Bill Tracker
ZeroV’s bill tracker helps Kentuckians stay up to date with bills that could impact either the safety and well-being of survivors or the social conditions and systems that spark, enable, and amplify intimate partner violence.
This bill tracker is intended for educational purposes only and does not signify endorsement or opposition. If you’re looking for ways to get involved in the movement to end intimate partner violence, visit our Take Action page.
We recognize that nearly all legislation affects survivors insofar as it affects individual survivors’ identities and circumstances. We also recognize that nearly all legislation impacts our mission to create communities in which all Kentuckians can live and thrive in safety and peace. However, this tracker focuses on the bills that are most directly related to our efforts to end intimate partner violence and support survivors in ways that relate to their experience with intimate partner violence.
*Bill Tracker Updated 01/15/2025
Bill Topic
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Bill Number and Sponsor/s
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Description
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Status
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Potential Impact to Survivors
Crimes and Punishments
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J. Hodgson, E. Callaway, D. Grossberg
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Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to define terms related to automated license plate readers; establish limitations on use and sale of data captured by automated license plate readers; provide that captured license plate data may be retained longer than 60 days only if it is being used in a criminal or insurance investigation or has become subject to a preservation of evidence notification; provide that any recorded images or data captured by an ALPR may be made available to the National Insurance Crime Bureau or its successor organization; create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to define terms and establish limitations on the introduction of identification devices on or within the human body; create a new section of KRS Chapter 413 to establish a statute of limitations for an action filed for introduction of an identification device; amend KRS 508.152, relating to the unlawful use of tracking devices, to include the installation of a tracking device on the person or property of another without their consent and exempt parental tracking of minors from the prohibition.
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Introduced to House to the committee on committees.
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Expands the prohibition against using a tracking device on the person or property, including phones and motor vehicles, of another without their knowledge and consent. This helps our legal system expand its understanding of the harm that can be caused to survivors even when there may not be evidence of physical violence. The expansion enhances the ability of police and prosecutors to assist survivors experiencing this type of abuse (stalking).
Crimes and Punishments
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J. Hodgson, E. Callaway, D. Grossberg
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Create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to define terms and establish limitations on "deep fakes"; create a new section of KRS Chapter 413 to establish a statute of limitations for an action filed for the unlawful dissemination of a deep fake; create a new section of KRS Chapter 519 to establish a criminal penalty for illegally disseminating a deep fake.
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Introduced to House to the committee on committees.
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Allows for prosecution of abusive partners who use “deep fake” images and videos to establish and maintain power and control over a survivor. By allowing our legal system to recognize this type of abuse, this bill helps our legal system understand that intimate partner violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors that extends beyond physical violence.
Education/Child Abuse Reporting
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Create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to prohibit a public school district or public charter school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement relating to misconduct involving a minor or student; amend KRS 160.380 to define "abusive conduct"; require school district applicants to disclose being the subject of any investigations or disciplinary actions in the previous 12 months relating to abusive conduct and consent to a reference check; require school districts to conduct reference checks; require nonpublic schools and public school districts to disclose any investigations or disciplinary actions related to abusive conduct of applicants; provide immunity for disclosures made about school employee conduct; require school districts to request all related information from public and nonpublic schools and the Education Professional Standards Board (ESPB); require schools and EPSB to provide the records; require requests for information to be satisfied in 10 working days; require EPSB to create and implement procedures for information requests; require all school district applicants to list all schools of previous and current employment on the application; require a school district to internally report and investigate to completion all allegations of abusive conduct; require all records relating to an allegation of abusive conduct to be retained in an employee's personnel file unless the allegation is proven false; provide that that certain requirements apply to public charter schools; amend KRS 156.160 to direct the Kentucky Board of Education to include employment standards in the voluntary certification standards for private schools; make technical corrections; amend KRS 160.151 to define "certified nonpublic school"; require employees of certified nonpublic schools to submit to a national and state criminal background check and a CA/N check; require certified nonpublic school personnel to have a state criminal background check every five years; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from hiring a violent or felony sex crime offender; require a certified nonpublic school to conduct reference checks on all applicants; prohibit a certified nonpublic school from entering into a nondisclosure agreement related to misconduct involving a minor or student; make technical corrections; amend KRS 156.095 to require the Kentucky Department of Education to develop a training related to sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships for employees to undergo every five years; make technical corrections; amend KRS 161.151 to conform; require that an allegation of abusive conduct be reported pursuant to KRS 620.030; amend KRS 158.4431 and 156.492 to make conforming changes.
