Beech Tree News Network

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 26, 2025) — New laws on squatting, drone surveillance, campus diversity programs, workplace safety, and gift card scams are all set to take effect in Kentucky this week along with many other changes to state statute. 

The Kentucky General Assembly passed more than 140 bills during this year’s 30-day legislative session, and most of those measures will become effective on Friday.

The state constitution specifies that new laws take effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns unless they have special effective dates, are general appropriation measures, or include emergency clauses that make them effective immediately upon becoming law.

Lawmakers adjourned the 2025 session on March 28, making June 27 the effective date for most bills.

Here’s a look at some of the measures taking effect:

Antisemitism on Campus – Senate Joint Resolution 55 directs Kentucky’s public colleges and universities to adopt policies for combating antisemitism.

Cell Phones in Schools – House Bill 208 calls on school districts to establish a policy for limiting the use of cell phones during instructional time with some exceptions for emergencies and instructional purposes.

Chevron Deference – Under Senate Bill 84, courts can no longer defer to a state agency’s interpretation when dealing with ambiguity in statutes, administrative regulations or orders, a practice known as Chevron deference.

Child Abuse – Under Senate Bill 120, school coaches will receive training on the duties and procedures for reporting child abuse. The legislation will also add language to sports participation forms informing parents and students about the right to report abuse and how to make a report.

College Faculty Performance Reviews – House Bill 424 calls for presidents and faculty at Kentucky’s public universities to undergo performance and productivity evaluations at least once every four years. The university boards will establish the evaluation process for each institution.

Disabilities and Parental Rights – Senate Bill 26 clarifies that disability alone cannot be used as a basis for denying adoption petitions, terminating parental rights, or determining placement of children.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – House Bill 4 seeks to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives – known as DEI – at public postsecondary institutions in Kentucky. The legislation forbids differential treatment in hiring, admissions, scholarships and other areas based on religion, race, sex, color or national origin. It will also prevent campuses from requiring or incentivizing students to participate in DEI training, and it prohibits public institutions from using resources on DEI training, offices and initiatives.

Drone Surveillance – House Bill 19 aims to protect individuals and their property from unauthorized drone surveillance when they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. It will allow a person who is subjected to unauthorized surveillance to initiate a civil action in court. The bill includes some exceptions for aerial mapping, insurance investigations and other activities.  

Early Literacy – House Bill 240 will require schools to administer a reading assessment to kindergarten and first-grade students within the final 14 days of the academic year. Schools have an option to require students to repeat kindergarten if they fail to meet grade-level benchmarks. However, the bill stipulates that a first-grader who fails to meet the benchmarks must repeat the year.

Financial Literacy – House Bill 342 requires high school students to earn one credit in a financial literacy course before graduation.

Gift Card Scams – Under Senate Bill 130, individuals who tamper with gift cards to steal the redemption information and drain the card balance could face a class D felony charge.

Income Taxes – House Bill 1 will cut Kentucky’s income tax rate from 4% to 3.5% beginning next year as part of a long-term effort to gradually reduce and eliminate Kentucky’s income tax.

Insurance Fraud – Senate Bill 24 will expand the definition of property and casualty insurance fraud to help crack down on unscrupulous contractors who charge unnecessary or fraudulent fees to inflate an insurance claim.

Kentucky History Month – House Bill 313 designates June of each year as Kentucky History Month.

Land Purchases by Foreign Entities – House Bill 315 prohibits certain hostile foreign entities from acquiring agricultural land in Kentucky.

Legislative Interference – House Bill 399 will create criminal penalties for interfering with a legislative proceeding if the intent is to prevent the general assembly from conducting business. Interference in the first degree will be a class A misdemeanor, which escalates to a class D felony for a third or subsequent offense.

Maternal Health – House Bill 90 creates a regulatory framework for freestanding birthing centers to operate in Kentucky. It also calls for hospitals, birthing centers and other obstetric care centers to offer perinatal palliative care to women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of deadly fetal abnormalities. Other sections of the bill took effect in March. Those provisions seek to clarify Kentucky’s abortion law and ensure that women experiencing a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, or other life-threatening complications can receive care.

Moments of Silence and Moral Education – Senate Bill 19 requires public schools to hold a moment of silence and reflection for students at the start of each school day. Under another portion of the bill, students may attend moral instruction from an approved, off-campus program for up to one hour each week.

Nicotine and Vapor Products – Senate Bill 100 seeks to curb the underage use of nicotine and vapor products by licensing retailers and providing more oversight of sales. Many sections of the bill took effect in March, and others won’t take effect until 2026. However, one section of the bill taking effect Friday will forbid the sale of nitrous oxide for unauthorized use. Another section will escalate the penalties for selling nicotine products to underage consumers, and under a third section taking effect, underage users could be required to participate in community service or attend a cessation program.

Protective Orders – House Bill 38 creates tougher penalties for people who repeatedly violate protective orders. Offenders could face a class D felony if they violate an order three times within five years and the third violation involves the use or threat of violence.

School Communications – Senate Bill 181 calls on school districts to implement traceable communication systems that will serve as the sole means for staff and volunteers to communicate electronically with students. Parents will have access to review communications sent to their child. Another provision of the bill allows schools to provide students with age-appropriate training to combat child sexual abuse.

School Innovation – Senate Bill 207 creates a waiver process for public school districts to request exemptions from some state laws or regulations – all part of an effort to provide schools with more flexibility to innovate.

Sexual Assault Response Training – House Bill 219 requires medical providers in emergency departments to receive sexual assault response training.

Sexual Extortion – Senate Bill 73 seeks to clamp down on sexual extortion by creating tougher penalties for offenders and more legal remedies for victims. It also requires schools and colleges to educate students and parents about the issue and display resources for reporting.

Squatting – House Bill 10 aims to address squatting by providing a more concrete procedure for property owners and law enforcement to quickly remove unauthorized occupants from private property. It also spells out criminal penalties for squatters who damage property.

Ten Commandments – House Joint Resolution 15 will return a granite monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments to the Capitol grounds for permanent display. It was first gifted to the state in 1971 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, but was returned to the group decades ago following a court ruling.

Transgender Services and Medicaid – House Bill 495 forbids the state Department for Medicaid Services and managed care organizations from spending Medicaid funds on gender reassignment surgeries or cross-sex hormone treatments. Other sections of the bill took effect in March. Those sections nullified an executive order, issued by the governor in 2024, that banned the use of state funds on conversion therapy for minors.

Transgender Services in Prison – Senate Bill 2 prohibits public funds from being spent on certain procedures, treatments and surgeries related to gender transition in Kentucky prisons.

Workplace Safety – House Bill 398 aims to align Kentucky’s workplace safety and health regulations with federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules. It also calls for limits on Kentucky policies so that they are no more stringent than those on the federal level.

Another high-profile measure taking effect soon is Senate Bill 1. The legislation establishes the Kentucky Film Office to administer the state’s film incentive program, help market the state to the film industry and develop workforce training. However, it will not take effect until July 1.

Kentuckians can read more about all these bills by visiting the general assembly’s website, which also provides a weekly calendar of committee meetings during the interim period.

Citizens can also share their views on issues with lawmakers by calling the general assembly’s toll-free message line at 1-800-372-7181.