News

Good afternoon colleagues,

The General Assembly will adjourn today for a ten-day veto period, during which Governor Beshear will review all passed legislation. He may choose to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature. The General Assembly will reconvene on March 27 and 28 for the final two days of the session to consider veto overrides and pass remaining legislation. Below is an update on several bills WKU has been monitoring.

House Bill 4

House Bill (HB) 4 limits diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Kentucky’s public universities while preserving academic freedom, free speech and federally mandated programs. The bill passed on March 12 and is now awaiting Governor Beshear’s decision. View the current version of HB 4 here.

House Bill 424

House Bill (HB) 424 pertains to employment at public postsecondary institutions. It requires each public university’s board to establish a performance and productivity evaluation process for presidents and faculty members by January 1, 2026. HB 424 passed on March 14 and is now awaiting Governor Beshear’s decision. View the current version of HB 424 here.

Senate Bill 77

Senate Bill (SB) 77 creates a pathway for Kentucky’s public comprehensive universities to offer PhD and doctoral programs for professional licensure. Relevant to WKU, it will allow us to offer a limited number of PhD programs, further paving the way for the university to achieve Carnegie R2 status. The bill passed on March 13 and is now awaiting Governor Beshear’s decision. View the current version of SB 77 here.

Senate Bill 237

Senate Bill (SB) 237 concerns peace officer certification. Current law (KRS 164.925) limits university police departments to employing no more than five retired police officers at a time. WKU successfully advocated for the addition of a floor amendment to SB 237, which removed this restriction. The bill passed on March 14 and is now awaiting Governor Beshear’s decision. View the current version of SB 237 here. View the floor amendment here.

You can view all legislation WKU is tracking here.