KYGA 2024 Week 8
This week, several positive pieces of legislation moved forward including: a resolution to study and make recommendations to identify outdated, redundant, or unnecessary mandates imposed upon teachers; a bill aiming to protect citizen privacy against automated license plate readers; a bill focused on protecting Kentuckians from religious liberty infringement by the state government; and a bill allowing homeschool students to receive KEES dollars.
Below are some bill highlights so far this session: legislation that aligns with KYFREE’s policy principles is highlighted in green; legislation that contradicts our principles is highlighted in red.
Constitutional amendment allow the GA to spend money outside the common schools system
Establishes a one-time pension COLA for state retirement employees
Allows universal recognition of occupational licenses and government certifications
Establishes limitations on use and sale of data captured by automated license plate readers
Allows homeschool students to receive KEES based on standardized scores
Defines "government" and "substantially burden” in terms of religious liberty; outlines relief that may be sought if government violates religious liberty
Expands parental rights in schools
Establishes the Tax Expenditure and Economic Development Incentive Review Board to evaluate tax expenditures and incentives awarded by the state
Constitutional amendment allowing the GA to reduce or eliminate property tax
Expands protections for students and teachers from being discriminated against for refusing to endorse a divisive concept
Allows homeschool students to receive KEES based on standardized scores
Raises minimum wage to $15/hr
Makes it easier for an individual to create a petition against a local property tax increase
Reestablishes the Certificate of Need Task Force
Exempts birthing centers from certificate of need laws
Exempts birthing centers from certificate of need laws
Modifies conditions under which a person is prohibited from taking actions without a certificate of need
Exempts various health facilities and services from certificate of need requirements
Requires that the Cabinet for Health and Family conduct public hearings on certificate of need applications
Constitutional amendment allow the GA to spend money outside the common schools system
Provides for referrals to treatment for persons charged with possession of controlled substances
Appropriates $95 million from the budget reserve trust fund to fund one-time supplemental payments to KRS retirees
Reaffirms the sovereignty of Kentucky
Ends estate and inheritance tax beginning August 1, 2024
Prohibits a public agency or any other entity created by an act of the General Assembly from using public funds for lobbying activity or to employ or enter into a contract with a lobbyist
Prohibits a public agency or any other entity created by an act of the General Assembly from using public funds for lobbying activity or to employ or enter into a contract with a lobbyist
Recalculates TIF revenues for potentially distressed projects
Reforms Certificate of Need laws
Establishes the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) Task Force
Protects individuals who provide emergency assistance to those in an overdose situation
Requires the Board of Education to determine the number of local school board members based on population
reestablishes prevailing wage
Establishes the Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force
Establishes of a Workforce Innovation Task Force
Establishes the Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force
Establishes the Teacher Red Tape Reduction Task Force to study and make recommendations to identify outdated, redundant, or unnecessary mandates imposed upon teachers
Establishes an automatic expungement process for specific eligible misdemeanor and felony convictions
Proposes to amend the Constitution of Kentucky to automatically restore the voting rights of persons convicted of certain felonies
Establishes an automatic expungement process for specific eligible misdemeanor and felony convictions
Establishes a Workforce Innovation Task Force