Dozens of new Kentucky laws set to take effect this week

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Dozens of new Kentucky laws take effect this week.

The laws were passed during this year's legislative session and include bills on gaming, schools, criminal justice and more.

During the 60-day session, Kentucky's general assembly passed more than 190 bills, with more than half of them taking effect Wednesday, July 15.

Some of those laws are outlined below. For a full rundown, click here.

House Bill 312

House Bill 312 changes who can carry a concealed weapon. It allows 18 to 20-year-olds to apply for a provisional concealed carry license in the state.

Kentucky is an open carry state, but did not have any way for people under 21 to conceal carry.

Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed the bill, arguing Kentuckians under 21 can't buy alcohol or tobacco, so concealed carry should be no different. He also added federal law restricts people under 21 from buying handguns. State lawmakers overrode Beshear's veto 28 to 9.

Anyone applying for the provisional permit must complete required training. That license is only valid in Kentucky and expires when the holder turns 21.

Senate Bill 101

Kentucky schools will start a new school year with stricter rules for students who assault teachers or staff members.

SB 101 requires a one-year expulsion for any student in grades 6-12 who is determined to have "intentionally caused or attempted to cause physical injury to a school district employee on school property or at a school function under the board's jurisdiction."

If the school board finds that the student intentionally injured or tried to injure a school employee, the student will be expelled for at least one year. The law also requires school employees to immediately report those incidents to law enforcement, with criminal penalties for anyone who intentionally fails to do so.

The bill also states that school boards must adopt a policy that requires disciplinary actions "up to and including expulsion from school" for students who physically assault or abuse another student on school property, at a bus stop, or at a school function, or who physically assault or abuse school other students off school property and the incident is likely to substantially disrupt the educational process.

House Bill 366

The bill expands current law to include computer-generated images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.

The bill would also require offenders to serve at least 85% of their sentence before becoming eligible for probation or parole.

House Bill 366 makes it a crime to knowingly possess or intentionally view sexual images of minors, while still protecting people who see them by accident or during legal or law enforcement work.

Supporters said the bill closes loopholes and ensures Kentucky law keeps pace with evolving digital threats against children.

After the third reading in the House, the bill passed 95-0, and now moves to the Senate. The full text of House Bill 366 is available online.

House Bill 305/Crystal Rogers Act

House Bill 305, called the Crystal Rogers Act, was filed in response to the Rogers case after Brooks Houck and his family secretly recorded a grand jury. But because the statute of limitations had run out, no one was charged.

The goal of the legislation is to crack down on illegal recordings of grand jury testimony by extending the statute of limitations.

House Bill 305 seeks to preserve the integrity of grand jury proceedings by strengthening penalties for illegally recording or sharing information on a grand jury proceeding.

It extends the statute of limitations from one year to 10 years. It would also extend the statute of limitations for unlawfully sharing grand jury testimony from one year to five.

In the Rogers murder investigation, the recordings weren't found until years later during an FBI search. They were found by investigators in pants pockets and a bag full of bingo stamps. But the Houck family was not charged the statute of limitations had already passed.

The bill is intended to "deter improper disclosures that can jeopardize investigations, erode judicial confidence and retraumatize families."

House Bill 1

A Kentucky bill that allows the state to opt into a federal school choice program is set to become law after the Senate voted to override Gov. Andy Beshear's veto.

The Senate vote comes after the House vote to override Beshear's March 13 veto of House Bill 1 — which would give Kentucky families access to the Education Freedom Tax Credit program — passed the state House and Senate this legislative session.

The bill came after the state's Supreme Court ruled in February that a bill establishing public funding for charter schools was unconstitutional, affirming that state funds "are for common schools and for nothing else."

The 2022 measure was enacted by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature over Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto. It was struck down the next year by a lower court.

In 2024, Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure to allow state lawmakers to allocate public tax dollars to support students attending private or charter schools.

House Bill 904

House Bill 904, a wide-ranging measure that is reshaping sports betting in the state, also takes effect this week. It legalizes fixed-odds wagering on horse races.

