FRANKFORT — In Wednesday’s final hours, Kentucky lawmakers passed the state’s two-year budget bills, voted to name a highway in Boone County after the late Charlie Kirk and moved dozens of bills, while leaving some controversial legislation on the table.  Both chambers adjourned right before midnight. Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on April 14 and 15. During the break, Gov. Andy Beshear can veto bills;  lawmakers have the ability to override his vetoes when they return for the last two days of the 2026 legislative session.  GOP-controlled KY legislature gives final passage to $31 billion executive branch budget If they pass anything after the veto period, they do not have the ability to override a veto from Beshear.  Lawmakers can also pass bills on the session’s final two days later this month. Bills not passed in time to be veto-proof  But lawmakers would not have time to override vetoes of any bills passed during that time. Some controversial bills that appear to be dead include:  Fluoride in water. Public health organizations condemned House Bill 103, which would make water fluoridation optional. They said  it would harm overall dental health. The House passed the measure but it never got a hearing on the Senate side.   Conscience exemptions for health care providers. Senate Bill 72, criticised by the LGBTQ+ community, would allow health care providers to refuse to provide services that “violates his, her or its conscience.” Cigar bars. House Bill 194 would have carved out an exemption in local smoke-free laws for businesses to operate as cigar bars if they meet certain requirements. Health organizations also slammed this bill, saying it would compromise public health and undermine local smoke-free ordinances that protect workers and the public. Local control over drivers licensing. A high priority for Senate leadership, Senate Bill 7 would allow local officials such as sheriffs and county clerks to renew driver’s licenses in counties without regional offices. The transportation budget, meanwhile, added funding for three new regional driver licensing offices.  Bills in Beshear’s hands  A slew of bills await Beshear’s veto or signature. They include:  Copays for Kentuckians covered by Medicaid. House Bill 2 adds copays of $5 for health care services and $1 for prescription drugs beginning Oct. 1, 2028.  A new chapter for KSU. Senate Bill 185 passed the House Wednesday, and the Senate agreed with a new version created in a House committee. It gives a new polytechnic mission to Kentucky State University. Required expulsions for students. Students who intentionally assault school employees will be expelled for a year under Senate Bill 101 unless their actions were a result of a disability. Advocates for children criticized the measure, saying it could set Kentucky kids back further educationally.  A limit on gubernatorial pardons. Senate Bill 10 would send voters a constitutional amendment that would limit the pardon and commutation powers of Kentucky governors around an election.  Foreign-trained doctors. Under Senate Bill 137, foreign-trained doctors can get provisional licenses without repeating residency and practice in Kentucky under a practice’s sponsorship. The measure is meant to help curb Kentucky’s worsening physician shortages.  Alternatives to detention. Senate Bill 122 allows judges to consider a Kentuckian’s status as a parent or caregiver when sentencing and allows those people to have access to detention alternatives, including substance abuse treatment.  Criminalization of grooming. Under House Bill 4 adults who groom a minor for sex can be criminally charged. The bill proposes a Class A misdemeanor charge for grooming, unless the minor is younger than 12 years old, in which case it is a Class D felony, according to the bill. For perpetrators in trusted positions, grooming a minor is a Class D felony unless the minor is younger than 12, in which case it is a Class C felony.  Kindergarten readiness. Senate Bill 191 would award $2,000 to Kentuckians who successfully prepare their children for kindergarten.   Better access to sexual assault nurse examiners. House Bill 134 directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to hire a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner coordinator in an effort to increase access to highly trained nurses who administer rape kits. The Rape, Abuse Incest National Network helpline is 800-656-4673.  Senate Bill 1 is a revival of a 2022 law that the Kentucky Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional just before the legislative session. It moves oversight of  Jefferson County Public Schools from the school board to its superintendent. Beshear vetoed the previous law.  Potentially safe bills sitting in limbo and still have a chance:  Several bills didn’t make it through the entire process before the veto period but are likely to be supported by Beshear and safe to pass either on April 14 and 15.  The language in these bills could also be added as amendments to other bills closer to the legislative finish line, which often happens late in the session.  Ethan the rescue dog splooting on the floor in a hallway of the Capitol Annex on March 25, 2026. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) Bills falling in this category include:  The state dog breed. Senate Bill 37 would name the Treeing Walker Coonhound as Kentucky’s official dog breed. An amendment would also name all shelter pets as the official state pet. Another amendment would designate the eastern spotted skunk as the official nongame mammal of Kentucky and make the eastern hellbender as the state’s official amphibian. The amendments need to be approved before being added into the bill. Artificial intelligence in mental health therapy. House Bill 455 proposes barring the use of artificial intelligence for direct therapy or making independent therapeutic decisions including creating therapy plans. It passed the House in February but did not get a hearing in the Senate.  Animal control officers helping with spotting child abuse. House Bill 246 would offer trainings for animal control officers to recognize the signs of child abuse. It unanimously passed the House in early March but didn’t get a hearing in the Senate.  GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE The post As KY legislature breaks for veto period, here’s where key and controversial bills stand appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less