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.

KFTC Supports Black Lung Benefits House Bill 75 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Angie Hatton, Robert Goforth & Travis Brenda	Summary House Bill 75 would repeal language in the 2018 workers' comp law limiting who can perform evaluations in occupational disease claims; this law has been used to make it much harder for miners with black lung disease to qualify for compensation. Learn more about the crisis in black lung in Fixing What's Broke. The provisions of HB 75 also were included in House Bill 350, a broader workers' comp bill.	Additional Information HB 75 and HB 350 were assigned to the House Economic Development & Workforce Investment Committee. House leaders did not allow either to be brought up for a hearing or a vote. Read: Black lung is surging, but bill to undo limits on doctors stalls without a hearing
KFTC Supports Clean Energy Opportunity Act House Bill 213 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Mary Lou Marzian + 3 cosponsors	Summary House Bill 213 would require utilities to use increasing amounts of renewable energy, take energy-efficiency measures and implement energy-efficiency programs. House Bill 213 handout	Additional Information KFTC's platform supports the development of a clean energy economy in Kentucky. HB 213 would be an important step toward implementing the Empower Kentucky Plan. HB 213 was assigned the House Economic Development & Workforce Investment Committee but House leaders would not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Statewide Fairness House Bill 164 Senate Bill 166 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Mary Lou Marzian + 18 others; Sen. McGarvey + others	Summary House Bill 164 and Senate Bill 166 would expand anti-discrimination protections to Kentuckians based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment, public accommodations and financial transactions.	Additional Information KFTC’s platform opposes and condemns discrimination. HB 164 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. House leaders would not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote. SB 166 was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate leaders would not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Death Penalty Abolition House Bill 115 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Chad McCoy + 15 others	Summary House Bill 115 would abolish the death penalty and create a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Here's more information from the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.	Additional Information KFTC's platform supports the abolition of the death penalty. HB 115, with 30 cosponsors from both parties, was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. House leaders would not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Public Utilities House Bill 16 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Chris Harris, Angie Hatton & others	Summary House Bill 16 would establish pro-consumer provisions to limit fixed costs charged by utilities; these fixed costs hurt low-income ratepayers and disincentivize energy efficiency, reduced energy usage, and rooftop solar. The bill would also require the PSC to take into account if proposed rate changes are "affordable" to Kentuckians when deciding on utility rate cases, and would mandate a periodic management audit of all monopoly utilities, excluding rural electric cooperatives. Although House leaders would not allow a hearing or vote on HB 16, Rep. Hatton introduced a House floor amendment to Senate Bill 256 (another bill dealing with the PSC) to "allow the Public Service Commission to include affordability when determining whether a utility rate is fair, just and reasonable; require the commission to balance utility, investor, and ratepayer interests in setting rates." This amendment was debated and defeated on the House floor on March 13 (see how House members voted).	Additional Information When dealing with utilities, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is required to determine that the utility's rates are "fair and reasonable," and the PSC does that by looking at all of the utility's expenses and then setting a rate that guarantees utilities a 12% profit. There is no provision in the law for the PSC to take into account whether customers in the service territory can afford that rate. This law would add setting "rates that include affordability and balancing of interests of various parties affected by the rate" to their mandate. This bill sets a method for determining what the fixed rate should be. HB 16 was assigned to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Minimum wage House Bill 182 Senate Bill 51 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Reginald Thomas & Gerald Neal; Rep. Mary Lou Marzian	Summary Senate Bill 51 and House Bill 182 both would increase the minimum wage to $15/hour though some of the particulars and other provisions in the bills differ. SB 51 would increase the the minimum wage incrementally until it reaches $15 by 2026; and the wage for tipped workers to $4.90/hour by 2022; and would allow local governments to pass a higher minimum wage. HB 182 would achieve the $15 rate by 2023 and also has provisions to prevent wage discrimination based on sex, race or national origin. Here's information about a minimum wage increase from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.	Additional Information SB 51 was assigned to the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee. Senate leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote. HB 182 was assigned to the House Economic Development & Workforce Investment Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote. KFTC's platform calls for a living wage for all Kentuckians.
