HB190    PHARMACY BENEFITS  (SHARP, SCOTT)

AN ACT relating to pharmacy benefits.

This bill could adversely impact the ability of educators and retired educators to get the discounts they may currently enjoy by using mail order prescription services.

• Prohibit insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and other pharmacy benefit administrators from requiring or incentivizing the use of a mail-order pharmaceutical distributor.
• Apply provisions of amended KRS 304.17A-164 to limited health service benefit plans, including limited health service contracts, limited health service organizations, the state employee health plan, and postsecondary educational institution self-insured group health plans.
• Repeal 304.38A-120, relating to assignment of certain benefits under limited health service organization plans, to consolidate like provisions; make technical corrections.
• EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025.

CURRENT STATUS

1/8/2024 – Introduced

  HB191    MATERIAL HARMFUL TO MINORS  (CALLOWAY, JOSH)

AN ACT relating to materials, programs, or events alleged to be harmful to minors.

This bill would require boards to allow parents to orally recite passages from materials, programs, or events they find objectionable at board meetings, or immediately remove the passages from materials, programs, or events if this permission is denied:

• Require the local board of education to allow parents and guardians an opportunity to orally recite passages from materials, programs, or events subject to appeal
• Require immediate removal of the material, program, or event if the board denies a parent or guardian the opportunity to orally recite passages.

CURRENT STATUS

1/8/2024 – Introduced

  HB208    AMEND SECTION 183 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF KENTUCKY RELATING TO EDUCATION FUNDING  (CALLOWAY, JOSH)

AN ACT proposing an amendment to Section 183 of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to education funding.

This bill would amend section 183 of the KY Constitution to allow for the appropriation of public funds to pay for private education:

• Propose to amend Section 183 of the Constitution of Kentucky to authorize the General Assembly to provide for a portion of the educational costs of students outside of the public school system with parents of limited financial means; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.

CURRENT STATUS

1/9/2024 – Introduced

  HB225    EDUCATION  (RAWLINGS, STEVE)

AN ACT relating to education.

Change the required learning capacities of Kentucky public school students;

• Provide that schools shall expect a high level of academic achievement and shall develop students’ ability to think critically and independently;
• Include career and technical education
• Remove the reporting requirement relating to physical activity of students
• Remove the reporting requirement relating to participation in breakfast programs
• Reflect that school boards are tax levying authorities and do not file budgets with the county clerk
• Require district budgets to be published in the same manner as school financial reports; repeal KRS 157.061 and 158.856.

CURRENT STATUS

1/10/2024 – Introduced

  HB227    SCHOOL DISTRICTS  (TIPTON, JAMES)

AN ACT relating to school districts.

Provides for merger of school districts, especially in the case of an insolvent district.

• Provide a merger process for contiguous school districts
• Require the Kentucky Board of Education to determine the terms of merger for an insolvent district if no agreement between the school districts can be reached
• Require the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate regulations regarding mergers due to insolvency.

CURRENT STATUS

1/10/2024 – Introduced

  HB230    TEACHERS  (BOJANOWSKI, TINA)

AN ACT relating to teachers.
This bill would require teachers to be compensated when they are required to supervise during non-instructional planning time, and provides for an expansion of the Work Ready Scholarships for individuals in bachelor programs leading to a degree in an area in which there is a critical shortage of teachers.

• Require teachers to be compensated for noninstructional planning time within their school day during which they are required to supervise or instruct students
• Expand the program eligibility of the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program to include a program that leads to a bachelor’s degree in education in a critical shortage area.

CURRENT STATUS

1/10/2024 – Introduced

HB245    TEACHER SCHOLARSHIPS  (MASSARONI, CANDY)

AN ACT relating to teacher scholarships.

This bill would remove the expected family contribution a student and his or her family are expected to contribute toward the cost of the student’s education for purposes of qualifying for the scholarship.

• Remove expected family income from the selection criteria for the teacher scholarship

CURRENT STATUS

1/11/2024 – Introduced

  HB275    TEACHER MISCONDUCT  (TIPTON, JAMES)

AN ACT relating to teacher misconduct in educational settings.

This bill would require background checks and disclosure of prior allegations, investigations and convictions of teacher misconduct in public or non-public schools.

