Legislative Alerts

February 1, 2021

Kentucky PTA supports the following bills, except we oppose HB149 & SB25 (scholarship tax credits.)
National PTA position statements/resolutions are included with bills.
House Bills & Resolutions:

HB 64 Expand Early Childhood Program
Expand eligibility for preschool education programs to children who reside in households with an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. J. Raymond. National PTA position

HB 80 Gun Safety for Children
Unlawful storage of a firearm, prohibited. Recklessly allowing access to an unsecured firearm by a minor. G. Brown Jr., K. Flood. National PTA position

HB 134 Corporal Punishment in Schools
Prohibit a person employed by a school district from using corporal physical punishment. S. Riley. National PTA position

HB 147 Regulation of Tobacco Products & Vapor Products
Allows city and county governments the option to regulate/expand the use, display, sale, and distribution of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. K. Moser, T. Bojanowski. Natl. PTA Increased usage

HB 149 Establish the Education Opportunity Account Program and Accompanying Tax Credit
HB 149 is similar to previous bills from 2018, 2019, and 2020 that would give individuals and corporations tax breaks for donations made to private school scholarships. C. McCoy
We oppose this bill because tax credits would divert scarce resources away from the public education system. Now is not the time to consider more tax breaks when Kentucky’s investment in education is not adequate to achieve statewide goals.
- HB 149 does not create true “choices” if parents don’t have any data to compare schools. Private schools do not participate in the state accountability system.
- Private schools can cherry-pick from among the applicant pool and accept the highest-performing students and turn away students that may be more difficult to serve. This could worsen the achievement gap and not address student achievement.

- This bill would result in less revenue for Kentucky’s General Fund, with a potential loss of $205 million over the next five years.
- You can call your legislators on the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee and tell them you oppose HB 149. Natl. PTA position & NCPE

HB 154 Prevention-Oriented Child Abuse Awareness Instruction
Requires school councils or principals to adopt child abuse awareness and prevention instruction (age appropriate) for students in grades K–9 that is taught by a certified, trained teacher. N. Tate. National PTA position

HB 186 Relating to Curriculum
Amends KRS 156.160 to require public middle and high school curriculum to include instruction on the history of racism. A. Scott, K. Flood. National PTA position

HB 208 Education and Declaring an Emergency – COVID Relief Bill
Education bill that addresses many COVID-19 related issues ranging from attendance, NTI, district calendars, school meal services, assessment & accountability, certified evaluation plans, and email notice requirements. While we support this bill, we are concerned that the need for COVID related- services may be on a more long-term basis. R. Huff. National PTA position

HJR 8 A Joint Resolution relating to School Accountability
Directs the Commissioner of Education to form a strategic assessment and accountability committee; establish the duties of the committee; require the commissioner to report the committee findings to the Interim Joint Committee on Education. One parent representative to be on committee. T. Bojanowski. National PTA position


Senate Bills:
SB 25 Establish the Education Opportunity Account Program and Accompanying Tax Credit
Similar to HB 149 which gives individuals and corporations tax breaks for donations made to private school scholarships. We oppose the bill.
R. Alvarado. *See HB 149

SB 46 Gun Safety for Children
Unlawful storage of a firearm, prohibited. Recklessly allowing access to an unsecured firearm by a minor. G. Neal. National PTA position

SB 77 Superintendent Screening Committee
Require greater minority representation on a superintendent screening committee in a school district with a minority student population of 50% or greater. J. Adams, G. Neal. National PTA position 1 & National PTA position 2

Call the LRC Message Line about these bills.
You can leave a message for ALL legislators, a Committee or just Your Legislator.
Be prepared to share your name and address.
The Legislative Message Line is 1-800-372-7181.
Find your legislator here.