The Kentucky General Assembly adjourned the 2024 legislative session earlier this spring, now the bulk of its work will soon go into effect.
With the exception of general appropriation bills and legislation passed with an emergency clause, the Kentucky Constitution sets the effective date of new laws as 90 days after the legislature has adjourned. This year, that date is July 15.
Legislation hitting the books includes:
Animal abuse – HB 258, redefines torture of a dog or cat as a Class D felony.
Annexation – HB 596, a compromise bill addressing city annexation and the occupational tax revenue lost by some counties with a population of 30,000 or more. See KACo’s annexation page by clicking here.
County attorneys – HB 137, removes the residency requirement for assistant county attorneys to help address recruitment.
Crime – HB 5, also known as the Safer Kentucky Act, an omnibus crime bill that creates a new definition of violent felony, addresses fentanyl, carjackings, homeless encampments and other issues.
Election audits – HB 53, replaces the current risk-limiting audit process for voting system checks with a post-election “Check the Tech” audit, in which the Secretary of State randomly selects one ballot scanner and one race on that scanner for audit performed by the county board of elections or its designee.
Jury lists – HB 44, requires circuit clerks to produce a list of those jurors excused for not being a citizen, and share with the Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney and the State Board of Elections.
Motor vehicle inspections – HB 833, allows sheriffs to appoint special inspectors at new or used motor vehicle dealers that average at least 100 sales per month; increases the fee retained by sheriffs for vehicle inspections
School safety – SB 2, allows a local school board to hire veterans and former police officers certified by the Center for School Safety to serve as school “guardians.” This would include retired law enforcement and honorably discharged, retired military veterans as armed guardians at public schools.
Telecommunicator training – HB 782, establishes the Public Safety Telecommunicator Work Group, charged with producing a new training delivery format including in-person and online classes for the public safety telecommunicator academy.
Other noteworthy bills have already taken effect, such as:
- One-time state funding allocations – HB 1, Emergency clause April 12, 2024
- Biennial budget bills– HB 6, HB 264 and HB 265, Emergency clause July 1, 2024. HB 265 includes the new county road and bridge programs – read the details here.
- Election improvements – HB 580, Emergency clause April 19, 2024
- Medical cannabis – HB 829, Emergency clause April 17, 2024. More information can be found on our medical cannabis resource page here.
A summary of all key legislation affecting counties passed by the General Assembly is included in the KACo 2024 Legislative Wrap-up.
KACo deeply appreciates the sustained commitment of county officials, advocacy partners and other stakeholders to meet with legislators and share important perspectives from the frontlines of county government.
Looking ahead
The 2024 interim committee meetings run from June to December. We’ll keep you updated on any issues that affect counties by following us on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) and throughout the summer during our annual Listening Session tour hosted in each area development district. You can sign up for a Listening Session at https://bit.ly/ListeningTour24.
Reach out to the KACo Advocacy Team anytime. You can email us at shellie.hampton@kaco.org or gracie.kelly@kaco.org.