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Introduced to House to committee on committees
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Seeks to protect children from abuse or misconduct from school personnel by changing non-disclosure agreement, background check, and hiring practices. This bill also helps prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which increase the risk for future trauma, including intimate partner violence (IPV).
Corrections
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Amend KRS 403.763 and 456.180 to enhance criminal penalties for repeated violations of an order of protection; establish what constitutes a repeated violation.
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Introduced to House to committee on committees
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Stiffens the penalty for anyone, including abusive partners, who violates any protective order more than once in five years. This is an attempt to make protective orders more effective at deterring abusive partners from continuing their abusive behavior.
Corrections
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Amend KRS 431.073 and 431.078 to provide for expungement of offenses that were charged but later dismissed or amended; make technical corrections; amend KRS 532.080 to state that the enhancement of a sentence as a persistent felony offender does not alter the felony classification of offenses.
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Introduced to House to committee on committees
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Expunging charges on survivors' records can be important for their healing and their ability to participate fully in their communities; however, expunging charges and convictions related to domestic violence from the records of abusive partners can mean that their history of domestic violence is not available to prosecutors and judges in future criminal or civil cases. If prosecutors and judges are unaware of a person's history of abusive behavior, they will be unable to make fully informed decisions about how to prevent the abusive partner from continuing their pattern of abusive behavior.
Courts
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S. Dietz, K. Banta, and others.
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Amend KRS 403.720, relating to orders of protection, to define "coercive control" and "stalking"; amend the definition of "domestic violence and abuse" to include coercive control of a family member or member of an unmarried couple; amend KRS 456.010 to define "coercive control"; amend the definition of "dating violence and abuse" to include coercive control of a person with whom the perpetrator is or has been in a dating relationship; amend KRS 209A.122 to require the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide information on petitions for orders of protection where the basis of the petition is coercive control and whether parties to a petition for an order of protection were represented by a legal representative.
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Introduced to House to committee on committees
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Allows survivors who otherwise might not be able to establish the grounds for a protective order under current law to prove to a court that the abusive partner has engaged in a pattern of behavior meant to cause physical, emotional or psychological harm and interfere with their free will and liberty.
Crime Victims/Work
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Amend KRS 341.370 to prohibit disqualification from benefits for workers unemployed as a result of domestic violence and abuse, dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; create a new section of KRS Chapter 341 to direct the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet to promulgate administrative regulations; amend KRS 341.125 to require the secretary to provide training to personnel who process claims related to domestic or dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking and to report to the Legislative Research Commission annually the number of claims paid involving domestic or dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; amend KRS 341.360 to conform; amend KRS 341.530 to charge benefits to pooled account for workers displaced from employment through domestic or dating violence and abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; amend KRS 341.550 to prevent benefit payments from pooled account from impacting an employer's experience rating.
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Introduced to House to committee on committees
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Allows survivors to collect unemployment benefits so that they can remain financially stable and seek new employment while escaping from an abusive partner. A lack of financial security is one of the main reasons survivors stay in or return to abusive relationships. Policies that support the economic stability of survivors support the safety of survivors.
Courts
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Amend KRS 453.060 to require the applicable court to order the Finance and Administration Cabinet to pay guardian ad litem and warning order attorney fees on behalf of an indigent person; amend KRS 23A.200 and KRS 24A.170 to require the applicable court to order the Finance and Administration Cabinet to pay domestic relations commissioner fees on behalf of an indigent person.
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Introduced to Appropriations and Revenue
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Provides financial assistance to qualifying financially-underresourced survivors going through a divorce or custody case where the case is assigned to be heard by a domestic relations commissioner, which is an attorney appointed by a judge to hear certain domestic relations issues in family law cases.
