After lawmakers passed scores of laws during the short 30 day session earlier this year, Kentuckians will now see the bulk of legislation go into effect Friday.

The new laws span from some of the most contentious of the year — like a law that eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities — to bipartisan bills that garnered widespread support.

With overwhelming Republican majorities in both the state House and Senate, GOP lawmakers and officials gathered in Frankfort earlier this week to applaud a session they say embraced “the core conservative priorities.”

“These aren't political gestures, and never have been, but they're practical solutions and common sense measures built to make a difference in people's lives,” said Sen. Max Wise, the GOP Floor Leader from Campbellsville. “They keep government in check and our focus is on the right things. They support working families. They build stronger, safer communities across Kentucky, and if faithfully executed, these laws have the power to make Kentucky safer, freer and more prosperous.”

Sylvia Goodman

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KPR

Democrats, who hold less than 20% of seats across the state Senate and House, saw little of their own legislation pass the finish line this year — they can be counted on one hand. Some of the legislation now in effect also drew scrutiny from both sides of the aisle before ultimately passing, including legislation that would make obtaining certain police records more difficult.

In a statement, Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge said Democrats fought a now-law that makes “legislative interference” a crime and another cutting back state-specific worker protections.

“Democrats fought these bills every step of the way, instead championing legislation that will help some of the most vulnerable Kentuckians, including laws that will help prevent the abuse and exploitation of our children, starting today,” Elridge said.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, whose administration is in charge of implementing these laws, also drew some indignant remarks from Republicans, who say he is unwilling to work with lawmakers.

“While the governor has chosen to disengage from the legislative process, we are continuing, continuing to make Kentucky work,” said Assistant Secretary of State Jennifer Scutchfield. “Unlike the governor, we are fulfilling our constitutional duty to execute the laws faithfully.”

Beshear, who frequently butted heads with lawmakers this session, sent a letter to legislators at the end of the session with a list of bills he said he won’t implement without clear appropriations. He wrote that unless they added new money before the 2025 session concludes Friday, his administration would “lack the resources needed to implement them.”

GOP leaders again told reporters that the governor has to find a way to implement laws as they are passed by the General Assembly, or see his discretionary spending disappear. Senate President Robert Stivers from Manchester said they will take Beshear’s refusal into account for the next two-year budget, which they will pass in 2026.

“He's got more than enough money to do it, and he doesn't want to do that,” Stivers said. “And included in his budgets are those types of dollars to give him that discretion.”

Unless a bill is marked an “emergency” or with a later deadline set, the Kentucky Constitution states that acts will become a law 90 days after the session ended in late June. Without further ado, here are a dozen bills Kentuckians will see go into effect starting today.

Senate Bill 2 – Banning hormone therapy for trans inmates

One of the last bills passed at the end of the legislative session — making final passage less than 20 minutes before the midnight deadline — Senate Bill 2 bans incarcerated Kentuckians from receiving what it calls any “cosmetic service or elective procedure.” That definition, however, is specifically targeted at hormone therapies and surgical procedures for transgender people.

The bill, which Beshear allowed to become law without his signature, goes into effect Friday, meaning no new hormone therapies can be prescribed for incarcerated transgender Kentuckians and any people who are currently receiving that treatment would be forcibly cycled off treatment, although the bill does provide for a period in which the hormone’s use can be “systematically reduced.”

LGBTQ+ advocates fought against the bill, which was accompanied by another piece of legislation that banned Medicaid from paying for hormone therapies and blocked Beshear’s attempt to eliminate conversion therapy in the state.

“Kentucky taxpayers should not be required to fund elective transgender surgeries or hormone therapies for inmates, procedures that are medically unnecessary, ideologically driven and unsupported by most correctional health experts,” said the new law’s lead sponsor, GOP Sen. Mike Wilson from Bowling Green. “Our prisons are meant to provide necessary care, not serve as test sites for social activism.”

The Kentucky Psychological Association vocally opposed the bill, saying gender-affirming treatment has proven to be safe, effective and necessary.

Senate Bill 19 – Moment of Silence

Every Kentucky classroom will now be required to hold a one to two minute “moment of silence or reflection” at the start of each school day. Such moments were already allowed under state law but now they’re required. Teachers are not allowed to provide any instructor to students other than ensuring that “all pupils remain seated and silent and make no distracting display.”

The ACLU also opposed the bill, calling it a “thinly veiled attempt at requiring prayer in public schools.” Beshear vetoed the legislation, although the legislature overrode him, because he argued it is unreasonable to expect children of all ages to sit still.

“The bill has no exceptions, meaning the law will be violated when kindergarteners cannot stay silent in their seats,” Beshear wrote.

Senate Bill 73 – Sexual extortion

Sexual extortion, or “sextortion,” is now a separate crime in Kentucky. If a person tries to coerce someone into engaging in sexual conduct, producing pornography, or providing payment, they can now be charged with a separate misdemeanor or low-level felony. The charge also increases if the person being coerced is a minor or if a weapon is used.