A provision of the bill would "authorize two executive branch agencies, the Kentucky Lottery Organization and the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, to file emergency and ordinary administrative regulations without the Governor's review and signature."

Fixed-odds wagering allows bettors to lock in a price at the moment they place a bet. If someone wagers on a horse at 5-1 odds, that payout stays the same — regardless of how the odds shift before the race begins.

That’s a significant departure from the pari-mutuel system used at U.S. racetracks for more than a century.

The law also increases the age to participate in sports wagering from 18 to 21 and prohibits anyone on the attorney general’s child support arrearage list from betting on online platforms.

House Bill 4

House Bill 4, which passed unanimously through the House and Senate, makes grooming a minor a criminal offense.

Under the bill, grooming would be considered a misdemeanor and a person could face up to one year in jail. The charge increases to a felony if the child is younger than 12.

Additionally, part of House Bill 253 with provisions from House Bill 102 focuses on child abuse prevention.

The bill would put a ban on non-disclosure agreements between schools and school employees. This means if a teacher has past sexual misconduct allegations, their previous school must disclose that information to a new school upon request.

The bill would also implement required training for teachers that is focused on preventing sexual misconduct and grooming.

House Bill 58

House Bill 58 puts restrictions on automated license plate readers, like Flock cameras. It addresses concerns about the cameras that are increasingly being used to track vehicles involved in crime.

They're also used to control parking access and security and collect tolls on public roads and bridges.

The measure puts limits on the data collected by those cameras. All data would need to be destroyed within 90 days, unless it's tied to an active criminal investigation. Data also cannot be sold or shared.

House Bill 422/Logan's Law

House Bill 422, also known as Logan's Law, makes major changes to sentencing and parole in Kentucky.

The bill is named after 6-year-old Logan Tipton, who was killed when Ronald Exantus broke into his family home on Douglas Avenue in Versailles on Dec. 7, 2015.

HB 422 was filed in response to Exantus being released from prison early on good behavior in October 2025 after serving less than half of his 20-year prison sentence for Tipton's death.

The Kentucky Department of Corrections was required to release Exantus on Mandatory Reentry Supervision per Kentucky law, despite the parole board voting unanimously to keep him in prison every time it had the opportunity. The board doesn't have the authority to release inmates on MRS, which is a process governed by state law.

Logan's Law expands the definition of a violent offender and increases the time certain offenders must serve before parole. That includes raising parole eligibility for life sentences from 25 to 35 years. It also limits early release options for violent felons.

The bill also reforms the statute on an insanity plea, and creates a pathway for severely mentally ill defendants to receive proper treatment. Additionally, it adds mandatory reentry supervision reform and make sure that if the parole board denies parole to someone convicted of a violent felony, that person would not be eligible for early release.

Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 4

Two Senate bills that will reshape Jefferson County Public Schools' board and leadership take effect this week.

While both were vetoed by Gov. Andy Beshear, the Senate and House of Representatives overrode them.

Part of SB 1 will shift more authority to JCPS superintendent Brian Yearwood by requiring a two-thirds vote of the board to override decisions instead of a simple majority.

In his veto message, Beshear said the bill violates a 2022 ruling that stated JCPS could not be treated differently than other districts in the state.

Under SB 4, all JCPS board seats will be up for election this November, regardless of when members were last elected.

The bill also reduces the board from seven members to five, which Beshear said would "diminish representation of voters," when he vetoed the bill.

Both bills received mixed reviews from board members and community organizations since their introduction.

House Bill 510

House Bill 510, known as the Organ Donation Pause in Procedure Act, mandates an immediate pause in organ donation if there is a change in neurological status or any indication of possible life.

The legislation came after a federal investigation prompted by TJ Hoover, a Kentucky man who woke up before organ removal surgery in 2021. Medical records say Hoover had been declared brain dead in 2021 and was being prepared for organ donation when he regained consciousness — a stunning turn that raised serious questions about the organ donation process.

The nonprofit Network for Hope, which is the organ donation provider for several states, including Kentucky, said the law strengthens the organ donation and transplant system throughout the commonwealth while reinforcing public trust in the donation process.