Trans Legislation Tracker

Kentucky

We are tracking 15 anti-trans bills in Kentucky in 2025. The legislation impacts 6 categories:

HEALTHCARE

BATHROOM

OTHER

SPORTS

EDUCATION

INCARCERATION

KY HB154

HEALTHCARE
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to gender transition services.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 311 to define terms;prohibit health care providers from accepting payment or reimbursement for gender transition services from a state or local government or Medicare, except when specific conditions exist; require licensing or certifying agencies to revoke a health care provider's license for a violation; create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 and Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304, and amend KRS 18A.225, 164.2871, and 304.17C-125 to require Medicaid, the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP), state or local government health plans and limited health service benefit plans, health plans and limited health service benefit plans that provide Medicare benefits that are publicly funded or subsidized, the state employee health plan, and state postsecondary education institution self-insured health plans to comply with the prohibition on payment or coverage for gender transition services; state findings of the General Assembly relating to the purpose of the Act; apply certain provisions to health plans issued or renewed on or after the effective date of Act.

A health care provider shall not seek or accept payment or reimbursement for the rendering of gender transition services to any individual from any of the following: (a) A state or local government [...] or (b) A federal agency providing or administering Medicare benefits to or on behalf of a Medicare beneficiary

KY HB163

BATHROOM
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to public school facilities.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 162 to define terms; require at least 95% of restroom facilities in a specified school building be designated for a specific biological sex; amend KRS 156.160 to conform.

For each school building that is designed to serve more than one hundred (100) students, at least ninety five percent (95%) of the restroom facilities in the school building shall be designated by the school administration to be for a specific biological sex pursuant to KRS 158.189.

KY HB177

OTHER
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to restoring religious liberty.

Amend KRS 446.350 to define "government" and "substantially burden"; outline procedures and relief that may be sought if statute is violated; outline procedures and relief for any inmate who alleges a violation of this statute; establish duties and authority of the Attorney General; apply to laws adopted before or after the effective date of this statute; include severability clause; waive sovereign, judicial, and governmental immunity; waive qualified immunity under specified circumstances.

"Substantially burden" means the taking of any action that curtails or denies the right to act or the right to refuse to act in a manner motivated by a sincerely held religious belief;

KY HB292

SPORTS
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to interscholastic athletics.

Amend KRS 156.070 to establish an interscholastic varsity athletics eligibility rule for transfers between member schools.

The state board or any agency designated by the state board to manage interscholastic athletics shall promulgate administrative regulations or bylaws that provide that: [...] all athletic teams, activities, and sports for students in grades six (6) through twelve (12) [are] one (1) of the following categories: a. "Boys"; b. "Coed"; or c. "Girls";

INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to equality in access to financial services.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 367 to define terms; prohibit financial institutions from discriminating in, or agreeing, conspiring, or coordinating to discriminate in, the provision of financial services by utilizing a social credit score; establish notice requirements when a financial institution refuses to provide, restricts, or terminates financial services; make violation an unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive trade practice in violation of KRS 367.170; establish remedies; authorize enforcement by the Attorney General; require construction in favor of broad protection of conduct, opinions, and beliefs protected by certain laws.

A financial institution shall not: (a) Discriminate in the provision of financial services to a person; [...] "Discriminate in the provision of financial services": 1. Means utilizing a social credit score to, directly or indirectly, decline to provide full and equal enjoyment in the provision of financial services; [...] "Social credit score": 1. Means any analysis, rating, scoring, list, or tabulation that evaluates any of the following: [...] Failure or refusal to: [...] ii. Conduct any type of racial, diversity, or gender audit or disclosure; iii. Provide any form of quota, preference, or benefit based, in whole or part, on race, diversity, or gender; or iv. Facilitate or assist employees in obtaining abortions or gender reassignment services;

