LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than 20 news laws go into effect in Kentucky on Tuesday impacting election procedures, how vacancies are filled in the U.S. Senate and excessive use of force by police.
The Kentucky Legislative Research Committee said in a release that new laws take effect 90 days after the General Assembly adjourns unless there was a specific date written into the law. The regular session ended March 30, 2021, so the effective date for most laws is June 29.
New laws in Kentucky include:
Adoption leave: House Bill 210 ensures employers offer parents adopting a child under the age of ten the same amount of time off as birth parents.
Asthma and schools: Senate Bill 127 encourages schools to keep bronchodilator rescue inhalers in at least two locations and have a policy in place for using them.
Child and new mother fatalities: House Bill 212 requires demographic data in an annual state report on fatalities among children and new mothers to include information on race, income and where the fatalities happened.
Child pornography: House Bill 254 raises the penalty for possession or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under the age of 12 years to a Class C felony. It will also raise the penalty for the distribution of that material to a Class C felony for the first offense and a Class B felony for each subsequent offense.
Child support. House Bill 402 revises child support laws to increase the amount considered flagrant nonsupport from $1,000 to $5,000.
Education choice: House Bill 563 gives families more options when deciding where to send kids to school and assists families with education expenses. The law allows the use of education opportunity accounts, a type of scholarship, for students to attend out-of-district public schools. For students in some of the state's largest counties, the scholarship funds could be used for private school tuition. The measure also allows tax credits for donations to the education accounts. The law also requires boards of education to adopt a nonresident pupil policy by July 1, 2022.
Election procedures: House Bill 574 makes some of the election procedures implemented during the pandemic permanent. The law will allow Kentuckians three days - including a Saturday - leading up to an election day for early, in-person voting. The law also allows county clerks to continue to offer ballot drop boxes for ballot and voting centers where any registered voter in the county could vote.
Ethics standards: Senate Bill 6 creates standards for ethical conduct for transition team members of all newly elected statewide officeholders -- including identifying anyone who has been a lobbyist. The law requires disclosure of current employment, board member appointments and any non-state sources of money. It also prohibits the receipt of nonpublic information that could benefit a transition team member financially.
Illegal dumping: Senate Bill 86 will designate 100 percent of a new open dumping fine to be paid to the county where the violation occurred.
Inmate pregnancy: Senate Bill 84 bans jails, prisons, correctional facilities, residential centers and reentry centers from placing pregnant inmates or inmates within the immediate postpartum period in restrictive housing, administrative segregation, or solitary confinement. Inmates who give birth will also get 72 hours with a newborn before returning to the facility and six weeks of postpartum care. The law also gives pregnant inmates access to social workers to help find a place for the baby and make a plan for possible reunification with the child.
Kentucky-grown products: Senate Bill 102 includes Asian Carp, paddlefish, or sturgeon in the definition of "Kentucky-grown agricultural product".
Late fees: House Bill 272 allows water districts to impose a 10 percent late fee and cut off service for nonpayment of bills. Customers who receive financial assistance for their bills are exempt.
Livestock abuse: House Bill 229 will make someone guilty of criminal mischief for intentionally or wantonly causing damage to livestock.
Living organ donors: House Bill 75 prohibits certain insurance coverage determinations based upon the status of an individual as a living organ donor.
Medicaid copays: Senate Bill 55 prohibits copays for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Newborn baby boxes: House Bill 155 allows the use of a "newborn safety device" when a newborn is being surrendered by a parent at a participating staffed police station, fire station, or hospital. The so-called "baby boxes" the infant to be placed anonymously in the box that triggers an alarm so medical providers can respond.
Police standards: Senate Bill 80 strengthens the police decertification process by expanding the number of acts considered professional wrongdoing. Such acts include unjustified use of excessive or deadly force and engaging in a sexual relationship with a victim. The bill also requires an officer to intervene when another officer is engaging in the use of unlawful and unjustified excessive or deadly force. The law also prevents an officer from resigning to before an internal investigation is complete.
Public records: House Bill 312 revises Kentucky open records laws to limit the ability of people who do not live, work or conduct business in Kentucky from obtaining records through open records laws. These restrictions do not apply to out-of-state journalists and can be made by email.
Sexual abuse by police: Senate Bill 52 amends third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy and second-degree sexual abuse statutes so law enforcement officers could be charged with those crimes if they engage in sexual acts with a person under investigation, in custody or under arrest.
Theft: House Bill 126 increases the threshold of felony theft from $500 to $1,000. It will also allow law enforcement to charge members of organized shoplifting rings with a felony if a member steals a total of $1,000 worth of merchandise over 90 days.
U.S. Senate vacancies: Senate Bill 228 changes the way vacancies are filled for a U.S. senator from Kentucky. The bill requires the governor to select a replacement from a list of three nominees selected by the same political party of the departing senator.
Worker safety regulations: Starting July 1, House Bill 475 prohibits the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board from adopting or enforcing occupational safety and health administrative regulations that are more stringent than the corresponding federal provisions.
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