KFTC Supports Ban the Box House Bill 90 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. George Brown	Summary House Bill 90 would make it unlawful to require a job applicant to disclose their prior criminal history as part of the initial job application.	Additional Information KFTC’s platform opposes discrimination based on current or former incarceration status. HB 90 was assigned to the House Economic Development & Workforce Investment Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Ban Conversion Therapy House Bill 211 Senate Bill 248 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Lisa Willner + 17 other Democrats	Summary House Bill 211 and Senate Bill 248 would would ban LGBTQ "conversion therapy" for minors. CT is a practice that falsely claims to change folks' sexual orientation and gender identity.	Additional Information HB 211 was assigned to the House Health & Family Services Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote. SB 248 was assigned to the Senate Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Regulations Committee. Senate leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Youth Voting in Local Elections Senate Bill 48 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Reggie Thomas	Summary Senate Bill 48 proposes a constitutional amendment to allow 16- and 17-year-old U.S. citizens to vote in school board and local elections; this would go before Kentucky voters in the November 2020 election.	Additional Information SB 48 was assigned to the Senate State & Local Government Committee. Senate leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Extended Voting Hours & Days Senate Bill 63 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Reginald Thomas & Gerald Neal	Summary Senate Bill 63 would allow in-person early voting between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the three Saturdays preceding any primary, regular election or special election; and extend voting hours for election day voting from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.	Additional Information SB 63 was assigned to the Senate State & Local Government Committee. Senate leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Extended Voting Hours Senate Bill 134 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Adams, McGarvey, Alvarado, Thayer	Summary Senate Bill 134 would extend voting hours until 8 p.m. on election day.	Additional Information SB 134 was assigned to the Senate State & Local Government Committee. Senate leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Election Day holiday Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Charles Booker	Summary House Resolution 85 urges Congress to adopt Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, as a national holiday.	Additional Information HR 85 was assigned to the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Youth Homelessness Prevention House Bill 466 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Charles Booker	Summary House Bill 466 would create the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection in the Department for Community Based Services and calls for advisory councils, training programs, grants, emergency shelter and transitional living programs, and a youth and young adult homeless housing strategic plan.	Additional Information HB 466 was assigned to the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Officer Shooting Review House Bill 18 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Attica Scott & Kelly Flood	Summary House Bill 18 would establish an Officer Shooting Review Board to investigate any shooting of an individual by a law enforcement officer or any deadly incident involving law enforcement.	Additional Information HB 18 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Jail Fatality Review House Bill 264 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Attica Scott & Susan Westrom	Summary House Bill 264 would establish the External Detainee Fatality Review Panel to conduct comprehensive reviews of all fatalities in county or regional jails.	Additional Information HB 264 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Repeal Charter Schools House Bill 17 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Attica Scott + 22 other Democrats	Summary House Bill 17 (and the similar House Bill 14) would repeal legislation establishing charter schools in Kentucky.	Additional Information KFTC's platform calls for a system of high-quality public education, including pre-school through higher education, that is accessible and affordable for all Kentuckians. Charter schools take resources from public education and do not serve all students. Both bills were assigned to the House Education Committee. House leaders did not allow the bills to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Landfill monitoring House Bill 222 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Maddox, Pratt and Hart	Summary House Bill 222 directs state agencies to make quarterly reports to local solid waste coordinators and fiscal courts on complaints, investigations and actions against solid waste facilities. The bill is an outcome of the work KFTC's Rolling Bluegrass chapter to stop a local landfill expansion.	Additional Information HB 222 was assigned to the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports Solar amendment Senate Bill 100	Summary House Floor Amendement 1 made several important improvements to Senate Bill 100: Allows for third-party leasing of systems; Opens the door for one, rather than multiple, cases before the PSC to set the rate for solar energy credits, and ensures that solar advocates have intervention rights;. Removes language for "instantaneous netting" Requires the PSC to consider a list of identified benefits of solar in setting rates; Adopts clear grandfathering language in SB 100, and provides a 10-year grandfather for anyone opting to install rooftop solar before 2024. However, the amendment fails to correct flaws in the bill in that it continues to define net metering in terms of “dollar value” rather than kilowatt-hour credits. The failed House floor amendment would have fixed this language.	Additional Information On February 21, the Senate refused to concur with the House amendment. On March 14, the House voted 50-38 to recede from its amendment, and then passed the original Senate version of the bill, 55-36. On March 26 Gov. Bevin signed SB 100 into law.
