LRC Public Information: Rep. Jared Bauman (center) Rep. John Hodgson (left) and House Majority Whip Jason Nemes listen as members of the House Standing Committee on Judiciary ask questions about House Bill 5, legislation related to crime.

The legislature continued at a gentler pace this week as the number of bills filed remained unusually low for this point in a long session. The last day to file a new bill in the House is Feb. 26, while the Senate has until Feb. 28. Nevertheless, legislators took action on bills, including some affecting counties:

HB5, known as the “Safer Kentucky Act," passed the House chamber 74-22 Thursday. The bill creates harsher penalties for violent crimes and creates new consequences for homeless encampments.

SB 23 passed unanimously out of the Senate State and Local Government Committee this week. The bill proposes a constitutional amendment to expand the homestead exemption to exempt increases in property assessments of real property that are the permanent residence of an owner who is 65 or older.

HB 156 passed out of the House Transportation Committee and requires vehicles with an iron, steel or wooden wheel that operates on a highway to have a rubber strip or a rubber compound strip on the portion of the wheel that is in contact with the surface of the highway.

SB 125 passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee and expands the ability for more local governments to start off-highway vehicle pilot programs.

Join hundreds of county officials from across the Commonwealth as we honor the members of the 2024 General Assembly at KACo headquarters in Frankfort on Feb. 21, 2024, from 4:30-7 p.m. EST.

Throughout January, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has been converting from its legacy motor vehicle system implemented in the late 1970s, known as AVIS to a modern system known as KAVIS. This conversion has not gone as smoothly as hoped. The Kentucky County Clerks Association asks for our motor vehicle customers’ patience as we work with the Transportation Cabinet to resolve the issues at hand.

KACo Executive Director Jim Henderson sat down with WKYT news anchor Bill Bryant for this week's Kentucky Newsmakers program. Their interview touched on the roles of county government, legislative priorities and the importance of citizen engagement.

Kentucky Newsmakers airs this Sunday at 10 a.m. EST on the CW Lexington and 11:30 a.m. on WKYT.

Our smallest affiliate organization plays a large role in keeping Kentuckians safe. 

Kentucky’s commonwealth’s attorneys (CA) — with one representing each of 57 districts — are tasked with prosecuting felony cases. Every county has a commonwealth’s attorney, with more than half of the commonwealth’s attorneys serving multiple counties.

When an employee is hurt on the job, keeping a record of what happened and why is important.

Good recordkeeping raises awareness of workplace hazards so they can be corrected. It also helps OSHA keep track of national trends.



And it’s the law in many cases.

A deadline is approaching for communities and Tribal nations to receive free FEMA help with hazard mitigation planning and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) project support.



Communities and Tribal nations that lack resources to begin climate resilience planning and designing projects have until Feb. 29, 2024, to submit forms to request BRIC Direct Technical Assistance.