This Week at the State Capitol (3-13-26) March 13, 2026 Sen. Craig Richardson, R-Hopkinsville, (left) and Sen. Brandon J. Storm, R-London, confer on the Senate floor during Friday’s proceedings. A high-resolution photo is available here. FRANKFORT — The Kentucky General Assembly is enter ing the last weeks of the 2026 legislative session, and scores of bills are inching closer to final passage, including a battery of measures moving this week on child protection. More than 250 bills have passed at least one chamber so far, and many have begun advancing on the opposite side of the legislature. Measures on school salaries, sexual assault nurse examiners, school employee sick leave, status offenders, pesticide labeling and affordable housing are all nearing the finish line. Others on social media, doctor shortages, impaired driving and civil rights made headway in the chambers this week before lawmakers gaveled out on Friday – day 46 of the 60-day session. On the local level, many officials were undoubtedly watching action in the House on Tuesday when a budget proposal for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and separate measures on the state road plan cleared committee and advanced off the House floor. Those proposals are now in the hands of the Senate, which is drawing up its version of the next two-year spending plan for the state executive, judicial and legislative branches of government. Budget proposals are expected to receive significant discussion over the next two weeks as lawmakers seek an accord between the House and Senate before breaking for this year’s veto recess. Early this week, lawmakers overrode the first gubernatorial veto of the session, allowing House Bill 314 to become law. The legislation transfers oversight of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority to the Commonwealth Office of Technology and establishes a new director and governing board. Legislators also advanced multiple bills throughout the week that are designed to promote child welfare, improve child care or otherwise enhance legal safeguards for young people. Among them was House Bill 6, which proposes a broad overhaul of the regulatory framework for Kentucky’s child care sector. Specifically, it seeks to modernize the system, enhance data collection, and improve access and quality of services. The Senate Families and Children Committee advanced the bill Tuesday. On Thursday, the House Families and Children Committee advanced House Bill 778, proposing multiple changes to Kentucky law related to child welfare. The legislation aims to ensure safe and adequate foster care placements and that children in foster care are not placed with someone on the sex offender registry. Also under the bill, child injuries caused by ingestion or inhalation of a controlled substance would be included in the definition of neglect, and neglect would be added to Kentucky’s child abuse statute. The Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee took up Senate Bill 289 on the same day. That bill that would provide more flexibility to issue Amber Alerts when a child is missing but authorities do not have proof of an abduction. The Senate Judiciary Committee – also on Thursday – advanced a measure on homicides that result from child abuse. Under Senate Bill 138, child abuse that results in a death would qualify as a capital offense in Kentucky law. Other bills gaining momentum included efforts to improve school safety and combat child pornography. Another measure involves an effort to protect children from addictive features and profile-based advertising on large social media platforms. House Bill 227 would call on platforms to use existing technology to estimate the age of young account holders and ensure parental consent. It also would require platforms to limit features designed to keep young users engaged for extended periods, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay video and certain push notifications and personal metrics. That bill cleared the House on Monday in a sweeping show of unity across the majority and minority caucuses. Lawmakers have 11 session days scheduled on the calendar before the veto recess, and dozens of bills are continuing to gain ground in the legislative process. Here’s a look at some of the other bills moving forward this week: Workplace Violence in Health Care – House Bill 713 seeks to combat workplace violence in health care facilities. Among several provisions, it calls on health facilities to annually verify that they maintain workplace safety plans and assessments and provide violence prevention training to staff. The bill cleared the House on Monday. Physician Shortages – Senate Joint Resolution 116 would direct the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University to work together in meaningful ways to alleviate physician shortages in underserved areas of the state. The Senate advanced the resolution Monday. Medal of Distinction – House Bill 644 would create the Kentucky General Assembly Medal of Distinction and establish criteria and a selection process for the award. The House Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection gave the bill a go ahead on Tuesday. Cannabis-Infused Beverages – Senate Bill 223 would create a new permit that allows establishments already holding alcohol licenses to sell individual cannabis-infused drinks to consumers 21 and older. The Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee passed the legislation Tuesday. Intoxicating Products – House Bill 9 seeks to streamline the regulatory and taxation framework for intoxicating products, including alcohol, cannabis-infused beverages, hemp-derived cannabinoids and other products like kratom. It would also establish a new 4% regulatory retail licensing fee on alcoholic and cannabis-infused beverages beginning in July 2027. The bill advanced out of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee and off the House floor on Tuesday. Research Fund – Senate Bill 6 would appropriate $150 million to an endowed research fund to support research collaboration and innovation across Kentucky universities. The bill cleared the Senate on Tuesday. Constitutional Amendments – Senate Bill 262 seeks a change to the state constitution regarding how proposed constitutional amendments appear on the ballot. Instead of printing the full text of the proposed amendment on the ballot, SB 262 seeks to have the proposal appear in the form of a ballot question or summary that clearly and accurately states the substance and effect of the amendment. The Senate advanced the measure Tuesday. School Administrator Salaries – Senate Bill 2 would prohibit school administrators from receiving a percentage pay increase that is greater than the average percentage pay increase provided to classroom teachers in that district. The bill includes a waiver process for certain circumstances. The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee approved the bill Wednesday. