription medications in the event that their prescribing doctor passes away. The measure establishes guidelines for pharmacists to follow when a prescribing doctor passes away.

Protecting highway workers: House Bill 664 would establish a framework for the use of automated speed enforcement devices in highway work zones. Under this bill, a peace officer may issue a citation in a highway work zone at the time of an offense based on images transmitted by an automated speed enforcement device if a motor vehicle is detected traveling more than 10 mph over the posted speed limit, at least one bona fide worker is present in the highway work zone, and a certified peace officer is stationed in or near the end of the work zone in a marked vehicle.

Addressing election issues and concerns: House Bill 684 would make a wide variety of adjustments in response to issues that arose during the 2024 election cycle. Changes under this bill include the roles of county clerks and county boards of election, filing deadlines, absentee voting, polling places, filing requirements, and candidate information.

Expanding child welfare data reporting: House Bill 805 would expand the scope of the child welfare data reporting process to include situations where children are identified as at risk of harm in a child safety plan negotiated between a family and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, establish a timeline for the location of children who have been reported to be at risk of harm, include children who are alleged victim of domestic violence, abuse, or sexual assault for automatic investigation of reports, and require the Cabinet to track and analyze data on relative and fictive kin caregiver placements.

Reducing red tape for student athletes: House Joint Resolution 49 would direct the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) to submit a report to the Legislative Research Commission on the transfer information of student athletes from past two full academic and athletic years in order for the General Assembly to investigate governing polices and address concerns. 

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 Timmy.Truett@kylegislature.gov and keep track through the Kentucky legislature's website at legislature.ky.gov.