KFTC Supports Criminalize Animal Torture House Bill 25 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. W. Thomas	Summary House Bill 25 would make torture of a dog or cat a Class D felony and also increase penalties for people who harm animals as a part of domestic violence against a person.	Additional Information HB 25 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to be brought up for a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports "Klaire's Law" House Bill 98 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Diane St. Onge	Summary House Bill 98, otherwise known as 'Klaire's Law,' would strengthen penalties for cruelty against horses.	Additional Information HB 98 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee but did not receive a hearing or a vote. However, the provisions of HB 98 were added as an amendment to SB 67 (see next entry) and became law as part of that bill.
KFTC Supports Criminalize Sexual Violence Against Animals Senate Bill 67 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. J. Adams & D. Thayer	Summary Senate Bill 67 criminalizes sexual violence committed against animals.	Additional Information Kentucky is one of five states where sexual assault of an animal is not illegal. SB 67 was passed by the Senate, 35-0, on February 20. The House added an amendment to prohibit cruelty to equines including situations involving abuse and neglect (Klaire's Law, see above) and passed the bill, 97-0, on March 13. The next day the Senate concurred with the House changes. SB 67 was signed into law by the governor on March 26.
KFTC Supports Hot Car Bill House Bill 36 Senate Bill 12 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Bratcher, Sen. Carroll + 3 others	Summary House Bill 36 and Senate Bill 12, otherwise known as "Hot Car Bills," would protect animals by granting civil immunity people who break into a car to save pets' and animals' lives. If people make a good-faith effort to save animals, they would not be reqired to pay for damages to vehicles.	Additional Information SB 12 was approved by the full Senate, 33-1, on February 20. In the House it was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. HB 36 also was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. House leaders did not allow either bill to receive a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports End Diaper Tax House Bill 24 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Attica Scott + 20 others	Summary House Bill 24 would exempt child and adult diapers, breast pumps, baby wipes, and other baby products from sales tax.	Additional Information HB 24 was assigned to the Appropriations & Revenue Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to receive a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Supports End Tampon Tax House Bill 23 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Attica Scott + 21 others	Summary House Bill 23 would exempt feminine hygiene products from sales tax.	Additional Information HB 23 was assigned to the Appropriations & Revenue Committee. House leaders did not allow the bill to receive a hearing or a vote.
KFTC Opposes Anti-rooftop solar Senate Bill 100 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Brandon Smith	Summary Senate Bill 100 is the extreme anti-solar bill designed to smash solar businesses and shatter Kentucky's opportunity to create a clean energy economy. Utilities failed to pass the bill the last two legislative sessions but appear to have lined up Republican leaders for passage in 2019. Floor amendment 1 was added in the House and made several significant improvements to the bill but fell short of making it a good bill. Follow SB 100 on KFTC's action page.	Additional Information On February 13 morning, SB 100 quickly passed the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee (see how committee members voted), was placed at the last minute onto the Senate agenda that afternoon (after a spur-of-the moment Rules Committee meeting), and passed 23-12 on the Senate floor (see how senators voted). Senate Republican leaders had the bill on the fast track to passage even before it was assigned to a committee earlier in the week. This maneuvering prevented a favorable amendment from Sen. Reggie Thomas from even being considered on the Senate floor. That same afternoon, the bill was received in the House, and House Republicans waived the 3-day posting rule so it could be heard in the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee the next morning. It was and passed 10-4 (see how committee members voted). Six amendments were offered on the House floor; two were considered and one was adopted. SB 100 then passed the full House, 71-24, on February 15 (see how House members voted). On February 21 the Senate refused to concur with the House amendment. On March 14, House Speaker David Osborne broke a promise to not allow the bill to go forward without the House amendment; the House voted to recede from its amendment and send the original, deeply flawed bill to the governor. SB 100 was signed into law by the governor on March 26.
KFTC Opposes War on the Poor House Bill 3 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Osborse, Meade	Summary House Bill 3 would reduce support for and place a number of additional hardships on families and individuals who receive public assistance. Read an analysis from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.	Additional Information HB 3 was assigned to the House Health and Family Services Committee. Strong public opposition kept the bill was getting a committee hearing, although one was twice scheduled.
