# Kentucky HB 36: AN ACT relating to interstate licensure compacts. Kentucky HB 36, AN ACT relating to interstate licensure compacts., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Steve Bratcher (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 33)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB36-2026RS - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kentucky HB 36 - State: Kentucky - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT relating to interstate licensure compacts. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-07 - Last action: 2026-04-06, signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 33) - Sponsor: Steve Bratcher (Republican) - Cosponsors: 6 - Subjects: Boards And Commissions, Compacts, Interstate, Health And Medical Services, Licensing, Physicians - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (224 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 36 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Dietitian compact: who qualifies and rules: benefit, medium. Member states recognize a compact privilege for dietitians who meet the rules. You qualify with a current registration, or by finishing an accredited program, 1,000 supervised hours, and passing the national exam within 5 years. You must keep an unencumbered home‑state license and pay any required… - Military families: fee relief and stability: benefit, low. Active‑duty service members and spouses can pick and keep one home state where they hold a current license while on active duty. They do not pay the compact commission fee for a compact privilege. A state may also reduce or waive its own compact fee. This helps keep their ability to work across mov… - Guardrails on compact finances in Kentucky: benefit, low. The commission cannot spend money it does not have. It cannot pledge a state’s credit without that state’s permission. It must keep accurate books and get a yearly independent financial review. Kentucky’s general fund is not used for dietitian compact costs. Money must come from KRS 310.041 licensi… - How the compact is run and meets: benefit, low. Each member state names one voting commissioner. An executive committee runs daily business and prepares the budget; it includes elected members and a nonvoting dietitian‑credentialing advisor. Meetings are open with 30 days' notice; closed sessions are allowed for legal, personnel, and investigati… - No discipline for acts legal elsewhere: benefit, low. A member state cannot punish a licensee for conduct that was legal where it happened. This protects cross‑state practice under the compacts. - Open meetings and public rulemaking: benefit, low. Commission meetings are open to the public, with narrow exceptions for things like litigation and privacy. The commission must give at least 30 days’ notice and hold a public hearing before adopting rules, then share recordings and comments. It may fix typos and formatting with a 30‑day public chal… - Shared license data and quick discipline alerts: benefit, low. The commission runs a shared data system for licenses, denials, and discipline. States must upload required data. When a state takes adverse action, it must notify the system, which alerts other states. Only states can see current investigative data, and expunged records are removed. - When these compacts take effect: benefit, low. The compacts for these professions start when seven states have enacted them. Preparatory actions taken before that date still count unless the commission rejects them. A state that joins later must follow the commission’s existing rules and bylaws on day one. Any amendment takes effect only after… - Tougher cross-state discipline for licensees: cost, high. Under the compacts, any discipline that encumbers your qualifying license shuts off your compact privileges in all member states. You do not regain privileges until the encumbrance is removed and you have two years with no restrictions or fines due. Remote states can investigate and act on your com… - Cross-state discipline and regaining practice rights: cost, medium. Your home or another compact state can use another state's factual findings to take action, after following its own process. If you are disciplined, a state can make you pay investigation and case costs when its law allows. If your home license was encumbered and then restored, you must meet compac… - Dietitian compact fees and limits: cost, medium. States may charge a fee to grant a compact privilege. A single‑state license does not allow multistate practice under the compact. States keep full control over their single‑state license standards. If you move into or out of a member state, the new state’s own single‑state licensing rules apply. - Discipline can halt multistate practice: cost, medium. If your home‑state license is encumbered, your compact privileges in all member states are revoked. You regain them only after the encumbrance is removed and two clean years have passed. Only your home state can discipline your home license. If you change home states during an investigation, your o… - Respiratory compact: practice rules and checks: cost, low. These rules apply only to respiratory therapists who use a compact privilege. You must keep an active home‑state license and meet your home state’s licensing requirements. For an initial compact privilege, states check criminal history using fingerprints or other biometrics. When you practice in an… - Only states can sue the commission: cost, low. Only member states can enforce the compact against the commission. Private people and companies cannot bring enforcement actions against the commission under the compact. - Changing home state for dietitians: mixed, medium. When you switch your home state between member states, you