Bill Tracker

KFTC's legislative issues during the

2022 Kentucky General Assembly

The bills listed below have been prioritized by KFTC, within the limits of our organizational capacity and a Republican supermajority opposed to our vision in most ways.

Click here to see other important bills in the General Assembly that are on our radar that we have not taken positions on. Or check out the bill trackers and legislative priorities of our allies: ACLU-Kentucky; Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky; Kentucky Equal Justice Center and the Kentucky Conservation Committee (House Bills / Senate Bills).

If you’d like to let your legislators know what you think of any of these bills or how they voted, contact them through the Legislative Message Line at 800-372-7181 (open all year) or by email.

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KFTC's Priority Legislation
KFTC Supports Teaching African-American and Native American history House Bill 88 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Scott	Summary HB 88 requires teaching about African-American and Native American history in middle and high school history courses in Kentucky	Additional Information Has not been assigned to committee One-page handout here
KFTC Supports Teaching history of racism House Bill 67 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Scott	Summary HB 67 requires teaching KY high school curriculum to include teaching of racism.	Additional Information Has not been assigned to committee. One-page handout here on Rep. Scott's pro-education bills, HB 88 and HB 67
KFTC Supports Black Lung Benefits House Bill 166 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Ashley Lafferty Tackett	Summary HB 166 repeals restrictions passed by the KY General Assembly several years ago that make it very difficult for miners to get diagnosed with Black Lung Disease.	Additional Information Has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Abolish the Death Penalty Senate Bill 47 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Steven Meredith	Summary SB 47 would abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without parole for inmates presently sentenced to death and prohibit life imprisonment without benefit of parole for a juvenile offender convicted of a capital offense	Additional Information This bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty released a report that shows the racial bias in the application of Kentucky's death penalty, covered here in the Herald-Leader. From ACLU's Twitter: "Death sentences are arbitrary and fueled by racism. Since 1975 in Kentucky, Black men were 20x more likely to receive a death sentence when the victim was a white female. It's time to end this barbaric practice once and for all." For more information, track the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
KFTC Supports Extended Voting Hours House Bill 68 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Buddy Wheatley	Summary HB 68 would extend the end of voting hours from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. giving people more time to vote after work.	Additional Information Has not been assigned to committee. Take action! Sign up for the Virtual Lobby Day for a Healthy Democracy here, Tuesday, Jan 25. On Tuesday, January 25, we'll gather online to push for the democracy Kentucky deserves, with convenient, fair, and accessible voting. We'll lobby for voting rights for people with felonies in their past, fair redistricting, longer polling hours, voting by mail, and more. The day will start with a training at 9am ET on Zoom. We’ll break into groups to talk virtually with our legislators about this issue, leave messages on the legislative message line (and encourage our friends to do the same), have a virtual rally, spokesperson training, workshops on social media and letters to the editor, and other events throughout the day.
KFTC Supports Ban Conversion Therapy House Bill 12 Senate Bill 137 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Wilner, Sen. Kerr + 20 Reps and 7 Senators	Summary HB 12 and SB 137 would prohibit mental health professionals from engaging in sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts ("conversion therapy"), and p	Additional Information SB 137 has been assigned to the Senate Health and Welfare committee. HB 12 has not been assigned to a committee.
KFTC Supports Fairness Act Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Minter, Willner and several others	Summary HB 1, HB 11, and SB 171 would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, public accommodation, insurance, housing and financial transactions. The legislation mirrors ordinances in effect in a number of Kentucky towns and cities, making Fairness statewide.	Additional Information HB 11 and HB 15 have not been filed in committee. SB 171 has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary committee.
KFTC Supports Comprehensive Tax Reform House Bill 201 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps Willner, Scott, Brown, Kulkarni, Raymond	Summary HB 201 proposes a variety of reforms to the state tax code to make the system more fair, close loopholes, make taxes more equitable across all income levels, increase the tax on cigarettes and tobacco products, expand the family size tax credit, put limits on some deductions except charitable ones, reinstate an estate tax and a number of other changes that would have resulted in substantial new revenue and a tax system that's a little more fair. Find our one-pager here for lobby meetings and to learn more.	Additional Information Has not been assigned to committee. This year, we have a real opportunity in Kentucky. We have the dollars we need to make the investments that we deserve in housing, schools, public health, and advancing racial equity across the board. We call on the legislature to use all of these dollars this year, and we support comprehensive tax reform to ensure that we can continue to thrive.
KFTC Supports Ban the Box House Bill 293 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep Brown and 10 other Democratic Reps.	Summary HB 293 would prohibit employers from considering or requiring disclosure of prior criminal history as part of the initial job application; title the Act "Ban the Box - The Criminal Record Employment Discrimination Act.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to a committee.
KFTC Supports The CROWN Act House Bill 31 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps Scott, Flood, Raymond, and Wheatley	Summary HB 31 would prohibit discrimination or school discipline based off of hair styles historically associated with race. There is a campaign to have this bill passed in all 50 states. You can learn more about the campaign here.	Additional Information This bill has not yet been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Make Juneteenth a state holiday House Bill 133 Senate Bill 22 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Neal and Reps Brown, Flood and Gentry	Summary SB 22 and HB 133 would make June 19, also known as "Juneteenth National Freedom Day," a state holiday for state employees.	Additional Information SB 22 bill has been assigned to the Senate State and Local Government committee. HB 133 has passed out of the House and is awaiting committee assignment in the Senate.