KFTC Opposes Public education funding House Bill 205 Senate Bill 118 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. John Carney + others; Sens. Alvarado & Thayer	Summary House Bill 205 and Senate Bill 118 would re-direct public education funds to private and charter schools. These bills are presented in the context of school vouchers for private schol students. However these vouchers could funnel tens of millions of dollars away from our public schools every year and is a back-door way of funding charters schools. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy explains: "Direct public spending on private schools through vouchers is prohibited by Kentucky’s constitution. Accomplishing the same purpose through the tax code instead with an almost 100 percent tax credit seemingly circumvents this prohibition, which is why these programs, currently existing in 17 other states, are also called “back door vouchers” or “neo-vouchers.”	Additional Information HB 118 was assigned to the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee. SB 118 was assigned to the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee. There was a hearing on HB 205 in the House committee on March 5. No vote was taken, and the bill was not brought up again because it did not have enough votes to pass.. Also read: Why Catholics should oppose Kentucky private school tax bill
KFTC Opposes School Principal Selection Senate Bill 250 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Julie Raque Adams	Summary Senate Bill 250 would strip all School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) councils of their power to hire principals, centralizing that power with superintendent.	Additional Information KFTC's platform calls for support of high-quality public education. SB 250 was approved by the Senate Education Committee and then the full Senate, 31-6, on February 28 (see how senators voted). In the House it was approved by the Local Government Committee on March 6 and by the full House, 54-42, on March 12 (see how House members voted). SB 25o was signed into law by the governor on March 25.
KFTC Opposes Weaken Open Records Law House Bill 387 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Jason Petrie	Summary House Bill 387 would create several additional exemptions in the state Open Records Law to conceal information about economic development incentives offered to lure companies to locate or expand in Kentucky. Before approving the bill, the House Economic Development and Workforce Investment Committee added more exemptions, these designed to allow the legislature conceal some its own documents from the public and to limit who can receive records under the Open Records Law. Editorial: Kentucky lawmakers must reject bill that limits access to public records	Additional Information KFTC's platform calls for easy access and an end to the overly bureaucratic procedures necessary to obtain open records in Kentucky. HB 387 was approved by the House Economic Development and Workforce Investment Committee, 11-5-3, on February 27 (see how committee members voted). The bill was posted for passage on the House floor but was never called for a vote.
KFTC Opposes Call for a Federal Constitutional Convention Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Hornback, Mills, McDaniel	Summary Passage of Senate Joint Resolution 102 and House Joint Resolution 87 would add Kentucky to the list of states to get to the 34 needed to open up the U.S. Constitution for change. These resolutions are directed at "fiscal restraint" and "limiting the powers and jurisdiction of the federal government" – which basically means that a wide variety of changes to our constitution could be proposed.	Additional Information KFTC's platform supports a healthy democracy. A Constitutional Convention would be a huge threat to our democracy. A Constitutional Convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution is unprecedented. SJR 102 was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. HJR 87 was assigned to the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. Neither bill was called for a vote. SJR 102 / HJR 87 handout To learn more about this issue, you can like and follow the Kentucky Constitutional Convention Watch page on facebook.
KFTC Opposes Cutting Unemployment Benefits House Bill 317 Senate Bill 171 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Webber & Huff; Sen. Robby Mills	Summary House Bill 317 and Senate Bill 171 have some never-before-seen ways of hurting workers and kicking the unemployed off Unemployment Insurance. It would reduce benefits from 26 to 20 weeks, and decrease the amount if benefits over time to just 25% of the initial amount for the last five weeks. More information about these bills from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. Media coverage in the Lexington Herald Leader: ‘Salt in the wounds of laid-off Kentuckians.’ Bill slashing jobless benefits advances. Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article226562439.html#... See an action alert from the Kentucky AFL-CIO.	Additional Information HB 317 was approved by the House Small Business & Information Technology Committee on February 21 by an 10-7 vote (see how committee members voted). On March 12, the House Rules Committee reassigned HB 317 to the Appropriations & Revenue Committee, and the bill did not come up again. SB 171 was assigned to the Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee and did not receive a hearing or vote.
