Transcript Highlights:

• Clerk, please call the roll. Representative Hall. Representative Banta. Present.
• Clerk, please call the roll. Representative Hall. Aye. Representative Banta. Yes.
• Clerk, please call the roll. Representative Hall. Aye. Representative Banta. Yes.
• <00:19:33.400> it marketplace, they're not calling it marketplace, they're not calling it
• They're calling it a wagering or gaming.

Keywords: 00:00 CALL TO ORDER 00:05 ROLL CALL 01:03 HB 566 DISCUSSION 03:05 HB 566 VOTE 05:10 HB 885 DISCUSSION 08:03 HB 885 VOTE 09:55 HB 904 DISCUSSION 33:10 HB 904 VOTE 34:28 ADJOURNMENT, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• call the role. call the role.
• Secretary, please call the role. Secretary, please call the role.
• His wife received one of these calls calls calls and<00:15:52.720> it<00:15:52.880> was
• . call. call.
• Call our customer service.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:29 Discussion SB 153 01:25 Vote SB 153 10:35 Discussion SB 118 11:36 Vote SB 118 12:48 Discussion HB 380 13:40 Vote HB 380 40:12, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum and took up three bills. Senate Bill 153, sponsored by Sen. Greg Elkins, aimed to combat insurance fraud tied to post-disaster contractor scams. Testimony from the Attorney General’s Office and committee members described problems involving roofing, siding, and debris-removal scams, including vandalism used to create claims and companies that disappear before victims can recover losses. The bill would expand enforcement tools by making certain vandalism-related conduct criminal, giving the Attorney General concurrent jurisdiction with local prosecutors, creating a post-disaster contractor registry, and banning door-to-door solicitation during declared emergencies. The committee approved the bill by roll call and sent it forward with a favorable recommendation. Senate Bill 118, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Storm, addressed credit property insurance offered by consumer loan companies. The sponsor and a representative of the Kentucky Consumer Finance Association explained that the product has been offered for years and that the bill would provide statutory authority for its continued use. The committee raised no substantive objections, and the bill passed on a roll call vote with a favorable recommendation. House Bill 380, sponsored by Rep. Tom Smith, focused on regulating cryptocurrency kiosks in convenience stores to curb fraud against seniors. The committee heard emotional testimony from a sheriff and a fraud victim describing scams that led victims to deposit cash into crypto kiosks, often under pressure from callers posing as authorities or relatives. AARP Kentucky supported the bill, citing widespread losses to older adults and the need for guardrails. A committee substitute was adopted that would cap daily transactions at $2,000, require fee disclosure and customer consent, impose licensing and compliance requirements, mandate identification for transactions, and add criminal penalties and Attorney General enforcement. Members discussed the bill’s scope, including that it would not address gift card scams, and noted the delayed effective date was requested so regulators could write rules. The committee adopted the substitute and then passed the bill favorably on roll call.

Transcript Highlights:

• How long will this delay that administrative process?
• work through work through the process. work through work through the process.
• I believe it was about a 4-year process.
• I believe it was about a 4-year process.
• <00:16:14.639> they it was about a 4-year process. they it was about a 4-year process. they

