CHRISTIAN COUNTY, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Dozens of new laws that were passed during the 2026 legislative session are set to take effect in Kentucky this week that may impact Christian County residents.

Out of the long list, a few stand outs include lowering the conceal carry age to 18 years old and raising the age restriction on sports wagering to 21 years old. New laws also limit the use of license plate readers in the commonwealth, protect residents from scams during natural disasters, and tighten laws around child pornography to include generated images.

Public discussions by city and county officials regarding specific implementation of these laws on a local scale has not been held at this time.

List of house bills passed by the Kentucky General Assembly

The Kentucky General Assembly passed more than 190 bills during this year’s 60-day legislative session, and more than half of those measures will become effective on July 15, according to a news release from the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission Public Information Office. The state constitution specifies that new laws take effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns. Lawmakers adjourned the 2026 session on April 15, making July 15 the effective date for most bills.

Here is a list of a few notable bills that will go into effect this week as described by the LRC.

  • Concealed Carry – House Bill 312 will allow Kentuckians aged 18 to 20 years old to obtain a provisional concealed carry permit after undergoing a background check and firearms training.
  • Gaming – House Bill 904 will implement a broad reform in Kentucky’s wagering and gaming laws. Among many provisions, HB 904 will increase the age to participate in sports wagering from 18 to 21 and prohibit anyone on the attorney general’s child support arrearage list from betting on online platforms.
  • License Plate Readers – House Bill 58 will limit the use of license plate readers largely to public safety purposes, such as regulating parking, controlling access to secured areas, deterring crime and conducting criminal investigations. It will also will require data captured by automatic license plate readers to be deleted after 90 days, with limited exceptions for criminal investigations and other needs.
  • Child Pornography – House Bill 366 will expand child pornography prohibitions to include computer-generated images of a minor. It will also require someone convicted of possessing or viewing child pornography to serve at least 85% of their criminal sentence.
  • Grooming – House Bill 4 will criminalize efforts to manipulate a minor into sexual contact with an adult, a practice known as “grooming.”
  • Impaired Driving – Under Senate Bill 66, a suspect in an impaired driving case who refuses to submit to a blood test will have their driver’s license suspended at the time of arraignment. If the person is convicted, their license will be subsequently suspended by the state Transportation Cabinet.
  • Fraudulent Contractors – Senate Bill 153 will help protect Kentucky homeowners from abusive and fraudulent contractors following severe weather. It will clarify that vandalism committed for the purpose of an insurance claim is fraud. It will also create a post-disaster registry for roofing, siding and tree-removal businesses, and it will prohibit door-to-door solicitations during declared emergencies.
  • School Bus Safety – House Bill 7 will allow school districts to install traffic cameras on school buses to help enforce laws against stop-arm traffic violations.
  • Affordable Housing – House Bill 333 will allow faith-based organizations to build small-scale affordable housing units on property located near religious institutions.
  • Alternative Sentencing – Much of Senate Bill 122 will not take effect until later this year. However, several provisions that aim to keep families intact when a parent is convicted of a felony will take effect. Those provisions require Kentucky courts to consider alternative sentences for certain nonviolent felony convictions when the defendant is a primary caretaker of a dependent child.
  • Child Welfare – House Bill 778 will create multiple changes to Kentucky law related to child welfare. It seeks to ensure safe and adequate foster care placements and that children in foster care are not placed with someone on the sex offender registry. Also under HB 778, child injuries caused by ingestion or inhalation of a controlled substance will be included in the definition of neglect, and neglect will be added to the child abuse statute.
  • Student Violence – Senate Bill 101 will mandate that school boards expel students in grades 6 through 12 for at least 12 months if the student recklessly, with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, or intentionally causes or attempts to cause physical injury to a school district employee on school property or at a school function.

Find a full list of house bills on the Kentucky General Assembly website.

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