With the 2025 legislative session set to conclude later this week in Frankfort, Gov. Andy Beshear has been busy signing bills into law and vetoing others, depending on how he feels they will affect citizens of the Commonwealth.
A pair of press releases sent out by the Governor’s office this week reviewed some of the bills that he has either signed or vetoed in recent days. Those that he chose to sign included:
House Bill 10 – Allows owners to request that law enforcement immediately remove someone unlawfully occupying property, under certain circumstances. The bill gives clear instructions to property owners on dealing with squatters.
House Bill 15 – Lowers the age at which Kentucky drivers can obtain instructional permits from 16 to 15 years old.
House Bill 30 – Supports state police, as well as other state and county employees, by ensuring mandated salary increases do not negatively impact the calculation of their final retirement compensation. The bill also requires the Kentucky State Police to increase leave time for retired troopers and commercial vehicle enforcement officers who return to work.
House Bill 38 – Increases the penalties for those who violate a protective order. That means those who are in danger and seek help from the court will be safer.
House Bill 152 – Relates to a Medicaid supplemental payment program for public ground ambulance providers. The bill helps support public ambulance services which provide life-saving services to many Kentuckians in their time of need.
House Bill 313 – Establishes June as Kentucky History Month, putting a spotlight on Statehood Day (June 1) and the runup to our nation’s Independence Day on July 4.
House Bill 315 – Prohibits hostile foreign governments from indirectly owning, leasing or otherwise acquiring an interest in agricultural land in the commonwealth.
House Bill 342 – Requires a financial literacy course in high school.
House Bill 605 – Will expand the number of eligible recipients for the GRANT program. The program ensures communities have the resources needed to leverage federal grants including infrastructure upgrades, creation of recreational facilities, increased child care access and public transportation, among other eligible uses.
Senate Bill 4 – Makes the Commonwealth Office of Technology responsible for standards for the use of artificial intelligence systems. The measure creates an Artificial Intelligence Governance Committee to develop standards to manage emerging risks.
Senate Bill 27 – Requires the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to create and maintain a Kentucky Parkinson’s Disease Research Registry.
Senate Bill 100 – Seeks to create a licensing and regulatory framework for tobacco and vape retailers. The measure will help keep these products from being marketed and sold to minors in the commonwealth. The implementation of this bill will be halted by House Bill 6 if passed over the Governor’s veto.
Senate Bill 120 – Protects children from child abuse by requiring coaches and others surrounding kids to report abuse, neglect or other concerns. Under state law it’s everyone’s legal obligation to report child abuse.
Senate Bill 169 – Protects children from child abuse by adding internet service providers, social networking companies, mobile payment services and cloud storage services to the list of those subject to subpoena in investigations of exploitation and internet crimes against children.
Also signed into law in the last week was House Bill 132, a bill sponsored by 82nd District Rep. Nick Wilson relating to home and hospital instruction that will waive a five-day waiting period in order to allow a student that has been admitted to an inpatient facility to receive home and hospital services beginning on the first day.
Among the bills vetoed was Senate Bill 89, which the Governor said, “threatens the quality of Kentucky’s water,” and “fails to protect 156 public water systems sourced from groundwater that serve 558,624 connections and are used by more than 1.5 million Kentuckians.”
As of press time Tuesday, a total of eight House bills and six Senate bills had yet to have their fates decided. Wednesday marks the final day of the Governor’s veto period before the session wraps up on Thursday and Friday.
To see a complete list of all bills that have either been signed or vetoed, go online to www.legislature.ky.gov.
