Before providing a legislative update, I want to begin by recognizing the loss of 26-year-old Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington of Glendale, Kentucky.
Pennington was stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Epic Fury when the installation was attacked by Iranian drones and missiles on March 1. Gravely injured in the attack, he passed away on March 8. All of Kentucky and America mourn his loss, along with the loss of others who have been taken from us in this conflict.
Pennington enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2017 and served as a unit supply specialist with the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, supporting critical systems that provide missile warning, GPS tracking and satellite communications for our armed forces. His fellow soldiers described him as a dedicated service member and leader who ultimately paid the highest price in service to our great nation.
The Senate honored his memory this week with a Senate resolution. I join many others in offering my sincerest condolences to all who knew, loved and served alongside Pennington.
I had the privilege of attending President Donald Trump’s visit to the region on Wednesday and it’s no surprise we are well on our way to Make America Healthy Again. The president stopped at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, where he talked about strengthening American manufacturing and reducing health care costs. The president also toured the Thermo Fisher Scientific facility in Reading, Ohio, to highlight efforts to lower drug prices and support innovation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. I am encouraged by his leadership and support his efforts to get skyrocketing health care costs under control, improve the quality of and extend Americans’ lives.
Late-session expectations
At this point in the session, the governor is kept busy reviewing the well-vetted policy measures that arrive at his desk. He retains the constitutional authority to veto legislation, which the legislature may consider overriding, allowing a bill to become law despite his objection. One bill has already been enacted over the governor’s veto, and more should be expected in the weeks ahead. Any bill delivered to the governor before the start of what is known as the “veto period” remains eligible for an override vote during the final days of the session. The veto period consists of 10 legislative days—excluding Sundays and holidays—and typically happens in the first part of April.
The most important legislation we will deliver to the governor this session is the two-year budget plan and the two-year road plan. The budget is our ultimate policy document. In the Senate, we are carefully reviewing the House proposal—House Bill (HB) 500—and have begun considering modifications we want to provide back to the House. Within the next couple of weeks, we will present that plan.
Once the House receives a Senate-modified version of the HB 500, the bill is likely to move to a conference committee. The conference committee includes leadership members from both the Senate and the House, along with House and Senate budget chairs. At this stage of the process, the final decisions are hammered out before the General Assembly presents the governor with its budget proposal. Stay tuned and remain engaged.
With the close of Senate and House proceedings on Friday, just 14 legislative days remain in the 2026 session. The following is an update on legislation approved by the Senate this week.
VETO OVERRIDE
House Bill 314 modernizes oversight of KentuckyWired, the commonwealth’s open-access broadband network, by placing day-to-day management under the Commonwealth Office of Technology, the state agency responsible for operating Kentucky’s enterprise technology systems. The bill updates governance of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority and expands board representation to better reflect the network’s users, including local governments. HB 314 was vetoed by the governor, but was overridden by both the House and Senate. It took effect immediately upon its filing with the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office.
BILLS APPROVED IN THE SENATE
Senate Bill (SB) 6 appropriates $150 million in fiscal year 2027 to the Endowed Research Fund created by SB 1 during the 2024 Regular Session. SB 1 established five consortium accounts within the fund, administered by the Council on Postsecondary Education, with each account designated to a separate research consortium for a five-year term.
SB 19 is a result of student advocacy and civic engagement. The bill symbolically designates the indigo milk cap, a mushroom native to Kentucky forests, as the official state mushroom. Like other state symbols, the designation is intended to recognize Kentucky’s natural heritage and support education and environmental awareness. The bill idea was brought forward by students from Letcher County Central High School.
SB 34, a bill I co-sponsored, allows Kentuckians to transfer a home or vehicle directly to a named beneficiary at death without going through probate. As with naming a beneficiary on a bank account, the owner retains full control during life and may change or revoke the designation at any time. Ownership transfers only at death if the transfer-on-death deed is recorded before the owner’s death, and any later deed transferring the property revokes a prior transfer-on-death designation. Existing protections such as mortgages, creditor claims, Medicaid recovery and spousal rights remain in place.
