Governor signs more legislation, AG sets June 29 as date laws become effective

The Attorney General’s office always determines the effective date.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Gov. Andy Beshear has continued to sign legislation passed before the General Assembly adjourned March 30, and Attorney General Daniel Cameron has announced the date new laws will take effect.

House Bill 29, sponsored by Rep. Derek Lewis, R-London, removes the residency requirement for interment in Kentucky veteran cemeteries.  This allows Kentucky to meet the United States Department of Veterans Affairs deadline of Jan. 1, 2025, by which states are required to remove residency as a requirement for veterans to be buried in state cemeteries.  This legislation allows Kentucky to better honor and remember the lives and sacrifices of U.S. veterans.

Senate Bill 40, sponsored by Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, designates the fourth Thursday in March each year as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day.  The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II.  The bill also requires genetic testing for genetic markers for cardiac arrhythmogenic syndromes during the post-mortem examination for cases of a deceased person under 40 years of age when a cause of death is not determined.  This testing can help with future categorization and prevention efforts when it comes to heart disease.

House Bill 9, sponsored by Rep. Richard Heath, R-Mayfield, helps provide economic relief to local communities in the state.  It provides $2 million to the Cabinet for Economic Development to create a state matching grant program for communities that receive federal grants requiring a state match.  The new Government Resources Accelerating Needed Transformation Program will encourage local communities to pursue federal matching grants.

House Bill 21, sponsored by Rep. Randy Bridges, R-Paducah, allows a person without a fixed, permanent address to apply for a state-issued identification credential or renew an operator’s license using forms from a homeless shelter, health care facility or social service agency currently serving the applicant.  It will remove a major obstacle that currently prevents persons engaged with the healthcare or social services systems from obtaining official identification or a driver’s license.

House Bill 125, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, requires the Department for Aging and Independent Living to publish and distribute materials to local health departments regarding dementia awareness, to promote risk reduction and emphasize the importance of early diagnosis.

Cameron says the effective date of legislation passed during the 2023 session, other than general appropriation bills and acts containing emergency or delayed effective date provisions, is Thursday, June 29.  The Kentucky Constitution says they are to take effect 90 days after lawmakers adjourn, so since the session ended March 30, the Attorney General’s office always determines the effective date.