Over the last two days, Governor Andy Beshear has signed 22 pieces of legislation into law — all of it generated and rolled through the 2022 session of the Kentucky General Assembly.
Some things could impact west Kentucky right away — particularly in education.
House Bill 397 supports school districts, students and school staff impacted by the December 2021
tornadoes in west Kentucky. The bill provides up to 15 disaster days to eligible districts impacted by the storms, which allows the districts to be excused for up to 15 student attendance days that were missed due to the storms.
Educators and school staff will not have to make up excused days, but rather the days will count towards fulfillment of their contract.
Senate Bill 9 provides Kentucky students, their parents and their teachers a system to boost literacy to a
proficiency level by the third grade, while also expanding diagnostic assessments and screening, intervention, support and family engagement — including at-home learning strategies.
Senate Bill 151 authorizes schools that participate in the Federal School Breakfast Program to provide up to 15 minutes of the student’s attendance day for children to eat breakfast during instructional time.
House Bill 275 paves the way for more Kentucky students and workers to become certified public accountants.
As Kentucky’s economy continues to grow at a record pace, it is important that Kentucky have more trained financial professionals in the job market. This bill sets up the framework for a certified public accounting scholarship program, which will help recruit students and fund their educational pursuits.
Two other laws could shape a healthier outdoor environment and provide more health assistance over the phone.
House Bill 45 is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic and solid waste disposed of in landfills. This bill also opens the door for Kentucky to benefit from economic development opportunities, as new technologies develop and allow for the Commonwealth to establish a market for taking discarded plastics and breaking them down into raw materials that can be manufactured into other materials.
House Bill 188 makes telehealth more accessible to Kentuckians. It bars professional licensure boards
from prohibiting the delivery of telehealth services by health service providers credentialed in Kentucky to Kentuckians who are temporarily located outside of the Commonwealth.
It also bars professional licensure boards from prohibiting the delivery of telehealth services to nonresidents temporarily located in Kentucky by providers credentialed in the person’s state of residence. Health care providers will no longer be required to be physically present in their credentialing state to provide telehealth services to a person who is a resident of the same state.