The bill also allows prosecutors to charge an extortionist with homicide if the victim commits suicide within 90 days of the crime.

Public schools are also now required to inform students grade 4 and up about the new law early on during each school year and, starting August 1, must display information about sextortion prominently for middle and high school students.

House Bill 4 – Anti- DEI at public universities

All diversity, equity and inclusion policies, staff, offices and programs are now banned from Kentucky’s public colleges and universities. This GOP priority bill is part of a multi-year backlash against policies that Republicans argue discriminate against white and Asian students.

The massive bill bans scholarships and student housing based on religion, race or national origin, although it allows existing scholarships to run their course. It also bans “bias incident investigations” unless the incident amounts to student-on-student harassment — there appears to be no exception for professor or administrator harassment, unless state law becomes an issue.

Although bill sponsors say the legislation in no way impacts course content, the bill also bans required courses that “indoctrinate” students with a “discriminatory concept,” which is defined in such a way as to essentially ban DEI concepts from required coursework.

All Kentucky universities also have to adopt a “policy on viewpoint neutrality” by Monday, which many universities have already put in place this year. While each university’s board has to make sure they’re in compliance by June 30, they must begin submitting an “annual certification” starting July 1, 2026.

College students in Kentucky can also expect a survey on “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” in their inboxes by November 1 this year. Results from those surveys will be compiled by the Council on Postsecondary Education and put out by Jan. 7 each year.

House Bill 208  – No cellphones in schools

All school boards are now required to ban students from using their phones or social media during instructional time under a new bipartisan law taking effect today. While there are a few exceptions — including in emergencies, with teacher permission or for disability accommodations — the new law refers to the policy as a “minimum” standard.

Many school districts have already voted on and adopted their new policy, including some with more stringent prohibitions. For example, Jefferson County Public Schools approved a policy last month that bans cell phone use in schools all day, including during lunch and transitional periods.

House Bill 240 – Repeating kindergarten

Kindergarten and first-grade students who have a reading improvement plan can now be held back for a year by their schools if the student isn’t up to grade-level or isn’t prepared to be successful in the next grade. That’s under a new Kentucky law that received largely bipartisan support.

Beshear, however, vetoed the bill, saying “We should prepare, not punish, our youngest learners.” Lawmakers, including a few Democrats, voted to override him, arguing the students are young enough to avoid stigma and that it does students a disservice to keep passing them up without proper preparation.

All students in kindergarten and first grade will also be required to take a universal screener at the beginning of the school year.

House Bill 398 – Rolling back worker safety

One of the most controversial bills of the session that drew criticism from the left and right, Kentucky state worker protections have now been stripped to the federal minimum. It affects at least 16 Kentucky-specific regulations, including those on fall protections and hazardous material cleanup.

It’s not the first time Kentucky legislators have pulled back on local labor protections. In 2021, the General Assembly passed a law stopping Kentucky Occupational Safety and Healthy Program, or OSH, and the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet from adopting any new regulations that are more strict than federal minimums. This law eliminates any regulations that were already in place before that bill passed.

Supporters say it makes Kentucky a more business-friendly environment, bringing the state “in line” with federal standards. Democrats have called it “a race to the bottom.”

The law also allows employers who sue OSH to get back their court costs and lawyer fees from the agency. Employees who believe they have been discriminated against also have a new timeline of 30 days to file a complaint and investigators have six months to make a finding and issue a citation.

• Senate Bill 120 – One of the few laws spearheaded by Democrats, SB 120 requires administrators and coaches receive training on reporting child abuse and neglect. It also requires schools prominently display information about child labor laws and restrictions.
• House Bill 196 – Coal mining shifts with 10 or fewer employees will be required to only have one emergency worker on shift. Previously two emergency trained workers were required at coal mines, regardless of size.
• House Bill 219 – Emergency medical staff at Kentucky hospitals must go through mandatory training on responding to sexual assaults, including applicable laws, protocols and resources, thanks to this bipartisan bill.
• House Bill 391 – On a sweeter note, amateur beekeepers will be able to sell a whole lot more honey (up to 500 gallons per year) before having to professionally process it or seek a state permit.
• House Bill 399 - Legislative interference is now a crime in Kentucky. It’s defined in the first degree as “knowingly” engaging in “disruptive conduct” in a legislative building or helping another person do so. A person could be charged with the second degree offense for obstructing legislators or staff within buildings or entering into private areas meant for the General Assembly.
• House Bill 520 - This bill lowers the standard agencies have to meet when denying records requests on open investigations. Instead of having to prove providing those records “would harm” the agency or investigation, now they must only show disclosure “could pose an articulable risk of harm.” This bill drew criticism from some GOP lawmakers as well who feared it weakens the state’s open records laws.
• House Bill 684 - As part of a 66-page omnibus voting bill, Kentuckians can no longer use their debit or credit card as a secondary form of identification for voting. Social security cards, other photo ID cards and SNAP cards will still be accepted after the voter signs an affirmation confirming their eligibility.

Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that agencies, not people in general, would have to meet a lower threshold to deny open records requests on open police investigations under House Bill 520.

State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.