Legislative Liaison

 HB32    EARNED PAID SICK LEAVE  (STEVENSON, CHERLYNN)

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 337 to require employers to provide earned paid sick leave to employees; provide that employees earn paid sick leave upon the date of hire and can use the leave after being employed for 90 days; set forth allowable uses of earned paid sick time; designate how notice of need to use sick time is provided by employees; amend KRS 337.990 to establish penalty for employers that fail to follow paid sick leave requirements.

  HB55    PREVAILING WAGE FOR PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS  (GENTRY, ALAN)

Establish new sections of KRS Chapter 337 to create a prevailing wage law for all public works projects; amend KRS 12.020, 99.480, 227.487, 336.015, 337.010, and 337.990 to conform.

  HB107    RIGHT TO A CLEAN AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT  (RAYMOND, JOSIE)

Propose to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky establishing a right of the people to have a clean and healthy environment with the preservation of the natural, scenic and cultural values of the environment, and for the Commonwealth to serve as the trustee for the conservation and maintenance of the environment and its natural resources for the benefit of all people; ballot language provided; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.

  HB124    SEWER CHARGES IMPOSED BY SANITATION DISTRICTS  (FISCHER, JOSEPH M.)

Amend KRS 220.510 to prohibit a sanitation district from imposing any fee, tax, surcharge, or other charge for the provision of service to a property unless the property is connected to a sanitary sewer owned or maintained by the sanitation district, there is an approved plan to connect the property to a sanitary sewer owned or maintained by the sanitation district within five years, the property discharges storm water to a storm sewer or storm water improvement owned or operated by the sanitation district, the sanitation district's storm sewer controls storm water that flows to the property, or the person responsible for the charge has contracted with the sanitation district to provide the service; amend KRS 220.515 to conform; allow the Act to be cited as the "Ensuring Fair Sewer Charges Act."

  HB127    UTILITY RATES  (HATTON, ANGIE)

Amend KRS 278.030 to include rate affordability when determining fair, just and reasonable utility rates; allow the Public Service Commission to review the affordability of a utility's rate if the utility has not requested a rate adjustment in five years; allow the commission to order a rate increase to prevent significant increases in a single period; require fair, just and reasonable rates to balance the interests of the utility, its investors, and the ratepayer.

  HB159    WATER FLUORIDATION PROGRAMS  (HART, MARK)

Amend KRS 211.190 to allow local government entities and special districts to void implementation of the water fluoridation programs administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services by legislative action.

  HB192    EXECUTIVE BRANCH BUDGET  (PETRIE, JASON)

House Committee Substitute (1) The State/Executive Branch Budget: Detail Part I, Operating Budget; appropriate to General Government: 2019-2020; APPROPRIATION.

  HB207    UTILITY SERVICE  (GOOCH JR., JIM)

House Floor Amendment (1) Delete original provisions; prohibit any executive, administrative, or legislative action that has the purpose or effect of prohibiting or otherwise limiting in any way, based upon the energy source, a consumer's ability to use a utility service described in KRS 278.010(3)(a), (b), or (c) that is provided by a utility regulated by the Public Service Commission under KRS Chapter 278 or that is otherwise incorporated under KRS Chapter 279; provide that nothing in the section shall prohibit or alter the powers of the Public Service Commission or the ability of a local government to act in any other lawful way; define "local government."

  HB238    CITY UTILITY COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP  (JOHNSON, DJ)

Amend KRS 96.530 allow city utilities boards to consist of either 3 or 5 members, and to specify the appointment of nonresident utility commission members for utility commissions consisting of three members and five members.
House Committee Substitute (1) Retain original provisions except require that in order for an individual to be appointed who does not live within the city, that individual must be a resident of a county served by the utility, possess qualifications and expertise to the benefit of the utility and city, and not be employed by, serve in a fiduciary or agency capacity with, or does not possess an ownership interest in, a direct supplier or competitor of the city utility.

