Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky HB642: AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System.
Status: Signed into law, April 7, 2026
Amend KRS 161.520 to remove the requirement for dependent children over the age of 18 to have their mental or physical condition approved by a majority of a medical review committee to receive survivor benefits; amend KRS 161.605 to raise the minimum amount a retired reemployed member may earn per day from $170 to $200, remove the provision for returning to work 1 month earlier if the member forfeits 1 month of their retirement benefit, reinstate the pension waiver program and prohibit members returning to work under its provisions from returning to work as administrators, and make technical changes; amend KRS 161.608 to clarify that the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) will acknowledge a member's earliest participation date in another state administered retirement system to determine benefit tier; amend KRS 161.620 to allow a member who is a parent to apply for and manage payments to a disabled child without necessity of a court order or other legal authority; amend KRS 161.635 and 161.636 to allow TRS to offer index fund investment options to university and nonuniversity members, to annuitize the investment return on the supplemental benefit applied to the index funds not to exceed 6.1% if there is no COLA in a given year or 4.6% if there is a COLA in the given year, allow TRS to promulgate administrative regulations to establish procedures for disbursements from the supplemental benefit component, and establish that neither the TRS board or staff shall be liable for any losses or claims due to a member's election of an index fund and state that members have the sole responsibility for their investment decisions.
What the bill says
An act relating to the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System.
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Section 1. KRS 16.198 is amended to read as follows: The appointment, salary, benefits, and number of individuals employed as a Trooper R Class and CVE R class shall be as follows: (1) The commissioner may appoint CVE R Class employees. CVE R Class employees shall serve on a contractual basis for a term of one (1) year, and the contract may be renewed annually, by agreement of the parties, for no more than nine (9) additional one (1) year terms. A CVE R Class employee shall be required to pass a physical fitness test every three (3) years. (2) The commissioner may appoint Trooper R Class employees who shall serve on a contractual basis for a term of one (1) year. The contract may be renewed on an annual basis upon the agreement of both parties. A Trooper R Class employee shall be required to pass a physical fitness test every three (3) years. (3) The compensation for Trooper R Class employees and CVE R Class employees shall be established by administrative regulation promulgated pursuant to KRS Chapter 13A. (4) (a) All appointments of individuals employed as a Trooper R Class and CVE R Class shall be based …
Sponsors
- James Tipton (R, HD-053) · primary sponsor
- Beverly Chester-Burton (D, HD-044)
Latest actions
- : signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 34)
- : delivered to Governor
- : enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
- : enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
- : received in House
- : passed 37-1
- : committee amendment (1) withdrawn
- : committee substitute (1) withdrawn
- : 3rd reading
- : posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Friday, March 27 2026
Votes
- Senate: Floor Vote RSN# 4057 (March 31, 2026): 37 yea, 1 nay, passed
- House: Pass RCS# 275 (March 18, 2026): 96 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: Teachers, Education, Higher, Education, Elementary And Secondary, Universities And Colleges, Retirement And Pensions, Actuarial Analysis, Public Officers And Employees
Common questions
- What is HB642?
- HB642 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System.
- What does HB642 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System.
- What is the status of HB642?
- Signed into law as of April 7, 2026. Latest action: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 34) (April 7, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB642?
- James Tipton (R, HD-053), with 1 co-sponsor.
- Where is the official record for HB642?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb642.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.