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order 0:22 Roll Call 1:05 SB 65 Discussion 9:30 SB 65 Vote 11:55 SB 177 Discussion 26:34 SB 177 Vote 30:05 SB 245 Discussion 33:07 SB 245 Vote 33:48 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Licensing and Occupations met on March 3, 2026, with a quorum present and first took up Senate Bill 65, sponsored by Senator Steve West. The bill would nullify administrative regulations found deficient by the Administrative Regulations Review Subcommittee. West said the committee had found three deficient regulations this year, including one related to vaping rollout problems and one involving GLP-1 coverage expansion for Medicaid. Senator Berg raised concerns that striking the GLP-1 regulation could limit Kentucky’s ability to use these drugs for weight loss and other health benefits, but the sponsor and others said the action would only block the specific regulation and that doctors could still prescribe GLP-1s under existing Medicaid authority. The committee passed SB 65 with favorable expression, 8-2. The committee then considered Senate Bill 177, sponsored by Senator Rick Girdler, and first adopted a substitute. The bill concerns speech-language pathologist licensure. Testimony from Kate Wood Hall and Ann Blandford of the Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association explained that the substitute would remove the mandatory post-professional graduate experience as a requirement for full licensure, while keeping an interim pathway and preserving an optional compact-related pathway. They said the change responds to updated graduate training standards and federal billing issues, including CMS guidance that had temporarily disrupted reimbursement and access, especially in rural areas. Members asked whether the change would weaken standards or affect compact participation; witnesses said it would not, and that the compact option remained available. The committee also noted that pages two and three of the substitute were missing and staff would restore them. Several senators spoke in favor while explaining reservations. Senator Berg supported the bill and shared a personal story about speech therapy in her family. Senator Douglas also voted aye but expressed concern about reducing requirements for trained professionals and about incentives in professional education. Senator Chambers Armstrong asked whether the opt-in structure would create barriers or affect compact participation, and witnesses said it would not increase costs and that other states, including Virginia and Oregon, were pursuing similar approaches. SB 177, as amended by the substitute, passed with favorable expression.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Chair called the committee to order and asked the clerk to call the roll. >> Representative Aull.
• we want to provide I think it was called we want to provide I think it was called casemaker<00:28
• Clerk, please call the roll. Representative Aull: No. Representative Bant: Yes.
• It's very collaborative<00:45:40.880> uh<00:45:41.119> process.
• >> Clerk, please call the role. >> Clerk, please call the role.

Keywords: Call to Order 00:00 Roll Call 00:02 HB 526 Discussion 01:12 HB 526 Vote 37:51 HB 424 Discussion 41:41 HB 424 Vote 44:40 HB 459 Discussion 45:57 HB 459 Vote 47:26 Adjournment 48:21, 958, all