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners – House Bill 134 aims to expand the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners across Kentucky. It calls for a statewide coordinator to recruit nurses, facilitate training and improve collaboration between hospitals, law enforcement and rape crisis centers. The legislation cleared the Senate Health Services Committee on Wednesday. School Employee Sick Leave – Under Senate Bill 124, school districts would have the option to let employees voluntarily cash in sick days. Employees would need to maintain a minimum of 15 sick days, but could cash in additional days at 30% of their current pay rate. The bill would also allow teachers to use sick days for religious holidays that do not appear on the school calendar. The legislation won support in the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on Wednesday. School Safety – House Bill 643 would allow school districts to implement a wearable panic alert system so that teachers and staff can silently notify first responders in the event of a security threat. The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee advanced the legislation on Wednesday. Sports and Charitable Gaming – House Bill 904 would overhaul multiple sections of Kentucky law on sports wagering and charitable gaming. Among other changes, the legislation would raise the sports wagering age from 18 to 21 and regulate fantasy contests. It would also ban proposition bets on Kentucky college athletes. The House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee advanced the bill on Wednesday. Motor Vehicle Racing – House Bill 425 would enhance the penalties for illegal street racing with increased fines and provisions for impounding and forfeiting vehicles used in the races. The legislation received a favorable vote in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Status Offenders – Senate Bill 170 would create a four-year pilot program in up to 10 school districts to help address barriers to school attendance. It also aims to strengthen diversion of status offenders using Responsive Interventions to Support and Empower (RISE) teams and increased family involvement. The bill on Wednesday cleared the House Judiciary Committee. Dismissed Eviction Records – House Bill 338 calls for the automatic expungement of dismissed eviction filings and would protect minors from being listed in eviction cases. The House Judiciary Committee voted in support of the bill Wednesday. Pesticide Labeling – Under Senate Bill 199, pesticides that display an EPA-approved label will have satisfied state laws related to the duty to warn consumers. The bill includes an exception for manufacturers that knowingly mislead the EPA about potential health risks. The House Agricultural Committee passed the bill Wednesday. Locally-Grown Food – Senate Bill 5 would make it easier for Kentucky schools to purchase locally-grown food for student meals. It seeks to lift some procurement requirements and better connect students with the agricultural economy. The legislation cleared the House Agricultural Committee on Wednesday. Financial Exploitation – House Bill 794 would increase the penalties for financially exploiting a person age 65 and older. The House Banking and Insurance Committee passed the measure Wednesday. Impaired Driving – Under Senate Bill 66, a suspect in an impaired driving case who refuses to submit to a blood test would have their driver’s license suspended at the time of arraignment. If the person is convicted, their license will be subsequently suspended by the state Transportation Cabinet. The bill would require the cabinet to maintain records of moving traffic convictions for 10 years. It would also add clonazepam, cyclobenzaprine and fentanyl to the list of drugs that, when detected in a driver’s blood, could lead to an impaired driving conviction. The Senate passed the bill Wednesday. Civil Rights – Among several provisions, House Bill 468 would align state disability protections with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008. It would also move certain adjudicative functions from the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights to the courts. The legislation cleared the House on Wednesday. Abuse of a Corpse – Senate Bill 221 would make clear that knowingly purchasing, selling, or transferring a corpse, or part of one, after the corpse has been authorized for cremation or burial would be a class D felony in the commonwealth. The bill advanced out of the Senate on Wednesday. Kentucky State Police – Senate Bill 278 calls for the commissioner of Kentucky State Police to allow state troopers to participate in approved, off-duty law enforcement work for public entities, entities that receive state funding and certain ticketed events. The Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee approved the bill Thursday. Death Penalty Regulations – Under Senate Bill 251, the Kentucky Department of Corrections would no longer be required to promulgate death penalty regulations and could implement execution protocols and procedures through internal policy, memorandum or similar action. Supporters say the change would help end an impasse over death penalty regulations in the courts and clear the way for executions to resume in Kentucky. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill Thursday. Child Pornography – House Bill 366 would expand child pornography prohibitions to include computer-generated images of a minor. It would also require someone convicted of possessing or viewing child pornography to serve 85% of their criminal sentence. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the bill Thursday. Affordable Housing – House Bill 333 would allow faith-based organizations to build small-scale affordable housing units on property located near religious institutions. The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism and Labor approved the measure on Thursday. School-Based Medicaid Program – House Bill 583 aims to help school districts recover Medicaid funding for medically necessary services that are provided by school nurses to Medicaid-enrolled students with parental consent. The bill cleared the House Health Services Committee on Thursday. Drug Treatment Map – Senate Joint Resolution 74 would direct the Legislative Research Commission and state agencies to create a statewide fiscal map of substance use disorder programs and funding sources to support better policy, budgeting and accountability. The House State Government Committee passed the resolution Thursday. Prostheses and Orthoses Coverage – Senate Bill 97 seeks to expand coverage in health benefit plans for prostheses and orthoses. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee passed the legislation Tuesday, and the bill cleared the Senate on Thursday. Hospital Police Departments – House Bill 248 would provide hospitals the option to create an onsite police department staffed by fully sworn, trained and certified law enforcement officers. The bill won support in the House Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection on Tuesday and advanced off the House floor Friday. Ibogaine Research – Senate Bill 77 calls for creation of an ibogaine research and intellectual property fund to be administered by the Department of Agriculture. It would allow the department to partner with a drug developer to conduct clinical trials on using ibogaine to treat substance use disorders. The Senate Committee on Health Services passed the bill Wednesday, and the full Senate followed suit on Friday. Prison Education Programs – House Bill 5 would establish the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Prison Education Program, seeking to reduce recidivism and support workforce development. KCTCS would partner with the state Department of Corrections to build and operate a vocational training campus at Northpoint Training Center. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill Friday. The general assembly is scheduled to reconvene on Monday. Kentuckians are urged to check the general assembly’s calendar for updates. Kentuckians can track the action through the Legislative Record Webpage, which allows users to read bills and follow their progression through the chambers. Citizens can also share their views on issues with lawmakers by calling the general assembly’s toll-free message line at 1-800-372-7181. The post This Week at the State Capitol (3-13-26) appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less