At the end of week 10 of the 2026 legislative session, more than 250 bills have passed at least one chamber so far, and many have begun advancing on the opposite side of the legislature — and many of them are related to health. Friday, March 13, was day 46 of the 60-day session.
Here are some of the health bills that moved last week:
Medicaid reimbursement for pharmacists – House Bill 3, sponsored by Rep. Amy Neighbors, R-Edmonton, would expand access to care by requiring Medicaid to pay pharmacists for providing the routine, preventative, and chronic-care services they already deliver. The bill passed out of the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee on March 10 and was placed on the consent calendar, reserved for bills that are passed on a single vote without debate.
Sexual assault nurse examiners – HB 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 legislation cleared the Senate Health Services Committee on March 11 with a committee substitute. It now awaits a vote in the full Senate.
Hospital police departments – HB 248, sponsored by Rep. Wade Williams, R-Earlington, would provide hospitals the option to create an on-site police department staffed by fully sworn, trained and certified law enforcement officers. The bill passed out of the House Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection on Tuesday, March 10 and out of the full House on Friday, March 13, 84-4. It will now move to the Senate for consideration.
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 passed out of the Senate Health Services Committee on March 11 with a committee substitute. It now awaits a vote in the full Senate.
Prescription drug monitoring system – HB 388, sponsored by Rep. Robert Duvall, R-Bowling Green, would make changes to Kentucky’s controlled substance statutes, including the integration of medical cannabis into the system. The bill passed out of the Senate Health Services Committee on March 9 and now awaits a vote in the full Senate.
School-based medicaid program – HB 583, sponsored by Rep. Steve Riley, R-Glasgow, would help school districts recover Medicaid funding for medically necessary services that are provided by school nurses to Medicaid-enrolled students with parental consent. The bill cleared the House Health Services Committee on March 12 and now awaits a vote in the full House.
Workplace violence in health care – HB 713, sponsored by Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, would require health facilities to annually attest to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services that they maintain a workplace safety assessment and plan that meets their accrediting organization’s standards, provide violence prevention training to health care workers, maintain an internal reporting system for workplace violence, prohibit retaliation against workers who report incidents in good faith, and periodically review incidents to update safety policies. Facilities would also have to display signage in a prominent location indicating that any form of threatening or aggressive behavior toward health care workers will not be tolerated and could result in consequences, including a felony conviction. In addition, the bill would require health facilities to establish follow-up procedures for individuals affected by workplace violence and mandate support resources for those individuals. The bill passed out of the House on March 9, 98-0, with a committee substitute. It now resides in the Senate for consideration.
Kentucky’s dental practice act – HB 776, sponsored by Rep. Derek Lewis, R-London, would modernize Kentucky’s Dental Practice Act to reflect current standards of care, strengthen patient safety, and support the next generation of dental professionals. The bill passed out of the House on March 11, 96-0, with two floor amendments. It now resides in the Senate for consideration.
Health care workforce task force – House Concurrent Resolution 103, sponsored by Duvall, would establish a legislative task force aimed at increasing Kentucky’s health care workforce. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 12. It now awaits a vote in the full House.
Rural health transformation task force – HCR 113, sponsored by Moser, would establish a legislative task force aimed at exploring strategies to improve access to health care services in rural communities. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 12. It now awaits a vote in the full House.
Kentucky-grown food – 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 legislation cleared the House Agriculture Committee on March 11 with a committee substitute and committee amendment. It 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 on March 11, 26-6, with a floor amendment. It now resides in the House for consideration.
Ibogaine research – SB 77, sponsored by Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, calls for the creation of an ibogaine research and intellectual property fund to be administered by the Department of Agriculture. It would allow the department to partner with a drug developer to conduct clinical trials on using ibogaine to treat substance use disorders. The Senate Committee on Health Services passed the bill on Wednesday, March 11, with a committee substitute and a committee amendment. It passed out of the Senate, 35-2, on Friday, March 13. The bill will now move to the House for consideration.
Prostheses and orthoses coverage – SB 97, sponsored by Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset, seeks to expand coverage in health benefit plans for prostheses and orthoses. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee passed the legislation with a committee substitute on March 10. The Senate passed the bill on March 12, 38-0. The bill now resides in the House for consideration.
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 also would allow them to conduct driver vision screenings. The bill passed out of the Senate on March 9, 33-2, with a committee substitute. It now resides in the House for consideration.
Medicaid oversight – SB 173, sponsored by President Pro Tempore David Givens, R-Greensburg, would create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to define terms and establish an annual Medicaid state plan and Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program state plan legislative review process. The bill passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 12 and now awaits a vote in the full Senate.
Cannabis-infused beverages – SB 223, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, would create a new permit that allows establishments already holding alcohol licenses to sell individual cannabis-infused drinks to consumers 21 and older. The Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee passed the legislation on March 10 with a committee substitute. It now awaits a vote in the full Senate.
Drug treatment map – Senate Joint Resolution 74, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Storm, R-London, would direct the Legislative Research Commission and state agencies to create a statewide fiscal map of substance use disorder programs and funding sources to support better policy, budgeting and accountability. The House State Government Committee passed the resolution on March 12. It now awaits a vote in the full Senate.
Physician shortage – SJR 116, sponsored by Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, would direct the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University to work together to alleviate physician shortages in underserved areas of the state. It passed out of the Senate, 33-2, on March 9. It now resides in the House.
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Written by Melissa Patrick. Cross-posted from KY Health News.
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