• Prohibit a public school district or public charter school from entering a nondisclosure agreement relating to misconduct involving a minor or student;
• Define “abusive conduct”; require school district applicants to disclose being the subject of any allegations or investigations in the previous 12 months and consent to a reference check;
• Require school districts to conduct reference checks and require nonpublic and public school districts to disclose any allegations or investigations related to abusive conduct of applicants
• Revise indemnification language to grant immunity for disclosures made about school employee conduct
• Require school districts to request all related information from public and nonpublic schools and the Education Professional Standards Board and require the schools and EPSB to provide the records
• Require requests for information to be satisfied in 10 working days instead of 10 days;
• Require all public school personnel to submit to a state criminal background check every five years
• Require all school district applicants to list all schools of previous and current employment on the application;
• Require a school district to internally report and investigate to completion all allegations of abusive conduct;
• Require all records relating to an allegation of abusive conduct to be retained in an employee’s personnel file unless the allegation is proven false
• Direct the Kentucky Board of Education to include employment standards in the voluntary certification standards for private schools
• Define “certified nonpublic school” and require employees of certified nonpublic schools to submit to a national and state criminal background check and a CA/N check
• Require certified nonpublic school personnel to have a state criminal background check every five years
• Prohibit a certified nonpublic school from hiring a violent or felony sex crime offender
• Require a certified nonpublic school to conduct reference checks on all applicants
• Prohibit a certified nonpublic school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement related to misconduct involving a minor or student
• Require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a training related to sexual misconduct for employees to undergo every five years;

CURRENT STATUS

1/16/2024 – Introduced

  HB279    FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN  (TRUETT, TIMMY)

AN ACT relating to full-day kindergarten.

This bill would remove any statutory language that allows for half day kindergarten and only allow appropriations for full day kindergarten.

• Remove language that allows for half-day kindergarten programs; amend KRS 157.320 and 157.360 to remove references to kindergarten full-time equivalent pupils in average daily attendance for program base funding purposes
• EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025.

CURRENT STATUS

1/16/2024 – Introduced

  HCR32    FEDERAL EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIREMENTS  (BOJANOWSKI, TINA)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the United States Department of Education to amend the federal accountability requirements.

• Urge the United States Department of Education to amend the federal accountability requirements to truly afford states the flexibility to implement innovative approaches to student assessment and school accountability.

CURRENT STATUS

1/4/2024 – Introduced

  HCR43    EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TASK FORCE  (HEAVRIN, SAMARA)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION reestablishing the Early Childhood Education Task Force.

This resolution would reestablish the Early Childhood Education Task Force.

• Reestablish the Early Childhood Education Task Force to study the complex issues relating to child care and early childhood education opportunities in the Commonwealth and the impacts of child care on children and families, workforce participation, and economic development;
• Outline task force membership and require the task force to meet monthly during the 2024 Interim;
• Require the task force to submit findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1, 2024.

CURRENT STATUS

1/16/2024 – Introduced

  SB7    KEES SCHOLARSHIPS  (WILSON, MIKE)

AN ACT relating to the KEES scholarships for students attending noncertified schools.

This bill would allow home schooled students to be eligible for KEES scholarships based on ACT scores, identical to HB 46:

• Include an equivalent score on the Classic Learning Test as a KEES supplemental amount; define “eligible noncertified school graduate”
• Amend definitions of “KEES award,” “KEES award maximum,” and ” KEES base amount” for an eligible noncertified school graduate; amend KRS 164.7879 to establish an equivalent grade point average for eligible noncertified school graduates based on the graduate’s ACT score; amend KRS 164.7884 to conform.

CURRENT STATUS

1/8/2024 – (S) Referred to Committee Senate Education (S)

  SB8    KENTUCKY BOARD OF EDUCATION  (WILSON, MIKE)

AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Board of Education.

This bill provides for the election of all 14 members of the State Board of Education by partisan elections:

• Provide that all 14 voting members of the Kentucky Board of Education are to be elected
• Establish the process by which members of the Kentucky Board of Education are elected, including a partisan primary and partisan regular election
• Add a requirement that members of the Kentucky Board of Education shall not have served on a local school board for at least four years preceding the year of their election
• Establish the process for removal of a member of the Kentucky Board of Education
• Establish a schedule for transitioning from appointed to elected members
• Allow appointees to continue to serve in accordance with their appointments until December 31, 2026;
• EFFECTIVE January 1, 2026.

