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KCDD's Public Policy Committee takes time each year to review legislation that pertains to individuals with disabilities. They then choose specific bills from those presented to focus their time and efforts on. Below is a list of selected legislation that KCDD has chosen to support this 2008 Legislative session.

HB 188 (BR 148) - S. Brinkman

AN ACT relating to autism spectrum disorders.
     Create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to submit an application for a Medicaid waiver to develop and implement flexible reimbursement and payment strategies for services and supports for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within three months of the effective date of this Act; require a report on the use of the waiver if approved; create new sections of KRS Chapter 157 to require screening for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at 18 months, 2 years, 4 years, upon school enrollment, and at the time of the sixth grade physical; require the cabinet to establish requirements for ASD screening; require schools to have a record of ASD screening; require a formal diagnosis after screening positive within 90 days; define "autism spectrum disorders"; permit a religious exemption for testing a child with ASD; amend the interagency agreement with the Department of Education to coordinate services; require the Department of Education to update the statewide Manual on Autism; create new sections of KRS Chapter 194A to create the Supports for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders Program within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services; require the program to serve as a central coordinating body, keep an inventory of services, establish guidelines and criteria for service providers, contract with services providers, incorporate provisions of self-determination and consumer-directed options, and promote the creation of a comprehensive resource network; require the program to develop a comprehensive training plan and contract with the Kentucky Autism Training Center to implement the plan; require the program to enter into an interagency agreement with the Kentucky Department of Education for the effective delivery of services to children with ASD; define ASD; create an advisory board to ensure citizen involvement in the program; require the cabinet to fund and staff the operation of the board; require the board to provide consultation, serve as a communication conduit, and provide input to the program.

     Jan 8-introduced in House
     Jan 10-to Health & Welfare (H)
     Jan 30-posted in committee

HB 91 (BR 499) - M. Cherry
     AN ACT relating to the safety, learning, and well-being of students.
     Amend KRS 158.440 to identify the Golden Rule as the model for improving attitude and the rule for conduct for all public school students; require school districts to have plans, policies, and procedures dealing with measures for assisting students who are engaging in disruptive and disorderly behavior, including harassment, intimidation, or bullying of another student; amend KRS 158.441 to define "harassment, intimidation, or bullying"; allow civil exchange of opinions or debate or cultural practices protected under the state or federal Constitution to be included in areas exempt from definition of "harassment, intimidation, or bullying"; amend KRS 158.148 to require school districts to formulate a code of acceptable behavior and discipline that embraces the Golden Rule as the model for improving attitude and the rule for conduct for students; require the code of acceptable behavior to prohibit harassment, intimidation, or bullying of a student and include procedures for identifying, reporting, investigating, and responding to complaints, a strategy for protecting complainants from retaliation, a process for annually discussing the code and the consequences of violating the code with students and their parents or their legal guardians; require school districts to provide training on the code of acceptable behavior to school employees who have direct contact with students, if funds are available; require district to incorporate information regarding the Golden Rule and the code of acceptable behavior in employee training manual; require school councils that are proposing to adopt an instructional program or curriculum designed to instruct students on issues regarding harassment, intimidation, or bullying to afford parents the right to inspect and review the instructional material and to address the council on the proposal prior to its adoption; offer parents and legal guardians the opportunity to opt out their students from programs or curriculum regarding harassment, intimidation, or bullying; specify that students who are opted out shall remain subject to the policy that prohibits harassment, intimidation, or bullying; amend KRS 158.150 to include the breaking of the Golden Rule through student harassment, intimidation, or bullying as a cause for suspension, expulsion, or other appropriate disciplinary action; amend 158.444 to require local school districts to report to the Kentucky Department of Education all incidents where a student has been disciplined for harassment, intimidation, or bullying three times in a single semester or where an individual has been the object of three or more documented incidents of harassment, intimidation, or bullying in a single semester; create a new section of KRS 158 to require that all student data collected that is related to harassment, intimidation, or bullying be subject to the confidentiality provisions of both the federal and the Kentucky Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and afford parents the right to inspect or challenge student records as permitted under those provisions; require individual student data collected that is related to harassment, intimidation, or bullying to be placed in the student's disciplinary record; create a new section of KRS 158 to provide immunity to school employees or students from a cause of action for damages arising from reporting in good faith a student's disruptive or disorderly behavior if school and district procedures are followed regarding the report; make technical corrections; identify this Act as The Golden Rule Act.
     (Prefiled by the sponsor(s).)

    HB 91 - AMENDMENTS
     HFA (1, D. Floyd) - Retain original provisions; require local school districts to provide training to victims of bullying for victim empowerment.

     HFA (2, D. Floyd) - Require a local school district to provide information and assistance on how to respond to and avoid instances of bullying to students who have been subjected to bullying.

     HFA (3, M. Cherry) - Include cyberbullying in the definition of student harassment, intimidation, or bullying; include electronic communication as a method of student harassment, intimidation, cyberbullying, or bullying.

     Jan 8-introduced in House

SB 94/LM (BR 1348) - P. Clark

     AN ACT relating to disability placards.
     Amend KRS 189.456 to require that any information contained on disability placards be written in indelible ink or inscribed in other permanent fashion as to prevent tampering with or changing of information contained on such placards.

     Jan 17-introduced in Senate
     Jan 22-to Transportation (S)

HCR 7 (BR 297) - C. Rollins II

     Create a legislative task force to study opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in organized sports programs at the postsecondary level; require task force to report its findings to the Legislative Research Commission no later than December 15, 2008.
     (Prefiled by the sponsor(s).)

     Jan 8-introduced in House
     Jan 11-to Education (H)
     Jan 24-posted in committee
     Jan 29-reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
     Jan 30-2nd reading, to Rules; posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for   
     Thursday, January 31, 2008
     Jan 31-3rd reading, adopted 94-0