KY HB4

EDUCATION
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to postsecondary institutions.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 164 to define terms; prohibit a public postsecondary education institution from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; from influencing the composition of the student body or scholarship recipients on the basis of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; from implementing a student housing assignment plan on the basis of religion, race, color, or national origin with designated exceptions; from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion, the promotion of discriminatory topics, or bias incident investigations; from soliciting statements on an applicant's experience with or views on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; from requiring a course dedicated to discriminatory concepts; or disseminating or profiting from any research, work product, or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory concepts; prohibit a public postsecondary education institution from requiring any individual to endorse or condemn a specific ideology or viewpoint; prohibit the Council on Postsecondary Education from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin or from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion or discriminatory topics; establish exclusions for legal compliance; require each governing board of a public postsecondary education institution to ensure compliance with specific sections of this Act no later than June 30, 2025; authorize the Attorney General to bring an action for a writ of mandamus to compel the council or a public postsecondary education institution to comply; create a cause of action to permit a qualified individual to file a civil action against council or a public postsecondary education institution for injunctive relief and limited damages arising from a violation of certain sections of this Act; waive sovereign and governmental immunity for the limited purpose of bringing this claim; prohibit retaliation; require each public postsecondary education institution to submit and publish a certified annual report on governmentally mandated discrimination to the Legislative Research Commission by October 1 each year; provide that a public postsecondary education institution or the council cannot claim a federal, state, judicial, contractual, or accreditation mandate as a defense to a civil action filed under this Act unless the policy, practice, or procedure upon which the complaint is founded is listed and clearly and accurately described in the public institution's annual report filed in accordance with this Act; require each public postsecondary education institution to provide the Personnel Cabinet and State Treasurer the name, job title, duty station, and salary or wages of each employee each month beginning January 1, 2025, and to post its itemized annual budget; amend KRS 164.020 to prohibit the Council on Postsecondary Education from approving a degree, certificate, or diploma program that includes discriminatory concepts or diversity, equity, and inclusion iniatives; amend KRS 164.011, 164.131, 164.321, and 164.821 to conform; direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to consider certain enumerated conditions when considering the elimination of an existing program; direct each public postsecondary education institution and the Council on Postsecondary Education to discontinue designated programs and follow designated procedures when implementing this Act; provide specific instructions for public postsecondary education institutions and the Council on Postsecondary Education to follow in implementing this Act; direct public postsecondary education institutions and the council to submit a report on implementation of this Act.

An institution shall not [...] make student housing assignments on the basis of religion, sex, race, color, or national origin unless an exception is necessary to: 1. Maintain separate living facilities for members of a single biological sex;

KY HB495

HEALTHCARE
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to mental health counseling services and declaring an emergency.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 344 to define terms; prohibit discrimination against mental health care professionals, mental health care institutions, and ordained ministry for providing protected counseling services; prohibit discrimination against individuals for offering information, training, and referrals for protected counseling services; prohibit discrimination against parents and guardians who consent to their child receiving protected counseling services; prohibit reporting of a mental health care professional or mental health care institution to a hiring or licensing authority solely on the basis that it provides protected counseling services; prohibit a hiring or licensing authority from investigating a mental health care professional or mental health care institution solely on the basis that it provides protected counseling services; establish a civil cause of action for a person injured by a violation; provide that the Act may be cited as the Mental Health Counseling Protection Act; EMERGENCY.

The Commonwealth, any of its agencies or political subdivisions [...] shall not: (a) Discriminate against any: 1. Mental health care professional or mental health care institution for providing protected counseling services; 2. Individual or organization that provides information, training, referrals, or other support for protected counseling services; 3. Parent or guardian of a child for consenting to the child receiving or helping the child receive protected counseling services; or 4. Ordained ministry or the denominational equivalent from providing protected counseling services.

KY HB5

BATHROOM
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to correctional facilities.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 15A, relating to juvenile detention facilities, to direct that all incarcerated youth are subject to search at any time and to require separate bathrooms and sleeping quarters for males and females; create new sections of KRS Chapter 197, relating to penitentiaries, to direct that all prisoners are subject to search at any time, require separate bathrooms and sleeping quarters for males and females, and to prohibit the Department of Corrections from providing cosmetic procedures or initiating cross-sex hormones for a prisoner; create new sections of KRS Chapter 441, relating to jails, to direct that all jail inmates are subject to search at any time and to require separate bathrooms and sleeping quarters for males and females.

A restroom, changing room, or sleeping quarters within a facility that is designated for females or males shall be used only by members of that sex.

KY HB64

HEALTHCARE
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to executive orders and declaring an emergency.

Invalidate Executive Order 2024-632 relating to the prohibition of state and federal funds being used for the practice of conversion therapy; EMERGENCY.

Executive Order 2024-632, prohibiting state and federal funds to be used for the practice of conversion therapy, shall not be valid as of the effective date of this Act.

INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to sex-based classifications.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 61 to define "boy," "equal," "female," "girl," "male," "man," "sex," and "woman"; prohibit any state or local law, regulation, ordinance, or policy from treating males or females unfairly from similiarly situated members of the opposite sex, but permit separation of the sexes if in the interest of maintaining safety, privacy, and fairness; provide a non-exhaustive list of examples of areas in which public entities may distinguish between the sexes; require any public school, public school district, state agency, department, local government, special district or any political subdivision of those entities that collects vital statistics to identify each person as either male or female; provide that the Act may be cited as the Kentucky Women's Bill of Rights.

