Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky SB155: AN ACT relating to animal health emergencies and declaring an emergency.
Status: Signed into law, April 3, 2026
Amend KRS 39A.020 to define "animal health emergency"; amend KRS 39A.100 to authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture, in consultation with the state veterinarian, to declare an animal health emergency; grant the Commissioner of Agriculture emergency powers to order veterinary or veterinary technician services, request that the secretary of the Transportation Cabinet waive regulatory requirements relating to the transportation of animal feed stock or medicine; order the quarantine of any livestock, poultry, domesticated animal, article, or equipment serving as a vector of communicable disease; authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture to establish roadblocks with the assistance of state and local law enforcement and game wardens employed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to prevent the transportation of animals, articles, or equipment ordered quarantined; authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture to purchase goods and services needed to stop the spread of the communicable disease without regard to the Model Procurement Code established in KRS Chapter 45A; authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture to request emergency assistance from any local government or special district, state agency, and the Governor in order to initiate any request for federal assistance.
What the bill says
An act relating to animal health emergencies.
From the committee substitute text:
AN ACT relating to animal health emergencies. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Section 1. KRS 39A.020 is amended to read as follows: As used in KRS Chapters 39A to 39F, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) "Adjutant General" means the executive head of the Department of Military Affairs vested with general direction and control authority for the department and the division of emergency management; (2) "Animal health emergency" means an incident or situation which poses a major threat to the safety or health of livestock as defined in KRS 246.010, poultry as defined in KRS 246.010, or other domesticated animal so as to cause or threaten to cause the spread of disease, starvation, deadly injury, or other potential loss of life; (3) "Catastrophe" means a disaster or series of concurrent disasters which adversely affect the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky or a major geographical portion thereof; (4)[(3)] "Chief executive officer" means (b) Mayor of a consolidated local government; (c) Mayor of an urban-county government; (d) Chief executive officer of a charter county government; (e) Chief executive officer of a unified local government; or (f) Mayor of a city; (5)[(4)] "Comprehensive emergency management program" means the public safety program developed, organized, implemented, administered, maintained, and coordinated by the Division of Emergency Management and local emergency …
Sponsors
- Jared Carpenter (R, SD-034) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 17)
- : delivered to Governor
- : enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
- : enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
- : passed 37-1
- : Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
- : posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
- : taken from Rules
- : to Rules (S)
- : received in Senate
Votes
- Senate: FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 155 w/ HCS 1, HCA 1 (T) (HCS 1) RSN# 3984 (March 25, 2026): 37 yea, 1 nay, passed
- House: Pass RCS# 307 (March 24, 2026): 94 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Senate: PASS SB 155 RSN# 3817 (February 12, 2026): 38 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: State Agencies, Special Districts, Police, State, Public Protection, Governor, Diseases, Animals, Livestock, And Poultry, Peace Officers And Law Enforcement
Common questions
- What is SB155?
- SB155 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT relating to animal health emergencies and declaring an emergency.
- What does SB155 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to animal health emergencies.
- What is the status of SB155?
- Signed into law as of April 3, 2026. Latest action: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 17) (April 3, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB155?
- Jared Carpenter (R, SD-034).
- Where is the official record for SB155?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/sb155.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.