KFTC Supports Expanding Hate Crime laws House Bill 236 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps Kulkarni, Scott, and Flood	Summary HB 236 would expand Kentucky's hate crime statutes to include religion, mental and physical disability, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation. It would also require local police departments to do better tracking and reporting of such crimes, establish anti-hate crime units, and engage in community education about hate crimes.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Assessing health impacts of legislation Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Neal	Summary SB 36 would require the Legislative Research Commission to identify any bill that would create a health disparity for people from different disadvantaged communities or backgrounds and would create a process by which that disparity could be evaluated as part of passing the legislation.	Additional Information This bill has been introduced to the Senate Health and Welfare committee
KFTC Supports Racial discrepancy in perinatal care House Bill 37 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps Scott, Flood, and Raymond	Summary HB 37 would provide pregnant folks with written information regarding the patient's rights and implement an evidence-based implicit bias program for all health providers involved in the perinatal care of patients within those facilities; require the Department for Public Health to track data on maternal death and severe morbidity.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Felony Expungement House Bill 218 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps Huff, Nemes, Fleming, Massey, and Miller	Summary HB 218 would reduce the fees and the waiting period for folks who want to expunge their felony records.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Student Mental Health House Bill 44 Bill Sponsor(s): Bipartisan group of 17 Representatives	Summary HB 44 would require local school district student attendance policies to provide for 11 excused absences due to student's mental or behavioral health status	Additional Information This bill passed out of the House with a bote of 94-0 and has been sent to the Senate Education committee.
KFTC Supports Authority to raise the minimum wage House Bill 424 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep Raymond	Summary HB 424 would give local governments the authority to raise the minimum wage and set paid leave standards for employers in their jurisdiction. Previously local officials in Lexington and Louisville attempted to raise the minimum wage in their communities and were denied the ability to do so by state courts.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Expanded access to voting and same day registration House Bill 407 Senate Bill 159 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep Wheatley and Sen Thomas	Summary HB 407 and SB 159 would make it much easier to vote in Kentucky. It would allow unregistered folks who are eligible to vote to register and vote on election day. It would also expand election day voting hours to 7 p.m. and allow for in-person early voting in 2 weeks and 2 Saturdays leading up to election day.	Additional Information HB 407 has not been assigned to committee. SB 159 has been assigned to the Senate State & Local Government committee.
KFTC Supports Limiting Utility Shutoffs House Bill 478 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Willner	Summary HB 478 would establishe rules to limit utility shutoffs in peak winter and peak summer; create a mechanism for people who demonstrate hardship to get fees waived for disconnect and reconnect; require reconnection with a partial payment and a payment plan.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Right to a Healthy Environment House Bill 471 Bill Sponsor(s): Reps Raymond, Cantrell, and Scott	Summary HB 471 would create a state constitutional amendment asserting the right of all people to a clean and healthy environment.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Education funding for people with felonies in their past Senate Bill 163 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Storm	Summary SB 163 repeals language that prevents people with a felony conviction from being eligible for KEES money for higher education in KY.	Additional Information The bill has been assigned to the Senate Education committee.
KFTC Supports Expanding Medicaid eligibility for pregnant people House Bill 535 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Kulkani	Summary HB 535 expands Medicaid eligibility to pregnant people, regardless of immigration status. It also expands access to family planning services and support.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.
KFTC Supports Waiving expungement fees Senate Bill 182 Bill Sponsor(s): Sen. Yates	Summary SB 182 allows courts to waive expungement fees for folks who can't afford them.	Additional Information This bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary committee.
KFTC Supports Restoration of Voting Rights Senate Bill 223 Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Neal, McGarvey, Harper Angel, Higdon, Hornback, and Thomas	Summary SB 223 would amend the consitution of Kentucky to restore voting rights to nearly all people with felonies in their past immediately after the completion of their imprisonment, probation, or parole. If this bill passes the amendment would have to be ratified by the voters in the November election. This amendment would only exclude people convicted of treason, bribery, or election fraud.	Additional Information This bill is in the Senate State and Local Government committee.
KFTC Supports Right to record police officers Bill Sponsor(s): Reps. Willner and Herron	Summary HB 735 establishes that it is legal in Kentucky to photograph / video an officer in the public performance of their public duties. HB 734 establishes the right to sue for damages if any local or state official interferes with a person photographing / videoing / broadcasting an officer in the public performance of their duties.	Additional Information Neither of these bills have been assigned to committtee.
KFTC Supports Harm Reduction House Bill 776 Bill Sponsor(s): Rep. Herron	Summary HB 776 would establish a program for harm reduction centers; amend possession of controlled substance statutes to reduce penalty; amend KRS 218A.275 to provide for referrals to treatment for persons charged with possession of controlled substances; amend KRS 218A.500 to decriminalize possession of items to test, store, or consume controlled substances; repeal KRS 218A.14151, 218A.1450, 218A.1451, 218A.1452, and 218A.276.	Additional Information This bill has not been assigned to committee.

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