The Kentucky Women's Bill of Rights applies wherever Kentucky law or policy classifies people on the basis of sex or otherwise defines people as being male or female, men or women, or boys or girls, as these terms are defined in Section 2 of this Act.

KY SB120

SPORTS
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to interscholastic athletics.

Amend KRS 156.070 to require child dependency, neglect, and abuse information to be included in any interscholastic athletics participation consent form; require any training for interscholastic athletics administrators and coaches to include information about mandatory reporting duties for child dependency, neglect, and abuse.

An athletic activity or sport designated as "girls" for students in grades six (6) through twelve (12) shall not be open to members of the male sex.

KY SB164

EDUCATION
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to government personnel policies and declaring an emergency.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 61 to prohibit a state or local government or public agency from providing preferential treatment to individuals or entities on the basis of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin when they contract or seek employment with the state or local government; define terms; prohibit a state or local government from requiring or incentivizing a person to attend a diversity, equity, and inclusion training or provide any differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual's participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion training; prohibit a public agency from providing resources or funds to establish or maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, trainings, or related initiatives; allow an exemption to provide preferential consideration for businesses owned by individuals who are residents of Kentucky or the United States; allow the Attorney General to bring civil action to enforce provisions of this Act; allow a qualified individual to bring a civil action for injunctive relief and to recover attorney's fees and litigation costs if a state or local government or public agency is found to have violated this Act; waive immunity under certain conditions; prevent an employee or agent of a public agency or a state or local government from using their authority to influence, discourage, interfere, or retaliate against a person who in good faith participates in a civil action in accordance with this Act; amend KRS 12.020 to rename the "Office of Diversity, Equality, and Training" to "Office of Employee Training"; amend KRS 18A.025 to deline the responsibilities of the Office of Employee Training; EMERGENCY.

A state or local government shall not [...] require or incentivize an individual to attend diversity, equity, and inclusion training or provide any differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual's participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion training.

KY SB165

EDUCATION
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to education and declaring an emergency.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 158 to define terms; prohibit a school district, public school, or cooperative board from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual's religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; prohibit the Kentucky Department of Education, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion; prohibit the department, a school district, a public school, or a cooperative board from soliciting statements on an applicant's experience with or views on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin, from providing differential treatment or benefits to an individual based on the individual's participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion training, and from disseminating or profiting from any research, work product, or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion; establish exclusions; authorize the Attorney General to bring an action for a writ of mandamus to compel the department, a school district, a public school or a cooperative board to comply; create a cause of action to permit a qualified individual to file a civil action against a the department, a school district, a cooperative board, or a public school for injunctive relief arising from a violation of this Act; permit recovery of monetary damages for a willful and intentional violation; waive sovereign, governmental, and qualified immunity; prohibit retaliation; require each public school district and cooperative board to provide the State Treasurer the name, job title, duty station, and compensation information of each employee of the school district or cooperative board each month for publication; amend KRS 161.030 to require certain certification applicants to complete an approved professional development program on Kentucky education law; amend KRS 158.4416 and 158.4414 to conform; require school districts and cooperative boards to follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; require the Kentucky Department of Education to eliminate the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and follow designated procedures when implementing this Act including termination or transfer of certain employees; EFFECTIVE, in part, February 1, 2026; EMERGENCY.

The department or a school district, public school, or cooperative board shall not [...] expend or utilize any resources to: 1. Establish or maintain a diversity, equity, and inclusion office; 2. Contract for or employ an individual to serve as a diversity, equity, and inclusion officer; 3. Provide diversity, equity, and inclusion training or contribute to any cost associated with planning, promoting, hosting, traveling to, attending, presenting, or otherwise participating in diversity, equity, and inclusion training; 4. Establish or maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; 5. Promote or justify discriminatory concepts; or 6. Purchase, promote, or distribute any content or materials that promote or justify discriminatory concepts or diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;

KY SB2

INCARCERATION
ENGROSSED

AN ACT relating to correctional facilities.

Create new section of KRS Chapter 197 to define terms; prohibit hormone treatment or elective surgery for gender reassignment.

Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, public funds shall not be directly or indirectly used, granted, paid, or distributed for the purpose of providing a cosmetic service or elective procedure to an inmate in a correctional facility.

KY SB60

OTHER
INTRODUCED

AN ACT relating to restoring religious liberty.

Amend KRS 446.350 to define terms; outline appropriate relief if the statute is violated; apply to laws adopted before or after the effective date; include severability clause; waive sovereign and governmental immunity.

"Substantially burden" means the taking of any action that curtails or denies the right to act or the right to refuse to act in a manner motivated by a sincerely held religious belief;