Week 4: 2025 Legislative Session
As the 2025 Regular Session progresses, several pieces of legislation are moving through committees and being considered on the House Floor. Here is a summary of some of the bills that the House of Representatives passed during the week of February 17, which will now head to the Senate for further consideration:
Protecting Kentuckians from surveillance and tracking: HB 20 would implement privacy protections surrounding automated license plate readers (ALPRs), identification devices, and tracking devices. The bill prohibits an entity, defined as any law enforcement agency, unit of local government, or homeowners’ association that deploys and maintains ALPRs, from retaining license plate data captured by an ALPR for more than 60 days, unless the data is being used as evidence in a criminal or insurance claim investigation, has become subject to a subpoena duces tecum or preservation of evidence notification, or is being used for toll collection activities on highways and bridges.
Addressing workforce shortages: HB 54 would require the Department of Housing, Buildings, and Construction to recognize and allow dual credit students receiving directly related on-the-job training equivalencies of internship and cooperative placement hours to count toward those hours needed to obtain licensure in a profession regulated by the department, including but not limited to electrician, plumbing, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning licenses.
Honoring our most vulnerable: HB 164, known as Braylon’s Law, would allow families to continue an adoption process in the event of a child’s death during their adoption process.
Improving response to sexual assaults: HB 219 would require hospitals that offer emergency services to develop and provide training for emergency department staff on sexual assault emergency response requirements, protocols, and resources.
Ensuring student instructional time: HB 241 would allow school districts to add time to school days to make up for days lost due to health or safety concerns; grant the Commissioner of Education the authority to provide a district with up to five disaster relief student attendance days to provide instruction without being in the classroom; and allow the commissioner to waive five required days if they would still be in school after June 4, 2026, even after adding time to instructional days.
Eliminating unnecessary barriers for skilled volunteers: HB 261 would allow retired certified public accountant (CPAs) to offer certain uncompensated services to the public, including preparing taxes, participating in a government-sponsored business-mentoring program, serving on the board of director for a nonprofit or governmental organization, or serving on a government-appointed advisory board, and require retired CPAs who wish to offer limited services to complete a continuing professional education waiver based on retirement before practicing.
Streamlining higher education transfers: HB 427 would establish college credit transfer pathways for high-demand degree pathways between KCTCS and 4-year institutions ensuring that college credits earned are applied to a student’s degree.
Improving access to healthcare: HB 423 would streamline requirements that healthcare providers obtain approval before prescribing a specific medication, treatment or medical service. The measure proposes the establishment of an exemption program, allowing healthcare providers who meet specific criteria to bypass prior authorization requirements for certain services.
Restoring Ten Commandments Monument: HJR 15 would return the Ten Commandments monument given to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1971 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles for permanent display on New State Capitol grounds.
Addressing shortage in sexual assault nurse examiners: HCR 20 would direct the Legislative Research Commission to study access to sexual assault nurse examiners and would require the report to be submitted to the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services and the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary by December 1, 2025.