Summary: The committee took up House Bill 526, while House Bill 254 was removed from the agenda at the sponsor’s request. HB 526 would make bar membership and dues voluntary for Kentucky attorneys, and the sponsor argued it protects constitutional rights, prevents compelled association, and would not stop the Kentucky Supreme Court or Kentucky Bar Association from offering services such as CLE, ethics support, and lawyer assistance programs. He also argued Kentucky lawyers should not be forced to fund speech or activities they may disagree with, and urged passage of the bill. Representatives of the Kentucky Bar Association, including its president and the chair of the Young Lawyers Division, opposed the bill. They said the KBA is an arm of the Supreme Court rather than a private association, and that mandatory dues support nonpolitical services such as free continuing legal education, legal research, the Kentucky Lawyers Assistance Program, ethics guidance, mentorship, disaster relief work, and the Legal Food Frenzy. They warned that changing to a voluntary system would reduce infrastructure, increase costs for lawyers, and potentially shift more regulatory and service burdens to the Supreme Court. Members questioned whether the bill would actually prevent the KBA from continuing its programs and asked about other states’ bar structures. The sponsor and supporters pointed to Indiana and other states with voluntary bar membership, while KBA witnesses said Kentucky’s current system is efficient and constitutional and that many services are not truly free but are funded through dues. The discussion became heated at points over whether KBA testimony itself constituted political speech, and the chair intervened to keep the meeting moving. The transcript ends during member questions, with no final vote on HB 526 shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of this is due to the process by which insurance fraud is prosecuted.
• <00:08:13.919> which this is due to the process which this is due to the process which insurance
• him, this doesn't make him register with this process.
• <00:12:12.560> or people that may not know the process or people that may not know the process
• If I if I reach out to this process.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:09 Discussion SB 118 00:58 Vote SB 118 03:25 Discussion SB 153 04:39 Vote SB 153 17:48 Discussion SB 158 19:41 Vote SB 158 24:09, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee met for its first meeting of the 2026 session, called the roll, and welcomed new member Senator G. Gary Clemens. The committee first took up Senate Bill 118, which concerns credit property insurance and would codify existing practice in the Kentucky Revised Statutes. Sponsor Senator Brandon Storm explained that the bill clarifies the treatment of the product and, through a committee amendment, excludes GAP/vehicle protection products from its scope and aligns filing language with current law. The amendment was adopted, the bill passed with favorable expression, and the amendment was rolled into a committee substitute. The committee then heard Senate Bill 153, relating to the prevention of harmful and fraudulent practices. Senator Greg Elkins and witnesses from the Attorney General’s office, Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance, and State Farm described the bill as a response to storm-chaser and contractor fraud after major weather events. They said the measure would codify current coordination between the Attorney General and the Department of Insurance, allow criminal enforcement in addition to civil actions, and formalize an emergency registration/placard system for out-of-state contractors and volunteer groups during disasters. Members asked about how the bill would affect homeowners who directly hire contractors and whether volunteer groups such as disaster relief organizations or Amish/Mennonite volunteers would be required to register; sponsors said direct hiring would not be affected and volunteers would be handled through a separate identification process. The committee substitute was adopted, the bill passed as amended, and members emphasized the need to protect homeowners from fraud and inflated costs. Finally, the committee considered Senate Bill 158, relating to vehicle financial protection. Senator Jason Howell and representatives of the Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance explained that the bill modernizes and regulates GAP waivers and related consumer protection products, such as debt waiver and depreciation benefit agreements, while keeping them legal in Kentucky. Supporters said the bill would ensure providers are properly funded and bonded and would align Kentucky with other states. The bill passed with favorable expression, and the meeting ended on a note of bipartisan agreement on all three measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Secretary, please call the roll. >> Representative All >> here. >> Representative Bowman.
• Representative Neighbors, if you would come forward, we will at this time call House Bill 3.
• Now, at this time, we will call House Bill 164.
• time, we will call House Bill<00:10:46.079> 164.
• Madam Secretary, please call the roll. ahead. ahead.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:05 Discussion HB 3 01:32 Vote HB 3 02:26 Discussion HB 169 05:31 Vote HB 169 09:44 Discussion HB 164 10:44 Vote HB 164 12:24, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum and took up three bills. House Bill 3 was presented by Rep. Amy Neighbors with a representative from the Kentucky Pharmacist Association; the committee moved directly to a vote and passed the bill with favorable expression. The transcript does not include the bill’s substantive details, but the committee approved it without recorded opposition. House Bill 169, sponsored by Rep. Fleming, addressed coverage for eating and feeding disorders. A committee substitute was adopted after a brief explanation that the change would remove body mass index as the sole criterion for coverage decisions and instead focus more on mental health considerations, with Dr. Andrea Kray of the Kentucky Eating Disorder Council supporting the change and explaining that BMI is not a reliable marker of severity and can create barriers to timely treatment. The committee then passed HB 169 as amended with favorable expression. House Bill 164, presented by Rep. Hein with guests from the Academy of Audiology, was summarized as improving coverage for children’s hearing aids in Kentucky. After a brief explanation and no questions from members, the committee passed the bill with favorable expression. The meeting ended after a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair: Call this first meeting of the House Standing Committee on Banking and Insurance to order.