Courts
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Amend KRS 403.730, relating to petitions for orders of protection, to allow for service in accordance with Rule 4.05 of the Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure in addition to personal service; amend KRS 403.745, relating to the effective date of protective orders, to allow for service in accordance with Rule 4.05 of the Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure in addition to personal service; amend KRS 453.060 to direct that attorney's fees for a warning order attorney shall be paid by the Finance and Administration Cabinet; amend KRS 456.040, relating to petitions for interpersonal protective orders, to allow for service in accordance with Rule 4.05 of the Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure in addition to personal service; amend KRS 456.070, relating to the effective date of interpersonal protective orders, to allow for service in accordance with Rule 4.05 of the Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure in addition to personal service.
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Introduced to Judiciary
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Allows protective order cases to move forward where the alleged abusive partner is actively avoiding law enforcement so they cannot be served with notice of the protective order. Currently, protective orders do not legally go into effect against the respondent until they have been served. So an abusive partner can evade service and continue their abuse with fewer consequences. This bill would address the gap in the intended safety effects of protective orders.
Taxes
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Create a new section of KRS Chapter 141 to establish a refundable Kentucky child credit for taxpayers with qualifying children under the age of six; authorize a maximum credit of $1,000 per qualifying child for individuals with income below $50,000 for single taxpayers and $100,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly; provide that individuals with incomes above the specified thresholds may be eligible for a reduced child credit; amend KRS 141.0205 to order the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow the Department of Revenue to report on the credit.
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Introduced to Senate Committee on Committees
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Provides monetary support to eligible survivor households. A lack of financial security is one of the main reasons survivors stay in or return to abusive relationships. Policies that support the economic stability of survivors support the safety of survivors.
Fees
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Amend KRS 453.060 to require the court to order the Finance and Administration Cabinet to pay guardian ad litem and warning order attorney fees on behalf of an indigent person; amend KRS 23A.200 and 24A.170 to require the court to order the Finance and Administration Cabinet to pay domestic relations commissioner fees on behalf of an indigent person.
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Introduced to Appropriations & Revenue
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Combination of Senate Bills 44 and 46. Provides financial assistance to qualifying financially-underresourced survivors going through a divorce or custody case where the case is assigned to be heard by a domestic relations commissioner and allows protective order cases to move forward where the alleged abusive partner is actively evading service.
Expiration of Protective Orders
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Amend KRS 209A.122, relating to data tracking and dissemination, to require the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide the Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center the number of protective orders rescinded under KRS 403.735 and 456.050; amend KRS 403.735 and 456.050, relating to the continuance of protective orders, to extend the time period for expiration from 6 months to 12 months.
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Introduced to Judiciary
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Allows EPOs/tIPOs to be active for a longer period of time (12 months rather than the current 6 months) during which service upon the respondent can be sought. This bill creates more certainty that the legal protections of a protective order continue until the court hears all matters it needs to hear in order to determine whether the temporary protective order will become a long-term protective order; facilitates the granting of continuances for the hearing based on litigation issues.
Guardian Ad Litem
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Amend KRS 403.100 to require a guardian ad litem that is appointed for any minor child in a dissolution or custody proceeding under KRS Chapter 403 be paid a reasonable fee fixed by the court and paid by the Finance and Administration Cabinet when the respondent and petitioner have an active order of protection and both parties are indigent.
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Introduced to Appropriations & Revenue
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Provides financial assistance to qualifying financially-underresourced survivors going through a divorce or custody case in which a Guardian Ad Litem is appointed to represent the interests of the respondent or any involved children.
Court
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Amend KRS 403.735, relating to continuance of an emergency protective order, to allow the petitioner to be excused from future court appearances until the respondent has been served; amend KRS 456.050, relating to continuance of an interpersonal protective order, to allow the petitioner to be excused from future court appearances until the respondent has been served.
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Introduced to Judiciary
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Relieves survivors from repeated court appearances while waiting for the abusive partner to be served notice of a protective order. Repeated court appearances can be very disruptive to everyday life. They may require burdensome transportation arrangements, interfere with caretaking responsibilities, or even get a survivor fired from their job for repeated absences.
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