SB 41 requires most local tax increases that generate more than 4 percent above the compensating rate to be submitted to voters for approval. SB 41 strengthens taxpayer protections while maintaining transparency and allowing modest revenue growth without triggering an election.
SB 53 clarifies that local planning units, commissions and boards have the authority to hold public hearings and accept public comment when reviewing subdivision plats and development plans. The bill supports transparency in local development decisions.
SB 65 nullifies several administrative regulations that the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee determined were deficient. The bill represents the General Assembly’s annual action to invalidate regulations deemed deficient and reinforces legislative oversight of the administrative rulemaking process. The regulations include
– a proposed Medicaid policy that would have expanded coverage of certain GLP-1 medications used to treat obesity, which could significantly increase program costs, and represented a major policy change better addressed through legislation.
– a regulation implementing kinship care reforms passed in 2024 through Senate Bill 151 after legislators concluded the rule did not fully carry out the law’s requirements and attempted to condition implementation on funding availability and
– additional regulations related to tobacco, nicotine and vapor product licensing and the Transportation Cabinet’s accessible online insurance verification system.
SB 66 modernizes Kentucky’s impaired driving statutes to strengthen public safety and improve enforcement clarity. The bill clarifies the legal consequences of refusing a blood test following the 2021 Kentucky Supreme Court McCarthy decision, specifying that such refusal results in a court-ordered license suspension at arraignment.
SB 77, a bill I co-sponsored, creates a framework to support research into the use of ibogaine as a potential treatment for opioid use disorder and other neurological or mental health conditions. The bill establishes the Ibogaine Research and Intellectual Property Development Fund within the Department of Agriculture.
SB 97 requires health benefit plans to provide coverage for prosthetic and orthotic devices and establishes minimum coverage standards for that coverage to ensure patients can obtain medically necessary devices.
SB 100 strengthens the authority and oversight role of the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission in evaluating Kentucky’s energy supply and major utility decisions. The bill allows the executive director to submit independent reports or dissenting findings to the Public Service Commission within 180 days when utilities propose retiring existing fossil-fuel-fired electricity-generating plants.
SB 116 updates statutes governing physician assistants to support more efficient collaboration within physician-led health care teams while maintaining physician supervision.
SB 133 updates fiscal reporting and audit requirements for certain local entities. The bill raises the reporting threshold for special-purpose governmental entities from $100,000 to $500,000 and allows entities with two consecutive unqualified audits to move to a four-year audit cycle or to use agreed-upon procedures under standards set by the auditor of public accounts.
SB 147 modernizes Kentucky’s vital records laws and updates procedures for issuing and maintaining birth and death records.
SB 149 updates statutes governing the office of the county treasurer. The bill aligns the appointment of a county treasurer with the election cycle of county officials and requires the treasurer’s bond to be secured by corporate surety.
SB 198 updates several statutes related to the responsibilities and legal authority of the Office of the Attorney General. The bill requires Department of Law staff who access federal tax information to undergo criminal background checks to comply with federal security requirements and clarifies that each state agency is the custodian of its own records.
SB 219 requires the commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions to impose a $3 fee per deferred deposit transaction to support the collection and reporting of required data from licensed deferred deposit service businesses.
SB 221 strengthens Kentucky’s abuse of a corpse statute by making it a Class D felony to knowingly purchase or sell a corpse or parts of a corpse after the remains have been authorized for final disposition by burial or cremation. The bill addresses gaps in state law exposed by cases in other states where human remains were illegally sold after being donated for medical education or research.
SB 222 updates Kentucky law governing environmental covenants, which allow property owners and regulators to place enforceable land use restrictions on contaminated property to support environmental remediation.
