Friday marks day 32 of the 60-day session, and the House continues to work behind the scenes on their version of the budgets that fund not only state government but a significant amount of the work of counties when carrying out state functions.
Keep up the momentum on county jail bill
KACo’s government affairs team continues to meet with legislators to promote House Bill 557 and seek co-sponsors in the House. Thank you to everyone who has lobbied their House members. We are up to nearly 50 co-sponsors on the bill!
Click here to access our HB 557 resource page, which has a sample resolution for your fiscal court to consider, a social media toolkit and background information on this issue.
Bills on the move
HB 293 – Sponsored by Rep. Walker Thomas (R-Christian), passed on the House floor Tuesday 80-8. Requires iron, steel, or wooden wheels to be equipped with a rubber strip on the portion of the wheel that touches the surface of a road. The bill exempts animal-drawn vehicles weighing one ton or less used solely for transporting people.
HB 414 – Sponsored by House Local Government Chair Patrick Flannery (R-Carter), passed on the House floor 73-18. Requires jailers to collect DNA samples during the booking process from individuals arrested for a felony offense and submit those samples to the Kentucky State Police forensic laboratory.
HB 518 – Also sponsored by Chair Flannery, passed out of committee this week. Requires all local governments with an occupational license tax to post on their website a fillable PDF for online returns and allow electronic payment of the tax due by July 1, 2029. We appreciate Chairman Flannery’s willingness to work with KACo to amend the bill effective date to 2029, providing more flexibility. Language in the bill would allow counties to charge a fee for the electronic payment option.
SB 9 – Sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robby Mills (R-Henderson), passed on the Senate floor Tuesday 35-2. Based on work of the Housing Task Force, this bill gives local governments the option to establish a residential infrastructure development district, with infrastructure costs within the district funded by a special assessment on the district’s properties and supported by bonds issued by the local government.
SB 141 – Sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem David Givens (R-Green), passed on the Senate floor Tuesday 36-1. Requires newspapers of record to maintain an office within the publication area. Allows counties without a local paper to use a newspaper from an adjoining county to publish notices. Ensures that public agencies, including local governments, receive the same lower rates offered to commercial customers and a volume discount. Clarifies that for some counties, the effective publication date is the first online posting.
Important legislative dates
March 2 – Last day for new Senate bills
March 4 – Last day for new House bills
April 2-13 – Veto recess
April 14-15 – Final two days of session
For questions or feedback, contact Shellie Hampton or Kayla Smith at shellie.hampton@kaco.org or kayla.smith@kaco.org.
