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Kentucky House Majority Caucus: Legislative Update
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By Representative Scott Lewis
House sends bills to Senate for further consideration
While I usually reserve this space for legislative updates, I want to begin by thanking the many people who made it possible for our communities to stay safe and keep moving during the winter storm. Snow plow drivers who worked through the night, utility crews restoring power in brutal conditions, first responders who never pause for the weather, and so many others all deserve our sincere gratitude. The storm disrupted the General Assembly’s schedule, limiting lawmakers to just four days of meetings this week.
When we returned on Tuesday, we got to work immediately with the filing of the first draft of the state budget. The budget is by far the most important legislation we pass. Like our personal checkbooks, it reflects the state’s priorities and prepares us for future challenges and opportunities.
The budget filed on January 27 is a starting point and reflects a new direction for how the General Assembly approaches state spending. The measure, HB 500, includes more than $14.9 billion for each year of the two-year spending plan. Because of the new approach, significant changes are expected as budget review subcommittees continue their work with state agencies and stakeholders. As introduced, HB 500 prioritizes Kentucky’s core responsibilities — public safety, K–12 education and workforce readiness, access to health care, and maintaining critical infrastructure, while also identifying areas for potential savings by including a 4% reduction in the first year and an additional 3% in the second year in other areas. The process is designed to reevaluate programs that are outdated, duplicative, or no longer necessary, including temporary COVID-era initiatives while protecting essential services and making targeted investments where needed.
I will continue to report on the budget as it moves forward. In the meantime, the House approved several measures this week, sending them to the Senate for the next step in the legislative process. They include:
HB 3 would allow pharmacists to receive Medicaid reimbursement for clinical services that are already covered when delivered by other non-physician health care providers, recognizing pharmacists as accessible front-line members of the care team. It does not expand pharmacists’ scope of practice or mandate coverage of any new services under Medicaid.
HB 34 would add hematologic, commonly known as blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, to those eligible for death benefits paid to public safety and service personnel under existing statute.
HB 134 would create a position within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services committed to ensuring victims of sexual assault have access to specialized care. Under the provisions of the bill, a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) coordinator would focus on aligning the efforts of different state agencies and hospitals in order to increase access and promote standards in training and practice, provide technical assistance to build and maintain SANE programs, and collaborate with community partners and appropriate state agencies.
HB 281 would streamline how churches and nonprofits donate prepared food to homeless shelters and individuals displaced by natural disasters. The legislation removes barriers for churches and nonprofits like requiring the food be made in an industrial kitchen.
HB 320 would strengthen Kentucky’s laws to better combat human trafficking by giving law enforcement and prosecutors stronger tools to hold traffickers accountable. The bill updates state law to more fully define the crime of promoting human trafficking, capturing the full range of traffickers’ actions, from recruiting and advertising to transporting, harboring, and soliciting victims. It also increases penalties, classifying the offense as a Class B felony and elevating it to a Class A felony when the victim is a minor.
HB 366 would clarify that knowingly possessing or intentionally viewing visual depictions, including computer-generated images, of sexual performances of minors constitutes a criminal offense while maintaining clear protections for accidental viewing and legitimate legal and law enforcement investigations. The measure would also require those convicted to serve at least 85% of the sentence before being eligible for probation or parole.
HB 389 would require school districts to develop a policy for programs to identify and support students with dyslexia. Additionally, the Department of Education would be required to review and update the dyslexia toolkit annually, and teacher education programs would be required to include instruction on dyslexia.
As always, I can be reached anytime through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via email at [email protected] and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.ky.gov.
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