• [snorts] >> Madam Secretary, please call the roll. Representative All here. Representative Bowman.
• <00:02:59.360> and the prior authorization process and the prior authorization process and
• Madam Secretary, please call the roll. Representative All — I. Representative Bowman — I.
• Seeing none, please call the roll. Representative All — I. Representative Bowman — I.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:16 HB 176 Discussion 01:10 HB 176 Vote 06:45 HB 184 Discussion 08:47 HB 184 Vote 09:53 HB 265 Discussion 10:39 HB 265 Vote 15:09, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum and first passed over House Bill 164 pending a document. The committee then heard House Bill 176, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, which would create a framework for insurer-run prior authorization exemption programs, often called “gold carding,” for certain health care providers. Moser said the bill is the product of years of negotiation with insurers, would include behavioral health providers, would exclude prescription drugs, and would require annual reporting from the Department of Insurance and DMS on prior authorization activity. A committee member asked whether the 93% approval threshold for exemption matched other states; Moser and a witness said it was consistent with other states and current insurer programs, and that insurers could set a lower threshold if they wanted a competitive advantage. The committee voted on HB 176 after a motion and second, and the bill passed with a favorable expression. The committee also heard a guest introduction from Rep. All, who introduced a student shadow, Ava Oman, before moving on to House Bill 184. Rep. Meredith explained HB 184 would create a safe harbor for health savings account-qualified insurance plans so state mandates and cost-sharing rules would not conflict with IRS requirements and disqualify those plans at the federal level. The committee approved HB 184 unanimously with a favorable expression. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 265, also presented by Rep. Meredith with a Department of Insurance representative. The bill would allow workers’ compensation self-insured pools to have a dissolution process and would prohibit authorizing any new pools, while leaving existing pools in place. Meredith and the department said the change was prompted by solvency problems in some pools, including a large one that had entered receivership, and by limited regulatory authority over these arrangements. After questions about whether the bill affected health insurance, the committee was told it did not. HB 265 also passed with a favorable expression, and the meeting adjourned after a late-arriving member registered votes in favor of all three bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:07:23.599> hard categories, what we would call hard categories, what we would call hard
• Where is the disconnect there, and how does that process happen?
• We provide a program called Veterans to Entrepreneurs.
• We didn't call on them. They came to us.
• I've got plenty of phone calls about it.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:00:15 Department of Insurance Update 00:01:39 Department of Financial Institutions Update 00:37:07 Insurance Industry Update 00:54:50 Credit Union Industry Update 01:10:53, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the September 16 minutes, and then received an update from Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark and staff on the Department of Insurance. Clark reviewed department activity, including growth in premium volume and licensing, consumer complaints and recoveries, and a rise in fraud referrals. She said the department has 66 open fraud cases and described common schemes such as staged auto accidents, inflated repair or cleanup charges, and roofing scams. She also said the department’s investigators often prepare strong cases but face reluctance from local prosecutors, especially in Fayette and Jefferson counties, to pursue them. Clark reported favorable workers’ compensation news, saying rates will decrease 9.7% next year for the 20th straight year. She contrasted that with a difficult property insurance market driven by storms, reinsurance costs, inflation, labor shortages, and litigation, but said Kentucky’s market remains relatively stable, citing the Kentucky Fair Plan’s small number of policies. She then warned of significant 2026 health insurance premium increases on the exchange: 16.1% for Molina, 23% for Anthem, and 37% for WCare, after CareSource withdrew. She said the rates were reviewed by actuaries and found fair, but that the biggest pressure point is the scheduled expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, which she said could leave about 90% of exchange enrollees facing a compounded increase. Members questioned Clark about fraud prosecution, the number of people in commercial versus public coverage, and the impact of expiring subsidies. Clark said the prosecution issue is mainly with Commonwealth attorneys and that rural counties are more cooperative than urban ones. She also said the health market is individually rated and that older enrollees would be hit harder, while the loss of tax credits could push some people out of the marketplace. One member asked about the attorney general’s recent opinion on SB 188, the PBM bill; staff said attorneys were still reviewing it. Clark closed by noting that Kentucky’s fraud and towing/storage legislation has become a model for other states.

