The bill filing deadline passed this week, with the General Assembly introducing more than 1,000 bills in this short 30-working-day session. With 14 days remaining, here are some of the highlights from this week.
Bills introduced this week impacting counties
HJR 46, sponsored by House Appropriations and Revenue Chair Jason Petrie (R-Todd), was introduced this week and includes the County Priority Projects Program (CPPP) list of projects to be funded for FY2026. The House version includes $22.6 million in projects. Once the resolution passes out of the House, it will go to the Senate for their tweaks. Counties and cities submitted $137.5 million in eligible requests for the program in October 2024.
HJR 30, sponsored by House Appropriations and Revenue Chair Jason Petrie (R-Todd), was introduced this week and releases $65.6 million of the $75 million appropriation in FY2025 for the Kentucky Water or Wastewater Assistance for Troubled or Economically Restrained Systems (KWWATERS) Fund. The resolution lists the projects to be funded by this program. Once the resolution passes out of the House, it will go to the Senate for review.
HB 712, sponsored by Rep. Deanna Gordon (R-Madison), was introduced this week. The bill establishes a salary schedule with CPI adjustments for coroners and deputies, increasing the salaries and establishing minimum compensation thresholds. The proposal also requires fiscal courts to pay for operational expenses, post-mortem bags, mortuary equipment and training courses. This bill contains a delayed effective date of Jan. 4, 2027, the beginning of the next term of office.
HB 546, sponsored by House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair Jason Petrie (R-Todd), was introduced this week and would establish the Local Access Road Program (LARP). This proposed grant program would allow counties and cities to submit rehabilitative projects up to $500,000 for consideration.
SB 218, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe (R-Fayette), was introduced this week and would require the Department of Revenue (DOR) to post to its website the financial information of all local taxing authorities. It would also require local governments to publish their Uniform Financial Information Report (UFIR) on their website or forward the report to the county library. Local governments would also be required to notify DOR of the location where their UFIR can be accessed, as well as publish a notice stating the information can be accessed on the DOR website.
Bills on the move this week
HB 368, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Decker (R-Shelby), passed out of the House Local Government Committee Tuesday. The bill would remove the current 80,000-population threshold and allow all counties to utilize the alternative publications procedure. In lieu of newspaper publications, all counties would be given the option to post advertisements online in conjunction with a newspaper advertisement providing notice that the public may view the full advertisement online. KACo Director of Government Affairs Shellie Hampton, Kentucky League of Cities Executive Director/CEO JD Chaney and Shelby County Deputy Judge/Executive Jon Park testified in support of the bill.
SB 10, sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robbie Mills (R-Henderson), passed out of the Senate State and Local Committee Wednesday. The bill is an initiative of the Kentucky Sheriffs Association and creates a “shared responsibility model” between employer and employee for covering the higher cost of retiree healthcare.
The proposed legislation would increase the insurance benefit for CERS members who began participating on or after July 1, 2003, to $40 a month for non-hazardous employees and $50 a month for hazardous duty employees, effective Jan. 1, 2026. These increases are only payable when a member is not eligible for Medicare benefits and only if they have met certain year-of-service thresholds at retirement. This bill balances the intent of the original legislation to cover the cost of a single plan for retirees while recognizing that healthcare costs have risen significantly since implemented in 2003.
The proposal would have no impact on non-hazardous employee health insurance contributions or employer contributions to the non-hazardous fund. The proposal would increase hazardous employee contributions from 1% to 2% and would increase the actuarial employer contribution rate by 2.2% for the hazardous fund.
SB 67, sponsored by Senate State and Local Committee Chairman Michael Nemes (R-Bullitt), passed the Senate floor 32-3 on Thursday. The bill proposes a constitutional amendment to freeze real property valuations of houses maintained as the permanent residence of an owner who is 65 years of age or older. The proposed freeze would be in addition to the current homestead exemption and would only exempt increases in real property values that occur after the date of ratification.
Email your questions or comments to shellie.hampton@kaco.org or kayla.smith@kaco.org.
Important legislative dates
Mar. 15 -26 – Veto recess
Mar. 27-28 – Final two days of 2025 session
Photo: LRC Public Information
