The pace of legislation moving through the chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly is picking up speed this week, as only two more legislative days remain until they break for the governor’s veto period.
The past week has been a whirlwind of bills, amendments, substituted language and emergency meetings, as lawmakers in the Republican supermajority continue negotiations to hammer out their differences and determine which bills will move forward and which will have to wait until next year.
Next Wednesday is the last day of the session to pass bills that are “veto-proof” and cannot be blocked by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. The governor’s veto period begins next Thursday, with lawmakers returning for at least two days in mid-April to override any of Beshear’s vetoes.
Here’s a rundown of the bills that cleared through chambers and moved closer to becoming law in the past week, with some already being delivered to the governor for his signature or veto.
SB 101 — Discipline for student violence
Senate Bill 101 expands which students must be expelled from public schools and puts in place extra requirements before students can return to the classroom. Lawmakers argued that teachers are not receiving adequate support and protections from violent students who not only disrupt classroom activity, but drive teachers away from the profession.
SB 101 mandates school boards expel middle and high school students who attack school staff for at least a year; students could return sooner under the bill if they haven’t been previously expelled, write a letter to the injured individuals, complete community service and keep their grades up. It passed both chambers and is on the governor’s desk.
SB 2 — Limits on school administrator pay
Senate Bill 2 would ensure that administrators do not receive a greater percentage pay increase that teachers in the district get, unless the district gets approval from the state education commissioner. Boards of education would also have to post a copy of the superintendent’s contract on their website for the public to see. The bill also makes it easier to remove principals who preside over schools that need “targeted support and improvement” for two or more years.
It’s part of a series of bills filed by GOP lawmakers concerned about the dire financial straits of Kentucky’s largest school districts and frustrated by low student achievement. It passed out of both chambers with bipartisan support and Beshear signed it into law on Friday.
SB 59 — No school resources for ballot advocacy
Senate Bill 59 would prohibit public K-12 school resources from being used to advocate for or against ballot measures in Kentucky, creating potential fines or misdemeanor penalties for violations. The bill is a response to criticism some school districts received from Republican lawmakers for social media posts that advocated against a failed constitutional amendment in 2024 that would have allowed public funds to go towards private education.
The original bill would have created potential felony charges for violations, but an amended version lessening the penalties was able to clear both chambers on a nearly party-line vote and was delivered to Beshear on Thursday.
SB 73 — Beef tallow and pork lard in cosmetics
Senate Bill 73 would amend state regulations to help home-based processors of “tallow-based” cosmetic products, which are derived from beef fat and pork lard. Such tallow-based products are popular in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement pushed by the Trump administration and the bill stems from the MAHA task force of legislators that met last year.
The bill passed both chambers with little discussion and was sent to the governor on Thursday.
HB 4 — Criminalizing “grooming” children
House Bill 4 seeks to criminalize “grooming” behaviors — tactics abusers use to gain a child’s trust and desensitize them to future abuse. The measure would make it a felony for an adult in a position of “authority or special trust” to groom a child. Other adults could only be found guilty of grooming children 13 and under.
The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has reported on several accusations of sexual misconduct perpetrated by educators. An amendment House Bill 253 would address the issue as well by banning schools from hiding sexual abuse allegations through nondisclosure agreements. Both bills are waiting for the House to agree with changes made in the Senate before they can head to the governor.
HB 10 — Restrictions on gubernatorial travel, contracts, appointments
House Bill 10 is a Republican-led bill to put new restrictions on executive branch officials in the final 180 days of a term, in addition to making all governor-appointed cabinet secretaries subject to Senate confirmation. During this period, a governor’s administration could not enter into no-bid contracts, settle litigation or make travel expenses without prior approval from another constitutional officer.
Democrats have criticized the bill as another blatant attempt to strip away power from a Democratic governor and delegate it to other GOP-held offices. Republicans lawmakers have said HB 10 is needed by highlighting decisions made just before former Gov. Steve Beshear left office in 2015, such as the contract to start the much-maligned Kentucky Wired project.
The bill has cleared both chambers on strict party-line votes, but the House and Senate have not yet concurred on changes to the bill.
HB 78 — Limiting liability for gun sellers
House Bill 78 would protect firearm sellers and manufacturers from civil liability if their customers commit crimes using their products. It lays out a few exceptions, including negligence, knowing violation of federal law or gun defects.
Democrats voted against the measure, arguing it gives special protections to gun sellers not provided to others. The GOP supporters said gun manufacturers are inundated with frivolous lawsuits and need additional protections. The bill has passed both chambers, but the House must still approve of the Senate’s amendments.
HB 398 — Costs for decommissioning power plants
House Bill 398 revisits two laws passed in recent years that make it harder for utility companies to retire coal-fired power plants. It would allow utilities to recover costs from consumers for the decommissioning of a plant before its retirement is authorized.
The environmental advocacy group Kentucky Resources Council is opposed to HB 398, arguing customers will be paying for decommissioning costs even though there is no assurance the coal plants will be retired. The bill has passed both chambers, though the House has not yet concurred with changes made in the Senate.
SB 195 — Shielding road contractors from lawsuits
Senate Bill 195 is a GOP attempt to shield road contractors from lawsuits if a motorist is injured or dies as long as the contractor sticks to the designs initially given to them. It’s one of several bills moving in the legislature that would shield specific industries from civil liability. SB 195 is waiting on the Senate to agree to several House changes.
HB 567 — Photo IDs required for public records access
House Bill 567 would allow public agencies to require a person requesting public records to provide a copy of their photo ID. The GOP sponsor said that some agencies have been inundated with AI-generated requests that overwhelm their offices. But some transparency advocates argue it places another burden on lawful requesters when other methods could weed out bot requests, like CAPTCHA. The bill is on the Senate floor, and could be voted on early next week.
SB 197 — Guardrails on data centers and ratepayer protections
Senate Bill 197 seeks to create various rural economic development tax credits, but a late amendment added language from another bill that would put guardrails around new data center development. The legislation attempts to ensure that new utility infrastructure costs to serve the energy-intensive facilities aren’t passed onto current ratepayers, though Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities — the largest electricity provider in the state — has expressed opposition to parts of the bill.
Under the measure, large data centers customers would have to sign a contract agreeing to cover any transmission or infrastructure costs a public utility pays to provide them service and abide by local zoning rules in order to be eligible for generous state tax breaks.
The bill with the new data center language has passed the Senate and is close to passage in the House, while House Bill 593 — the original data center bill — is now beginning to advance in the Senate.
HB 658 — Moving drivers license renewals back to counties
House Bill 658 started as a bill expanding commercial driver’s license exemptions, but a committee substitute added in Senate Bill 7, to allow some local county officials to offer driver’s license renewals and duplicates. The Republican supermajority has often expressed frustration with wait times at regional offices run by the state, which took over licensing to deal with new REAL ID requirements.
Some Republicans wanted to mandate moving operations back to county offices, but the bill makes the move optional for local officials. The Senate passed HB 658 on Thursday, but the House would have to agree to its changes — after not moving to take up SB 7 over the past two months.
*This story has been updated to include the latest details on SB 2.