  HB272    UTILITY SERVICES  (BRAY, JOSH)

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 278 to allow a water district formed pursuant to KRS Chapter 74 or a water association formed pursuant to KRS Chapter 273 to charge a late payment charge of 10% of the amount billed; specify that the late payment charge meet certain requirements; prohibit the Public Service Commission from modifying, rejecting, or suspending late payment charges established by tariff.
House Committee Substitute (1) Create a new section of KRS Chapter 278 to allow a water district formed pursuant to KRS Chapter 74 or a water association formed pursuant to KRS Chapter 273 to charge a late payment charge of 10% of the amount billed; specify that the late payment charge meet certain requirements; prohibit the Public Service Commission from modifying, rejecting, discontinuing, abolishing, or suspending late payment charges; Create a new section of KRS Chapter 39A to prohibit departments or officers of state government during a declared emergency from issuing any order that conflicts with the classification by the United States Department of Homeland Security of employees of utilities and other entities subject to KRS Chapters 65, 76, 96, 220, 278, or 279 as essential or critical infrastructure workers; prohibit any current or future order issued by any department or officer of state government during a declared emergency from remaining in or taking effect that would prohibit or impair a utility subject to or created under KRS Chapter 96 from terminating service for a customer's non-payment of a utility bill or assessing or collecting penalties for non-payment.

  HB302    SANITATION DISTRICTS  (MEADE, DAVID)

Amend KRS 220.010 to add definitions for "homeowner" "on-site sewage disposal system" and "service waiver"; amend KRS 220.170 to allow a homeowner located in a county served by a sanitation district that has a an on-site sewage disposal system approved by the local board of health to refuse sanitary sewer service and not be charged by the district or denied drinking water service; establishes application, process, and timelines for requesting a service waiver; require the board to update any customer bill of rights to include information about the service waiver; amend KRS 220.250 to make technical correction.

  HB303    UNDERGROUND FACILITY PROTECTION  (SANTORO, SAL)

Amend KRS 367.4903 to redefine "operator," "Kentucky Contact Center," "approximate location," and "working day"; define "person," "positive response," "unique identification number" or "locate request number," "locator," "second notice," "tolerance zone," "untonable facility," and "work site contact"; amend KRS 367.4909 to require a positive response from operators of underground facilities; establish the timing of operator responses; amend KRS 367.4911 to provide excavator start dates, to include entities engaged in exempt activities to notify operators immediately upon discovery of damage to an underground facility, and to provide when mechanized equipment can be used in the tolerance zone; amend KRS 367.4913 to require contact centers to maintain certain locate request information for five years and to change the composition of the Kentucky Contact Center board of directors; amend KRS 369.4915 to require entities engaging in exempt activities to cease activity and notify an operator when an underground facility is damaged and to exempt certain noninvasive inspection and maintenance excavating for an existing utility pole; amend KRS 367.4917 to impose penalties on the employer if the violation is committed in the scope of employment and to provide that the Public Service Commission shall establish a written agreement form to deviate from the locate request dates provided for in the Underground Facility Damage Prevention Act of 1994; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2022.
House Floor Amendment (2) Add a definition for "fiber-to-the-premises"; add a fiber-to-the-premises broadband deployment excavation locate request that requires underground facility operators to respond to within four working days.
House Floor Amendment (5) Amend to provide that an entity or individual otherwise exempt from the requirements of KRS 367.4901 to 367.4917 under Section 5 of this Act, who conducts an excavation that results in the escape or suspected escape of any flammable, toxic, or corrosive gas or liquid shall cease excavation and notify affected operators.

  HB386    WATER POLLUTION CONTROL  (FREELAND, CHRIS)

Create new sections of Subchapter 16 of KRS Chapter 224 to require that mixing zones for bio-accumulative chemicals of concern established on or before September 8, 2004, remain in effect until explicitly extinguished by the Energy and Environment Cabinet; require that any change or extinguishment of mixing zone assignments for bio-accumulative chemicals of concern only be accomplished through the promulgation of administrative regulations; define "rapid and complete mixing"; require the Energy and Environment Cabinet to apply rapid and complete mixing when establishing certain permit limitations and conditions for discharges that occur through a submerged high-rate multi-port diffuser or outfall structure; EMERGENCY.

  HB393    WATER DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS  (GOOCH JR., JIM)

Amend KRS 74.020 to allow the Public Service Commission to grant reasonable extensions of time not to exceed six months for water district commissioners to complete their training requirements; amend KRS 74.363 to conform; EMERGENCY.

  HB432    GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY  (MADDOX, SAVANNAH)

Amend KRS 39A.280 to delete the restriction on governmental immunity when the governmental agency has insurance.

  HB465    ACQUISITION OF ASSETS BY UTILITIES  (KOENIG, ADAM)

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 278 to define "asset acquisition price," "accumulated depreciation," "net original cost," and "water or sewer system"; establish the criteria by which the Public Service Commission determines for ratemaking purposes the value of an asset acquired by a utility that is used to provide water or sewer service; allow a utility that has entered into an agreement to acquire water or sewer utility assets to apply to the Public Service Commission for an order declaring the value of the acquired assets for ratemaking purposes; allow the acquiring utility to seek an order declaring the value of the acquired water or sewer utility assets as part of its first application for a change in base rates following the acquisition of the assets.

