Here are all the bills Gov. Andy Beshear signed, vetoed, and returned without his signature on Tuesday

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Ahead of the final veto day before the General Assembly reconvenes, Gov. Andy Beshear took action on 36 bills.

According to a Tuesday, March 25, news release, 20 bills that crossed the governor’s desk received his signature, 12 were vetoed, and four were returned without action.

“We’ve been laser-focused on addressing the everyday needs of our Kentucky families and communities, and the 20 bills I signed do just that,” Beshear said. “For example, we will soon have new state laws that allow us to require a financial literacy course for high school students, that add protections against unemployment fraud, and that further safeguard the distribution of opioid settlement funds.”

Further, he stated the vetos would protect Kentuckians’ access to clean water and prevent unnecessary tolling on the I-69 Ohio River Crossing project.

Here’s a look at the bills that were vetoed on Tuesday:

• House Bill 2: “At a time when Kentuckians are hurting because of higher prices at the grocery, the pump, and for everyday consumer goods, prioritizing tax breaks for purchasers of gold is out of touch with reality for most people in Kentucky,” Beshear said.
• House Bill 90, a bill relating to freestanding birth centers and abortion access exceptions, Beshear said, would restrict access to medical care, place barriers on doctors, undermine their clinical judgment, and threaten the lives of pregnant women in Kentucky.
• House Bill 136 would cause the executive branch to breach a contract with a vendor, opening the government up to costly litigation funded by taxpayers.
• House Bill 399 criminalizes interference with a legislative proceeding, which is already subject to existing laws.
• House Bill 424 would limit employment protections for educators at Kentucky’s colleges and universities. In the governor’s veto message, he wrote, “Team Kentucky’s goal should be to attract, recruit, and retain the best and brightest minds at Kentucky’s universities and colleges House Bill 424 does the opposite.”
• House Bill 546 changes the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Road Plan, and Gov. Beshear used his line-item veto power to remove phrasing that would have set tolls to fund, in part, the I-69 Ohio River Crossing project.
• House Bill 566 would give employees of the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation the discretion to ignore the Executive Branch Ethics Code and allow the president of the corporation to hire gaming investigators who have police powers but do not have to have any training. In a line-item veto message, Beshear wrote, “[I]t appears there may have been a significant conflict of interest in how the corporation went about drafting the bill.”
• House Bill 684 limits the forms of eligible identification to allow a voter to cast a ballot.
• House Bill 694 would reverse the decision to fully fund health insurance for retirees by requiring teachers to pay a higher rate much longer than the law calls for. Beshear’s veto message stated, “Breaking this promise is unfair to the teachers we rely on to guide our children and the future of the Commonwealth.”
• House Joint Resolution 30 sought to appropriate funds through a resolution instead of legislation. Because of that, Gov. Beshear line-item vetoed language to provide more flexibility for completing projects.
• Senate Bill 28 reportedly violates the Kentucky Constitution and will lead to the disclosure of confidential information on economic development projects
• Senate Bill 89 eliminates protections currently in place to prevent pollution of groundwater and flooding of creeks, streams, and rivers by redefining “waters of the Commonwealth.”

Four bills were returned without Beshear’s signature. Here’s a look at which ones and why:

• House Joint Resolution 15, Beshear said he aims to show respect to the 79 faith leaders who opposed the resolution by not signing the legislation. In a letter, the faith leaders wrote, “We believe that this legislation is a misguided effort that will undermine the religious freedom we cherish as people of faith and leaders of faith communities.”
• House Bill 241, a bill aiming to make changes to the number of non-traditional instruction days allotted to school districts, Beshear said the General Assembly contradicts their actions and attitudes toward in-person learning in comparison to what he experienced during the pandemic.
• Senate Bill 136 action is due to the General Assembly not providing funding to support the bill. In response, the state will reportedly have to ask a vendor to do programming and IT work for free. If a vendor is unable to do so, the executive branch will have to delay implementation until the General Assembly approves the needed funding.
• Beshear expressed concern with Senate Bill 201 due to not having enough administrative law judges, and they must be confirmed by the General Assembly before they can begin their service.

The following bills will become laws on their effective dates:

• House Bill 15 lowers the age at which Kentucky drivers can obtain instructional permits from 16 to 15 years old.
• House Bill 45 aims to strengthen campaign finance regulations.
• House Bill 315 prohibits “hostile foreign governments” from indirectly owning, leasing, or otherwise acquiring an interest in agricultural land in the Commonwealth.
• House Bill 321 addresses issues related to zoning map amendments.
• House Bill 342 requires a financial literacy course in Kentucky high schools.
• House Bill 422 makes procedural changes for how emergency regulations are administered through the Commonwealth Office of Technology.
• House Bill 443 makes Kentucky Highway 80 in Perry, Knott, and Floyd counties part of the Hal Rogers Parkway.
• House Bill 537 provides clarity regarding the Opioid Abatement Fund.
• House Bill 682 includes cable operators and broadband providers in the definitions of “utility” for reimbursement of costs associated with facility relocation.
• House Bill 701 protects the rights of Kentuckians to use and mine cryptocurrencies.
• Senate Bill 27 requires the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to create and maintain a Kentucky Parkinson’s Disease Research Registry.
• Senate Bill 68 aims to make several changes aligning with Kentucky Academic Standards.
• Senate Bill 69 creates certification through the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners to license candidates to work in animal chiropractic and equine dentistry.
• Senate Bill 129 allows governmental, quasi-governmental, and nonprofit entities to purchase properties placed in a tax delinquency diversion program.
• Senate Bill 145 changes the period for which delinquency charges can be collected on vehicle payment installments.
• Senate Bill 162 strengthens protections against unemployment fraud.
• Senate Bill 179 provides $10 million to create the Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program.
• Senate Bill 202 creates licensing and regulatory guidelines for THC-infused beverages within the 3-tier system regulated by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
• Senate Bill 237 requires certain out-of-state peace officers who were previously employed in another state for 10 years to have passed a physical agility test in the state where they were certified.
• Senate Bill 244 establishes the Department of Child Support Services and its offices within the Office of the Attorney General’s Department of Law.

Wednesday, March 26, is the final day for the governor to veto legislation before the General Assembly reconvenes for the last two days of the 2025 regular session.