KFTC Opposes Tax giveaways House Bill 354 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Steve Rudy, Lynn Bechler	Summary House Bill 354 would create additional tax giveaways for corporations and lost state revenue. "Although House Bill 354 (HB 354) has been described as the “clean-up bill” that fixes the unintended consequences that occurred because of the rush in which the 2018 tax bills were passed, it is more than that. It also includes tax breaks that will deprive the commonwealth of sorely needed General Fund revenues in the future," according to Pam Thomas with the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. Some of the "clean up" from 2018 is the unintended requirement that nonprofits collect sales tax on admissions. HB 354 removes those requirements, and creates a $10,000 exemption on the first $10,000 in nonprofit sales. Those items make it a popular bill, used to win support and obscure the corporate giveaways and revenue loss.	Additional Information HB 354 passed the House, 96-4, on February 21. HB 354 was amended and passed by the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee and by the full Senate, 33-0, both on March 4 (see how House and Senate members voted). On March 5, the House reject the Senate amendment and the Senate refused to recede. A conference committee was appointed to negotiate differences in the two bills. On March 6, the conference committee reported that it could not reach an agreement. A free conference committee was appointed and added several more special interest tax breaks – including more than $50 million for banks – to the bill, totaling $105 million in lost revenue. On March 13, both the Senate (34-3) and the House (87-8) approved the free conference committee report. On March 26 Gov. Bevin signed HB 354 into law. See what else Republicans hid in the bill.
KFTC Opposes Anti-sanctuary cities House Bill 38 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Lynn Bechler + 4 others	Summary House Bill 38 would require local law enforcement agencies and KSP to enforce immigration laws; prohibit local governments from adopting sanctuary policies; withhold state funding; prohibit educational institutions from enrolling, employing, or contracting with undocumented folks; require post-secondary educational institutions to keep records of immigration status; withhold state funding.	Additional Information KFTC's platform supports the right of residents who are undocumented to be treated with the respect and dignity that all human beings are entitled to. We also support open pathways to citizenship for people who are undocumented. HB 38 was assigned to the House State Government Committee. It did not receive a vote in committee.
KFTC Opposes Anti-abortion Senate Bill 9 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Matt Castlen + other Republicans	Summary Senate Bill 9 would require a person who intends to perform an abortion to determine whether the fetus has a detectable fetal heartbeat; prohibit a person from performing an abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. Here are some talking points from Planned Parenthood. Within hours after Gov. Bevin signed SB 9 into law a federal judge blocked its enforcement.	Additional Information KFTC’s platform calls for quality, affordable, comprehensive health care including … reproductive health services and access to abortion … for all Kentuckians. SB 9 passed the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection Committee and the full Senate, 31-6, on February 14. See how senators voted. The House Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee approved SB 9 on February 27 and sent it to the full House (see how committee members voted). On March 14, SB 9 was approved by the House, 70-19. On March 15 it was signed into law by Gov. Bevin.
KFTC Opposes Anti-abortion Senate Bill 50 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Robby Mills + other Republicans	Summary Senate Bill 50 would require a report when drugs intended to end a pregnancy are dispensed; make report public. The House committee amendment that became part of the final bill requires "that physicians verbally inform women on potential ability of a physician to reverse the effects of prescription drugs for the induction of abortion."	Additional Information SB 50 was approved by the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs & Public Protection Committee on January 10 (see how committee members voted). The full Senate passed SB 50 the following morning, 30-6 (see how senators voted). The House Health and Family Services Committee amended and passed SB 50, 12-7, on February 21 (see how committee members voted). The full House approved, 75-19, on March 13 (see how House members voted). The Senate later voted, 31-4, to concur with the House changes. On March 26 Gov. Bevin signed SB 50 into law.
KFTC Opposes Utility Rate Increases Senate Bill 255 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Brandon Smith	Summary Senate Bill 255 would allow utilities to set their rates outside of a PSC rate case, in a way that would make it very easy for utilities to be guaranteed a rate of return rather than the simply opportunity to do so (the current language). It also makes it very difficult for intervenors to participate in this process.	Additional Information SB 255 is assigned to the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee.
