While by all accounts the March weather may have come in like a lamb, it roared into the legislature like a lion. Lawmakers continued crafting and debating bills, addressing constituents’ concerns, and shaping policies crucial for the state’s governance. As of today, we have 13 legislative days left.
Planning for the 2026 Biennial Road Plan: HJR 91 would set out a non-binding plan for road projects with work scheduled for 2027-2030. HJR 91 would lay out a starting point for the 2026 biennial road plan.
Setting Out Local Road Priority Projects: HJR 92 would provide a new framework for funding local road projects, setting aside $25 million in each fiscal year with $20 million defined by the legislature for city and county road projects and $5 million dedicated towards unforeseen road hazards. HJR 92 would ensure county and city roads get the attention and rehabilitation that they require and eliminate the politics from road projects.
Providing Funding for the Transportation Cabinet’s Biennial Operations Budget: HB 265 would appropriate $6.98 billion for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) biennial operating budget.
Investing in the 2024-2026 Highway Construction Plan: HB 266 would invest more than a $4.18 billion — including $14 million for guardrails, $800 million towards bridges, and the continuation of the Brent Spence Bridge, I-69, and Mountain Parkway projects. The plan is a culmination of three and a half months of work. We developed a responsible road plan that funds our state’s road projects over the next two years. HB 266 is a result of discussions held with officials from across the Commonwealth. Reliable roads are crucial to the quality of life of every Kentuckian.
Saving Lives and Preserving Families: HB 10 tackles a wide variety of topics relating to maternal health, such as, it would provide mental health consultation and access to care through the Lifeline for Moms Psychiatry Access Program. The Lifeline for Moms program, which provides trainings, and real-time psychiatric consultation and care coordination for health care providers serving pregnant and postpartum women. The measure would expand the HANDS program to include lactation counseling and assistance, education on safe sleep, and research on the role of doulas in the birth experience. HANDS is a voluntary home visitation program for new or expectant parents. Services can begin during pregnancy and extend until the child is three years old. Additionally, the measure would strengthen an existing advisory council to provide ongoing policy guidance to increase collaboration, improve data collection, and suggest additional improvements. HB 10 is about saving lives and preserving families. Entirely too many Kentucky mothers die in the year following childbirth, leaving their children and families behind to pick up the pieces.
Establishing Broadband Implementation Program: HB 267 would provide for the authorization of the Office of Broadband Development to implement the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. HB 267 would give guide rails for the funds appropriated in the 24RS biennial budget bill. Additionally, the measure would direct the Office of Broadband Development to develop an application proves for funding, determine eligibility criteria for projects, create rules governing the review process and the timeline, make administrative rules, coordinate with local governments or private entities, and determine which grant applications should receive funding. During the 2022 Regular Session, we made sure there were funds available to get this critical access to every Kentuckian. This session we are focusing on providing guide rails for the funds going straight to the residents who need it most.
Helping Build Successful Second Chances: HB 124 would reorganize licensing laws so individuals with criminal records can obtain a professional license. The ability for individuals to receive meaningful employment post-incarceration is a significant contributing factor to lowing recidivism rates, and this measure gives the formerly incarcerated access to meaningful employment through professional licensing.
Accessing the Medical Records of a Minor: HB 174 would afford parents and personal representatives of a minor the right to access medical records unless the records are to privacy protection by federal or state law.
Protecting Minors on Social Media: HB 463 would protect minors from the dangers on social media. Social media companies would be required to verify the age of users, register those users who are minors, and limit data collected from minors. Additionally, they would be unable to sell data collected from minors, be unable to display obscene material to minors, no longer be able to target advertisements to minors, and be required to implement parental controls for parents and guardians.
Improving Our Elections: HB 580 continues the legislature’s efforts to improve Kentucky elections and includes additional funding for the Kentucky State Board of Elections. The measure seeks to alleviate the time-crunch local counties face when preparing for an election. The timetable for video footage regarding voting machine transfer will be reduced to 30 days, allowing enough time for recounts while taking the cost and storage requirements of large files down significantly. This bill clarifies the action needed when there is no candidate for a local school board election while also designating voting equipment as critical infrastructure.