CURRENT STATUS

1/9/2024 – Introduced

  SB11    JUVENILE JUSTICE  (SCHICKEL, JOHN)

AN ACT relating to juvenile justice.

• Require notice to schools prior to filing of a public offense petition against a child in certain cases.

CURRENT STATUS

1/5/2024 – (S) Referred to Committee Senate Education (S)

  SB18    SCHOOL BUS EQUIPMENT  (DENEEN, MATTHEW)

AN ACT relating to school bus equipment.

Prohibits discrimination against bus accessory and equipment manufacturers unless there is evidence that a manufacturer’s products are defective or dangerous based on federal safety standards.

• Require that the standards and specifications for accessory equipment and supplies and replacement equipment shall be based on federal safety standards and shall not discriminate among manufacturers unless there is evidence that a specific manufacturer’s product is defective or dangerous to use
• Require the Kentucky Department of Education to provide the list of standards and specification for accessory equipment and supplies and replacement equipment to the Finance and Administration Cabinet for the purpose of maintaining a list of price contracts
• Require the Finance and Administration Cabinet to maintain a list of price contracts for the procurement of those items; permit school districts with qualifying tire expenses to seek reimbursement from the Kentucky Department of Education.

CURRENT STATUS

1/3/2024 – (S) Referred to Committee Senate Education (S)

  SB38    FREE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS FOR STUDENTS  (HARPER ANGEL, DENISE)

AN ACT relating to providing free feminine hygiene products for elementary and secondary students.

Schools to provide free feminine hygiene products to female students grades 4 – 12.

• Define “feminine hygiene product” and require each public school that includes any of grades four through 12 to provide free feminine hygiene products to female students
• Require each local board of education to adopt policies for the distribution of free feminine hygiene products.

CURRENT STATUS

1/3/2024 – (S) Referred to Committee Senate Appropriations & Revenue (S)

  SB40    SCHOOL MEALS  (ARMSTRONG, CASSIE CHAMBERS )

AN ACT relating to school meals at low-income schools and making an appropriation therefor.

Requires KDE and school districts to take advantage of the USDA community eligibility program provisions: (Identical to HB 189)

• Establish the Kentucky Proud School Match Program and direct the Department of Education to reimburse an eligible school district $0.33 for every meal reimbursed by the community eligibility provision at the paid rate
• Require a school district that receives a reimbursement to develop and implement a Kentucky Proud school plan to identify and purchase available Kentucky-grown agricultural products and to optimize food usage
• Direct the Kentucky Board of Education to promulgate administrative regulations necessary to carry out this section and provide that the section shall be null and void if the community eligibility provision is terminated by the United States Department of Agriculture
• Provide that the Act may be cited as the Kentucky Proud School Match Act; APPROPRIATION.

CURRENT STATUS

1/3/2024 – (S) Referred to Committee Senate Appropriations & Revenue (S)

  SB52    TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION  (THOMAS, REGINALD)

AN ACT relating to technology in education and declaring an emergency.

This bill seeks to have KDE, CPE and public schools K – College, and private schools that wish to participate to get a handle on and regulate emerging AI technology:

• Make legislative findings and declarations and establish the Artificial Intelligence in Kentucky’s Schools project
• Establish requirements for the Kentucky Department of Education to implement the project and require the department to design professional development trainings related to artificial intelligence
• Establish professional development requirement for teachers, administrators, school council members, and school board members and require the trainings be made available to nonpublic schools
• Require school districts to adopt policies and procedures related to artificial intelligence and require school districts to submit annual report to the department
• Allow nonpublic schools to voluntarily submit a report, require the department to compile the individual reports and submit a statewide report to the Interim Joint Committee on Education and the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee
• Make legislative findings and declarations and establish the Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education project, require the Council on Postsecondary Education to establish an Artificial Intelligence Working Group to provide advice and information to the state’s postsecondary institutions
• Establish membership of working group, require the council to develop guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in postsecondary education, require each public postsecondary institution and each institution licensed by the council to establish institution-level working groups to develop recommendations for the institution’s governing board related to artificial intelligence
• Require institutions to adopt artificial intelligence policies, require each public postsecondary institution and each institution licensed by the council to submit an annual report to the council on artificial intelligence and require the council to compile the individual reports and submit a statewide report to the Interim Joint Committee on Education and the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee
• Include computer programming and artificial intelligence in the definition of “technology
• Require the Kentucky Department of Education to establish a Council for Education Technology to assist in development of the education technology master plan
• Establish membership requirements of the council and require the council to assist the department in development of the plan and the approved plan be submitted to the Legislative Research Commission
• Require the five year plan to include guidelines for the implementation and use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence at both the state and district levels
• Require the council to develop recommendations related to emerging technology like artificial intelligence, including recommendations related to academic standards and teacher preparation program standards  and submit those to the Kentucky Board of Education or the Education Professional Standards Board
• Require the Kentucky Board of Education to establish academic standards related to instruction of computer science that address emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence
• Require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop guidelines to assist school districts and schools in developing curriculum to implement the academic standards
• Require the Education Professional Standards Board to set standards for education preparation programs that address the use of emerging technology, including artificial intelligence
• EMERGENCY.