KFTC Opposes Higher Education Retirement House Bill 358 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. James Tipton + others	Summary House Bill 358, as originally filed, would remove future university employees from the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) by allowing them to take their employees out of the pension plan through a buy-out and put them in a risky defined contribution plan. A House committee substitute provides that postsecondary education institutions may voluntarily cease participation in KERS by paying the actuarial costs of ceasing participation. "Postsecondary institutions" are Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, the Kentucky Community Technical College System, and the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation. This bill harm employees’ retirement security, and also cause more underfunding of the plan by removing more employees from the KRS pool. Several university presidents have come out in support of the bill because it would allow them to get out from under increased pension payments. However, it is opposed by the Kentucky Public Pension Coalition.	Additional Information HB 358, as amended, passed the House, 76-21, on February 27 (see how House members voted). A last-minute committee substitute, first made public on March 12 in the Senate State & Local Government Committee, significantly changed HB 358. It now freezes the pensions of all current employees at all quasi-governmental agencies such as rape crisis centers and health departments, resulting in a huge loss of benefits to their retirement income and likely a violation of the benefits promised at the beginning of their employment. Read more here: Pension Bill Breaks Inviolable Contract, Shifts Contributions from Underfunded Plan. The Senate passed HB 358 as amended, 25-12, on March 13 (see how senators voted). On March 14 the House voted not to concur with the Senate changes. On March 28, the Senate voted not to withdraw its changes, a conference committee was appointed and reported back that it could not agree, a free conference a committee was appointed and delivered a new version of the bill which the Senate adopted 26-11 and the House adopted 58-39 (see how legislators voted). The new version of the bill sets a course for the eventual disintegration of defined-benefit pensions for employees of universities and quasi-government agencies, like health departments. See: Breaking Inviolable Contract for Quasi-Governmental Employees Would Result in Massive Loss of Benefits. On April 9, Gov. Bevin vetoed HB 358. He promised another special legislative session to deal with pension matters.
KFTC Opposes Unlicensed gun ownership Senate Bill 150 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Smith, Thayer + 9 Republicans	Summary Senate Bill 150 would allow concealed weapons to be carried by someone over 21 without a concealed carry license – meaning no required gun safety training, no background checks, no records to aid police in investigations. More info: "Kentucky Senate rolls over for NRA" (Lexington Herald-Leader)	Additional Information SB 150 was introduced on February 11 and put on the fast track, passing both the Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection Committe and the full Senate, 29-8, just three days later. It is now in the House Judiciary Committee. See how members of the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs & Public Protection Committee voted. See how the full Senate voted. On February 27, SB 150 passed the House Judiciary Committee, 12-8 with 3 abstentions, after pleas from police and mothers of children killed by guns not to do so (see how committee members voted). After a long debate and the rejection of several amendments that would have made Kentuckians safer, on March 1 the House approved SB 150, 59-37. The bill was signed into law by Governor Bevin on March 11.
KFTC Opposes Judge Shopping Senate Bill 2 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Robert Stivers, Damon Thayer, Stephen West	Summary Senate Bill 2 would allow state officials and state agencies, if a defendant in cases filed in Franklin Circuit Court, to request the case be heard before a special judge.	Additional Information SB 2, as amended, passed the full Senate, 26-9, on February 28. It was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee but did not get out of committee.
KFTC Opposes Privatization of water Senate Bill 163 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Jared Carpenter, Paul Hornback	Summary Senate Bill 163 would make the purchase and privatization of what are now public water systems easier for corporations by changing the way pubic systems are valued. SB 163 is a part of a national strategy by national for-profit water utilities to gain control of public water systems. Here's a powerpoint by Michigan State University professor that breaks down the basis for the legislation: http://ipu.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Beecher-Fair-Value-Water-2019.pptx.pdf	Additional Information SB 163 was approved by thre Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on February 20 (see how committee members voted). The bill has lingered in the Senate floor until the end of the session and was not brought up for a vote.
KFTC Opposes Renters' rights House Bill 437 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Melinda Prunty	Summary House Bill 437 would allow landlords to terminate residential leases with only seven day's notice if there is not a written contract or local laws protecting the tenants.	Additional Information HB 437 was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. It did not receive a hearing or vote.

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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