By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
At the end of the 11th week of the 2026 legislative session, only a limited number of working days are left to pass the many health-related bills that are still working their way through the process.
Here are some of them that saw movement during the 11th week of the session, with a few of them near the finish line:
Sexual assault nurse examiners – House Bill 134, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, would expand the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners across Kentucky. It calls for a statewide coordinator to recruit nurses, facilitate training and improve collaboration between hospitals, law enforcement and rape crisis centers. The bill passed out of the Senate with a committee substitute on March 20, 37-0. The committee substitute retains the original provisions, but changes where the coordinator and registry are located and makes corrections to the membership of the advisory committee. The bill now goes back to the House for concurrence or nonconcurrence of the changes.
Hearing aids – HB 164, sponsored by Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield, would increase the coverage amounts that health insurance plans provide for purchasing hearing aids and related services for minors. The bill cleared the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Tuesday, March 17, and now resides on the consent calendar, reserved for bills that are passed on a single vote without debate.
Prior authorization– HB 176, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, seeks to streamline the prior authorization process for health insurance claims by creating exceptions for certain health care providers. The bill passed out of the Senate Health Services Committee on March 18 and now resides in the consent calendar.
Health care worker investment fund – HB 266, sponsored by Rep. Peyton Griffee, R-Mt. Washington, would include speech-language pathology or audiology licenses as eligible expenses in the health care worker investment fund, which was established during the 2023 Regular Session to alleviate Kentucky’s health care worker shortage through public-private partnerships. The bill passed out of the Senate Health Services Committee on March 18 and has been posted on the consent calendar for Tuesday, March 24.
Nursing licenses – HB 280, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, would amend Kentucky law to require nurses licensed in other states to satisfy all Kentucky licensing requirements in order to be licensed to practice as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse in the commonwealth. It would also give the Kentucky Board of Nursing the ability to ask the Cabinet for Health and Family Services for any validated, substantiated finding of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation existing for an individual who is under the state licensing board’s jurisdiction. The bill also addresses some medications prescribed and dispensed in schools. The bill passed out of the Senate on March 19 with a committee substitute, 35-0. The committee substitute modified some definitions related to the administration of undesignated glucagon in schools.
Choking prevention – HB 335, sponsored by Rep. Candy Massaroni, R-Bardstown, would allow schools and other government facilities to obtain anti-choking devices and provide legal protections for staff who use them during emergencies. The bill was posed on the regular orders of the day for March 18, but has not yet been voted on.
Alzheimer’s disease — HB 393, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, would require the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD) Advisory Council to develop, implement and disseminate a health care provider toolkit on early detection and diagnosis. The bill passed out of the Senate Health Services Committee on March 18 and is now posted for passage in the consent orders for Tuesday, March 24.
Health care workforce licensure – HB 459, sponsored by Moser, would require the collection of health care workforce participation data by health care licensing authorities and create a license portability framework for out-of-state marriage and family therapists seeking to practice in Kentucky. The bill passed out of the Senate on March 19 with a committee substitute, 36-0. The committee substitute added the date of birth and mailing address to the data collected. The bill now goes back to the House for concurrence or nonconcurrence on the changes to the bill.
Health data – HB 676, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, passed out of the House on March 19, 93-0, with House Floor Amendment 3. The amendment deletes the original provisions of the bill that would have established a statewide health data utility and now directs the Legislative Research Commission to study the development of a Kentucky statewide health data utility, a statewide system for collecting, sharing, and governing health information. It now resides in the Senate for consideration.
Medicaid state-directed payment program – HB 689, sponsored by Rep. Amy Neighbors, R-Edmonton, would require the Department for Medicaid Services to seek authorization from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a state-directed payment for physician and non-physician professional services provided to a Medicaid beneficiary by a qualifying hospital’s affiliated physician groups or physicians and other professionals employed or contracted by the qualified hospital. It would also require the Department of Medicaid Services to direct Medicaid managed care organizations to issue payments back to Jan. 1, upon federal approval. The bill passed out of the House on March 18, 94-0, with House Floor Amendment 1, which addresses state match funding and liability issues.
Peer support specialist – HB 470, sponsored by Moser, would extend the deadline for alcohol and drug peer support specialists to become registered to Jan. 1, 2028. This bill would address concerns that access to care may be limited due to the initial 2026 deadline that was put into place by HB 505 that was passed during the 2024 legislative session. The bill passed out of the Senate 35-0 with a committee substitute and committee title amendment. The committee substitute prohibits the alcohol and drug support specialists from providing psychoeducational services and creates a new section of law that prohibits Kentucky Medicaid from providing coverage for psychoeducational services.
Organ donation safety – HB 510, sponsored by House Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, would require additional verification steps before organ procurement can begin. It would also clarify that donor consent must be properly documented and that a patient must be formally declared dead before organs are donated. The bill passed out of the Senate Health Services Committee on March 18 and now resides on the consent calendar for Tuesday, March 24.
Kentucky-grown food in schools– Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, would make it easier for Kentucky schools to purchase locally grown food for student meals. It seeks to lift some procurement requirements and better connect students with the agricultural economy. The bill passed out of the House on March 20, 92-0, with a committee substitute that adds an emergency clause that would make it effective immediately and a title amendment. The bill will now go back to the Senate for concurrance or nonconcurrance with the changes.
Medicaid, non-opioid analgesics – SB 56, sponsored by Minority Floor Leader Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, would bar Medicaid programs and their pharmacy benefit managers from imposing stricter utilization controls on non-opioid analgesics than on opioids. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 19 and now awaits a vote in the full House.
Obesity drugs and Medicaid – SB 65, sponsored by Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, nullifies several administrative regulations deemed deficient by the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee, including a proposed Medicaid rule that would expand coverage for certain weight-loss medication — intended to treat diabetes — at the taxpayer’s expense. The bill passed out of the Senate with a floor amendment to nullify several other administrative regulations on March 11. On March 18, it passed out of the House Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Regulations Committee, and on March 20, it was posted for passage in the regular orders of the day for Tuesday, March 24.
Autism trust fund – SB 69, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, would create an autism spectrum disorder trust fund administered by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The fund could accept grants, appropriations and other types of contributions to support research and services. SB 69 received a favorable vote in the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on Tuesday, March 17, and has been posted for passage in the regular orders of the day.
Physician assistants – SB 116, sponsored by Sen. Scott Madon, R-Pineville, would modernize supervision agreements with physician assistants and clarify the scope of practice and prescribing authority. It would also allow them to conduct driver vision screenings. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 19 and is posted in the regular orders of the day for Tuesday, March 24.
Physician residencies – SB 137, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, would allow the state Board of Medical Licensure to issue a provisional license to a physician who completed residency in a foreign country and can meet other requirements. The applicant would need to provide an offer of employment from a licensed health care provider located in an underserved area. The House Health Services Committee passed the bill on March 19. It is posted for passage in the regular orders of the day for Tuesday, March 24.
Cannabis-infused beverages – SB 223, also sponsored by Meredith, would prohibit open containers for cannabis-infused beverages in motor vehicles. It would also create a new permit that allows establishments already holding alcohol licenses to sell individual cannabis-infused beverages, by the drink, to consumers 21 and older. The Senate voted 25-11 on Friday, March 20, to advance the bill with a committee substitute and two floor amendments that deal with licensing and distribution. The bill will now move to the House for consideration.