  HB559    PERFLUOROALKYL AND POLYFLUOROALKYL (PFAS) CHEMICALS  (KULKARNI, NIMA)

Create a new section of subchapter 10 of KRS Chapter 224 to define "PFAS chemicals"; require the Energy and Environment Cabinet on or before January 1, 2022, to promulgate administrative regulations establishing maximum PFAS chemical limits and monitoring requirements for drinking water provided by public and semi-public water systems.

  HB589    LOCAL PROVISION OF WASTEWATER SERVICE  (OSBORNE, DAVID W.)

Amend KRS 96.539 to clarify how refunds are calculated on-line extensions and delete imprecise language.

  HR82    RAISING AWARENESS OF PFAS SUBSTANCES  (BRATCHER, KEVIN D.)

Resolution identifying the risk of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and urging the United States Environmental Protection Agency to set limitations for PFAS exposure.

  SB13    PREVAILING WAGE  (YATES, DAVID)

Establish new sections of KRS Chapter 337 to create a prevailing wage law for all public works projects; amend KRS 12.020, 99.480, 227.487, 336.015, 337.010, and 337.990 to conform.

  SB14    UNDERGROUND FACILITY PROTECTION  (GIRDLER, RICK)

Amend KRS 367.4903 to define "positive response," "unique identification number", and "locator.”

  SB37    MANDATED IMMUNIZATION  (GIRDLER, RICK)

Amend KRS 214.036 to prohibit required immunization of any person by any state agency or instrumentality; create a new section of KRS Chapter 338 to prohibit required immunization of any employee by an employer as defined in KRS 338.015; EMERGENCY.

  SB109    WATER FLUORIDATION PROGRAMS  (WEST, STEPHEN)

Amend KRS 211.190 to allow local government entities and special districts to void implementation of the water fluoridation programs administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services by legislative action.

  SB145    ANNEXATION  (NEMES, MICHAEL J.)

Amend KRS 81A.420 to reduce number to 50% for annexation to fail, amend KRS 81A.425 to require notification of relevant county judge/executive and in certain circumstances the secretary of the Transportation Cabinet and affected property owners; amend KRS 81A.427 relating to infrastructure and annexation to include public roads; amend KRS 81A.510 to include property owners, mayors, and county judge/executives affected in standing in court.

  SB172    UNDERGROUND FACILITY PROTECTION  (HOWELL, JASON)

Amend KRS 367.4911 to include exempted activities in the process of ceasing operations when damage occurs to an underground facility and notification of appropriate authorities; amend KRS 367.4915 to make conforming changes.

  SB179    KENTUCKY RIVER AUTHORITY  (SOUTHWORTH, ADRIENNE)

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 151 to establish definitions for KRS 151.700 to 151.730, regarding the Kentucky River Authority; amend KRS 151.710 to clarify membership requirements for directors of the Kentucky River Authority.

  SB201    OPEN RECORDS  (SOUTHWORTH, ADRIENNE)

Amend KRS 61.880 to allow persons to complain to the Attorney General if the person feels that the intent of the open records law has been subverted by an agency by delaying past the three day time period for answering an open records request, or by excessive extensions of time.

  SB284    MINIMUM WAGE FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS  (MCGARVEY, MORGAN)

Amend KRS 337.010 to define "essential employee"; amend KRS 337.275 to set a minimum wage for essential employees; EMERGENCY.

  SCR64    PUBLIC WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE TASK FORCE  (WEBB, ROBIN)

Reestablish the Public Water and Wastewater System Infrastructure Task Force; direct the task force to receive reports from the Energy and Environment Cabinet and continue to evaluate policy options on how to address Kentucky's troubled public water and wastewater systems; name the membership of the task force; require the task force to meet at least three times during the 2021 Interim and to submit its findings, legislative recommendations, or a memorandum to the Legislative Research Commission by November 30, 2021; provide that the Legislative Research Commission is authorized to alternatively assign the issues to be addressed by the task force to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof and to assign an alternative study completion date.

  SR85    CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENT OF KENT ALAN CHANDLER  (THAYER, DAMON)

Confirm the appointment of Kent Alan Chandler to the Public Service Commission for a term expiring July 1, 2024.