CURRENT STATUS

1/3/2024 – (S) Referred to Committee Senate Education (S)

  SB92    TRANSPORTATION OF STUDENTS  (YATES, DAVID)

AN ACT relating to the transportation of students and declaring an emergency.

Alternative student transportation plans approved by KDE – likely addresses transportation issues at JCPS:

• Permit school districts to use district-owned and district-leased passenger transportation vehicles to transport students to and from school under an alternative transportation plan approved by the Kentucky Department of Education
• Provide that vehicles shall be operated by an employee of local school district that is licensed to operate a motor vehicle within the Commonwealth
• Provide that the Kentucky Department of Education shall promulgate administrative regulations to establish minimum standards and specifications for an alternative transportation plan
• Require the driver of any non-school bus passenger vehicle authorized to transport students to and from school pursuant to the alternative transportation plan submit to an annual national and state criminal background check and clear CA/N check
• Provide that an individual who operates a school bus or other district-owned or district-leased vehicle to transport a student or students without a valid, active license to operate that motor vehicle within the Commonwealth shall be guilty of a Class D felony
• EMERGENCY.

CURRENT STATUS

1/8/2024 – Introduced

  SB93    EDUCATION  (MEREDITH, STEPHEN)

AN ACT relating to education.

This bill would prohibit school districts from engaging in DEIB programs in any manner, which likely raises a number of unintended consequences in the process.  The bill deletes all references to the ‘trauma informed approach’ to students, which acknowledges the need to understand a student’s life experiences in order to effectively deal with issues surrounding the student:

• Prohibit that a local school district or public charter school from requiring a statement, pledge, or oath, other than to uphold general and federal law, the United States Constitution, and the Constitution of Kentucky, as a part of any recruitment, hiring, employment, promotion, disciplinary, or evaluation process
• Prohibit public school districts and schools from expending any resources or funds to purchase membership in, or goods and services from, any organization that discriminates on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion; to prohibit public school districts and schools from expending any resources or funds on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging or political or social activism
• Prohibit public school districts from engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Provide a limited exception for compliance with state or federal law
• Strike all references to trauma-informed approach

CURRENT STATUS

1/8/2024 – Introduced

  SB98    KENTUCKY BOARD OF EDUCATION  (THOMAS, REGINALD)

AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Board of Education.

This bill would make the student member of the KY Board of Education a voting member, add an at-large member and require at least two members to be the parent of a child enrolled in public school:

• Change the public high school nonvoting student member to a voting member of the Kentucky Board of Education
• Add an at-large member to the board and require at least two of the members to have a child enrolled in public school
• Exclude the student member from the age and college degree requirements.

CURRENT STATUS

1/9/2024 – Introduced

 SB 109    KEEs Scholarships  (Armstrong, Cassie)

AN ACT relating to Kentucky educational excellence scholarships and declaring an emergency.

This bill would increase the base KEEs award based on GPA, Cambridge Advanced International test scores, and for students in comprehensive transistion and postsecondary programs.

• Increase the Kentucky educational excellence scholarship base amount for each eligible grade point average
• Increase the supplemental award amounts and require a supplemental award for eligible Cambridge Advanced International scores
• Increase the award amount for an eligible student enrolled in a comprehensive transition and postsecondary program

CURRENT STATUS

1/16/2024 – Introduced

  SR9    TEACHER OF YEAR KEVIN DAILEY  (SCHICKEL, JOHN)

• A RESOLUTION honoring the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Kevin Dailey
• Honor 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Kevin Dailey.

CURRENT STATUS

1/3/2024 – adopted by voice vote