SB 225 requires the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction to evaluate how proposed building code changes could affect residential construction. The bill directs the department to conduct cost-benefit analyses and assess the impact of proposed regulations on housing construction levels.
SB 226 allows an agent guaranteeing prices under a pre-need burial contract to charge an administrative fee of up to 15 percent of the total contract amount. The fee may be charged only once, after the contract is fully paid, and it is exempt from certain refund requirements. The provisions apply to contracts entered into on or after the effective date of the Act.
SB 261 allows fiscal courts to provide for the care and maintenance of pedestrian swinging bridges that are available for recreation and public enjoyment. The bill also provides liability protections for landowners who lease property to local governments that maintain these bridges for public use.
SB 262 proposes a constitutional amendment to allow constitutional amendments to be presented to voters using a ballot question or summary that clearly explains the amendment’s substance and effect, rather than requiring the full text of the amendment to appear on the ballot.
SB 291 builds on the General Assembly’s 2025 passage of Senate Bill 64, which strengthened criminal penalties for damaging critical infrastructure such as broadband, telecommunications and electric systems. Senate Bill 291 targets the resale market for stolen metal by creating a statewide licensing system for secondary metal recyclers under the Motor Vehicle Commission.
SB 312 expands the authority of certified court security officers to assist with transporting individuals in custody or under court order. The bill allows these officers to transport detainees beyond the immediate area of a courthouse when directed by the court and grants them arrest powers while transporting, monitoring, or supervising individuals in custody.
SB 323 updates procedures for subpoenas requesting medical records by requiring that a subpoena duces tecum be served at least 14 days before the date set for producing the records. The change applies when health care providers are subpoenaed for records but are not parties to the case, giving them sufficient time to locate and provide records that may be several years old or stored off-site while maintaining orderly court proceedings.
SB 333 directs how law enforcement agencies may use proceeds from the sale of confiscated firearms. The bill requires that funds generated from those sales be transferred to the Office of the Attorney General for the purchase of body armor.
SB 343 reorganizes the Department of Workers’ Claims by moving it from the Education and Labor Cabinet to be administratively attached to the Office of the Governor and led by a commissioner appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 66 encourages the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville to explore participation in federal nuclear energy programs and expand academic programs related to nuclear science and engineering.
Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 62 directs the Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Water to prepare a report for the General Assembly outlining the permitting process and regulatory requirements for accessing streams and waterways to remove debris following flooding or high-water events.
SJR 75 directs the Kentucky Public Service Commission to open administrative proceedings to study ways to improve the affordability of essential utility services, particularly for low-income and fixed-income households.
SJR 116 directs the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University to work together to identify practical solutions to Kentucky’s physician shortage and expand health care access in medically underserved areas. The effort will involve collaboration with community partners, state agencies and professional organizations and will include a report of recommendations to the General Assembly due by Jan. 1, 2027.
SJR 134 directs the Kentucky Public Service Commission to review how utilities calculate and apply fuel adjustment charges that appear on customer bills.
It’s an honor to represent you in Frankfort. I remain dedicated to representing Bracken, Campbell, Kenton and Pendleton counties and the communities in District 24. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, you can always contact me at 502-564-8100 or by email at shelley.funkefrommeyer@kylegislature.gov.
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Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, represents the 24th Senate District, including Bracken, Campbell and Pendleton Counties and part of Kenton County. She serves as co-chair of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary and the Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee. Frommeyer is the vice-chair of the Economic Development, Tourism & Labor Committee. In addition, she is a member of the Public Pension Oversight Board and the Agriculture and Families & Children’s Committees. Frommeyer is also a member of the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Commission. In 2025, she co-chaired the Make America Healthy Again Kentucky Task Force, which examined strategies to improve Kentucky’s health through nutrition and food as medicine. In addition, she formed the Aeronautics and Aviation Economic Development Task Force.
Visit https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate124.jpg for a high-resolution .jpeg of Funke Frommeyer.