The 2026 General Assembly has adjourned until January 5, 2027.
We wrapped up a busy 60-day session on April 15, but work will continue during the interim starting in June, as legislators review new laws and prepare for the next session.
Before I share information about the results of this session, I want to share how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve the 18thLegislative House District and be part of this important work.
The state budget and other spending plans dominated our agenda before we ultimately came to agreements on measures that include a $32.4 million, two-year budget for executive branch agencies and programs (HB 500), nearly a billion dollars in funding for the judicial branch (HB 504) and $182 million in allocations for the legislative branch budget (HB 503).
The legislature also passed a $7 billion operating budget for the Transportation Cabinet (HB 501); a $4.6 billion road construction and maintenance plan (HB 502); and $70 million in funding for local road projects (HJR 76).
Other bills include:
HB 1 would opt Kentucky into the Education Freedom Tax Credit, established under the federal House Resolution 1 (HR 1), and give Kentucky families access to privately-funded scholarships for primary and secondary education. Vetoed. Overridden.
HB 2 would align Kentucky’s Medicaid program with federal changes to improve health outcomes and ensure eligibility, as well as improve program management.
HB 3 would ensure pharmacists are paid for providing routine, preventive, and chronic-care services they are already delivering every day, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
HB 4 would define and criminalize behavior commonly referred to as “grooming.” Under provisions of HB 4, grooming refers to the manipulative and deceptive process by which a predator builds a relationship with a vulnerable person, such as a child, to gain trust and access for abuse or exploitation.
HB 5 would expand prison-based education and job-training programs proven to reduce crime by developing a model vocational campus at a state prison, offering intensive education and workforce training while individuals complete their sentences.
HB 6 expands safe, affordable child care for working parents, removes barriers for children with disabilities, and promotes community-based innovation. It strengthens the Child Care Assistance Program, enhances quality ratings, improves transparency, and permanently establishes the CCAP income exclusion – creating a more accessible, high-quality system that supports families and children statewide.
HB 7 would allow school districts to use camera monitoring systems on school buses to enforce a civil penalty against drivers that are recorded passing a school bus with a deployed stop arm and allow school districts to contract with a private vendor to do so.
HB 10 would strengthen accountability, transparency, and continuity of government during gubernatorial transitions in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
HB 36 would allow Kentucky to join interstate compacts for respiratory care, athletic trainers, and licensed dietitians, which would expand patient access to care, promote license portability, and address workforce shortages.
HB 307 would create a proactive postsecondary admissions program requiring KDE to share all incoming seniors with state universities. Colleges and universities must adopt a common application with minimum admission standards and notify every Kentucky senior of their KEES award, eligible institutions, and application instructions.
HB 398 would protect consumers from rate spikes by allowing utility companies to recover the future costs of decommissioning, removing, and salvaging electric generating plants, as well as depreciation expenses, through rates spread over the asset’s useful life rather than when the plant is retired.
HB 510 would establish a standardized “pause in procedure” process that must be followed when concerns arise during organ procurement that could affect a patient’s medical status or eligibility.
HB 518 would update statute to require the development of standardized electronic forms for net profits, gross business receipts, and payroll occupational taxes by a broad advisory committee representing local governments, tax professionals, and business organizations to develop uniform forms and instructions, ensuring consistency and clarity for businesses operating in multiple tax districts.
HB 778 would strengthen child welfare by barring foster, relative, or adoptive placements in homes with registered sex offenders, improving information sharing with schools and agencies, and enhances child fatality reviews, ensuring children in state custody are placed in safe, supportive environments tailored to their needs.
HB 781 would expand the education and training requirements within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to promote stronger workforce participation and employment outcomes.
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 Samara.Heavrin@kylegislature.gov and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.ky.gov.