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PITPj_Ygpwo, 2026-06-21T07:17:06+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, 00:00:53 Call to Order & roll Call 00:02:11 24RS HB 174 Discussion 00:10:15 24RS HB 174 Roll Call Vote 00:12:06 Overview of the Mobile Crisis Units 00:45:55 Discussion of Prescription Drugs Used to Treat Obesity 01:22:36 Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations 01:23:10 Adjournment, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEfouM5mI3k, 2026-06-21T07:17:00+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call: 00:01:30 Block Grants Review: 00:03:12 Administrative Regulation Review: 00:03:35 HB 282 Discussion: 00:05:59 HB 282 Roll Call Vote: 00:14:04 HB 174 Discussion: 00:15:14 HB 174 Roll Call Vote: 00:21:37 HB 142 DISCUSSION ONLY: 00:23:34, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Transcript Highlights:

• Jay, please call the roll. Jay, please call the roll.
• that is the an overview of the process. that is the an overview of the process.
• I'm on a phone call away.
• , at the very end of the process before a form or a test becomes operational, we do what is called a
• process at the very end of the process process at the very end of the process before<00:52:47.200

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call - 00:13 Approval of Minutes - 4:07 Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing - 5:18 Math Improvement Committee Report - 21:02 ETS Praxis Exam - 41:47 KDE Performance Review Data - 1:15:04 Adjournment - 1:57:54, 958, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from KDE on the revised Kentucky academic standards for reading and writing. KDE explained the statutory six-year review process, the public comment periods, and the main revisions, including updates tied to the science of reading, decodable text, encoding/decoding, and an updated vision statement. KDE said 308 responses were received on the initial public comment, most respondents favored keeping standards as-is, and about 12% of standards were revised. The department also said the document was streamlined by removing repeated graphics and reducing its size by about 24%, and that a later comment period drew more than 400 responses. No new standards were flagged for review. Members asked about alignment between standards, curriculum, assessments, and NAEP, and KDE said instructional resources should be aligned to standards, KSA assessments are aligned to the standards, and screeners/diagnostics help identify student needs. Representative Truett raised the idea of a textbook-to-standards crosswalk, and KDE said publishers and a future repository partner should provide such crosswalks for local districts. Representative Bojanowski asked why foundational reading skills are not directly assessed on the third-grade KSA; KDE responded that the assessment is designed to measure end-of-grade expectations, while screening and diagnostics are used earlier to identify decoding needs. Representative Gel asked about early childhood supports, and KDE said it is working with early learning and special education offices and promoting LETRS professional learning for both teachers and preschool educators. The committee then received the mathematics improvement committee report. KDE said the mathematics committee unanimously approved a new strategic plan for improving math achievement from pre-K through grade 20 and adult education. The plan centers on six priorities: student empowerment, effective mathematics teaching and learning, continuous educator development and growth, a continuum of learning, community and family partnerships, and teacher recruitment and retention. KDE said the plan is intended as a living document with goals, recommended actions, and evidence bases, and that it aligns with the Kentucky Numeracy Counts Act by supporting high-quality instructional resources, professional learning, and family resources. In response to Senator Thomas, KDE explained that the professional learning recommendation means districts should tailor teacher training to classroom needs and instructional materials so math teachers are better equipped to implement standards and support students.

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQcw1zQTQvo, 2026-06-21T07:17:06+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:12 HB 478 Discussion 01:03 HB 478 Roll Call Vote 09:14, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx0IJX89CTc, 2026-06-21T07:17:05+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:11 HB 136 Discussion 01:11 HB 136 Roll Call Vote 26:44, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emieoGeSMmw, 2026-06-21T07:17:04+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start 00:00 Roll Call 0:15 SB 263 Discussion 00:59 SB 263 Roll Call Vote 03:06, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu7OGyPm0yM, 2026-06-21T07:17:03+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:12 HB 551 Discussion: 02:06 HB 551 Roll Call Vote: 31:54, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ediY64gujsA, 2026-06-21T07:17:03+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:15 SB 153 Discussion: 01:15 SB 153 Roll Call Vote: 04:09, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3PJOuJ0AzM, 2026-06-21T07:17:04+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:04 SB 141 Discussion: 00:57 SB 141 Roll Call Vote: 20:57, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb5ecFmklFU, 2026-06-21T07:17:03+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 01:08 SJR 12 Discussion: 02:05 SJR 12 Roll Call Vote: 02:44, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqimBF9USQg, 2026-06-21T07:17:03+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:14 SB 42 Discussion: 1:45 SB 42 Roll Call Vote: 5:00, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47

Keywords: KY LRC YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFPXlZsJEvQ, 2026-06-21T07:17:03+00:00, 2.2.24, Data collected via generic collector engine, Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:25 HJR 39 Discussion: 00:50 HJR 39 Roll Call Vote: 06:09, 958, all, 2.2.42, 2.1.47