must apply for a new home license, pay any fees, and notify both states. The new state verifies eligibility and runs an FBI fingerprint check and any other required checks before activating your new license. Kentucky does not require a crim… - Compact fees and annual financial review: mixed, medium. The commission may charge licensees a fee to grant or renew a compact privilege. It may also bill member states each year. The commission must keep accurate accounts and include a CPA financial review in its annual report. - Dietitians: compact and fingerprint checks: mixed, medium. The law creates the Dietitian Licensure Compact so qualified dietitians can practice across member states while states keep licensure control. Kentucky requires state and FBI fingerprint checks for initial licensure, reinstatement, and for anyone seeking a compact privilege to practice outside Kent… - Respiratory therapists: multistate practice rules: mixed, medium. The law creates a compact so licensed respiratory therapists can practice in other member states. To use a compact privilege, you must keep an active home‑state license and an active NBRC credential, have no adverse action in the past two years, notify the commission, meet any remote‑state law, and… - Athletic trainers: interstate practice and discipline: mixed, medium. Kentucky enacts the Athletic Trainer Compact so qualified trainers can practice in other member states. To get a privilege, you must pass a criminal background check, hold a compact‑qualifying license, have current BOC certification or the approved education plus BOC exam, and have no encumbrances… - Athletic trainers: remote practice rules: mixed, medium. When you treat a patient in another member state, you must follow that state’s scope‑of‑practice rules. Remote states can act against your compact privilege and issue subpoenas, and courts in other member states enforce them. The state that issued your qualifying license has sole authority over tha… - Compact commissions: powers, rules, and transparency: mixed, medium. The law creates a compact commission and lets it adopt rules that carry the force of law in member states. The commission can set fees, hire staff, keep records, and sue or be sued. It must follow public rulemaking with at least 30 days’ notice and hearings, and may adopt emergency rules with 24 ho… - Rules for states to join compacts: mixed, medium. To join and stay in the compacts, a state must pass model‑matching laws, license and oversee the profession, run complaint and investigation systems, share data, and use FBI background checks and fingerprints. Kentucky’s executive and judicial branches enforce the compact. If a state defaults, the… - Shared license database and privacy rules: mixed, medium. The commission runs a shared system with license, compact privilege, denials, and adverse action records. States must send a standard set of data and monitor the system for adverse actions. Certified commission records count as business records in hearings. States can mark some data as nonpublic, a… - Athletic trainer compact commission created: mixed, low. The law creates the Athletic Trainer Licensure Compact Commission. Each member state names one voting commissioner within 60 days, and an executive committee manages work between meetings. The commission can make rules, hire staff, and fund its budget with member‑state assessments and licensee fees… - Commission rulemaking and binding state rules: mixed, low. The commission can adopt rules that bind member states after public notice and a recorded hearing. Legislatures may reject a rule within four years. In emergencies, the commission can post temporary rules with 24 hours' notice and then follow normal steps. States that join later must follow existin… - How compact rules are enforced: mixed, low. State courts and agencies enforce the compact. The commission can be a party in court, and lawsuits follow venue and service rules where the commission is based. The commission must send a cure notice and offer help to any defaulting state; if problems continue, it can vote to end that state’s memb… - How Kentucky implements compact rules: mixed, low. Kentucky lets its athletic trainer licensing office carry out compact rules. When the commission adopts a rule, the office has 60 days to file it as an emergency and ordinary regulation; failure can start withdrawal steps. If a proposed regulation is deficient or conflicts with the compact, the com… - How states join, leave, and continue: mixed, low. The compact starts when a seventh state enacts it. The commission checks each joining state's law for material differences from the model. A state can withdraw, but the exit takes effect 180 days after repeal; it must notify licensees and keep recognizing compact privileges for at least 180 days. I… - How the new compacts run: mixed, low. Each compact sets up a commission, a shared data system, and rules that member states must enforce. The commission can fund its work with state assessments and fees on licensees; Kentucky cannot use the General Fund and must use specified licensing funds. For the respiratory compact, Kentucky must… - If a state leaves: 180‑day grace: mixed, low. A state that repeals a compact must wait 180 days before the exit takes effect. It must tell licensees right away and keep recognizing compact privileges for at least 180 days after notice. The state must keep reporting any pre‑exit investigations and discipline. After termination, the state still… - Kentucky process for dietitian compact rules: mixed, low. Kentucky authorizes its dietetics licensing authority to carry out the compact. When the commission adopts a rule, Kentucky has 60 days to file it as an emergency and ordinary regulation under KRS Chapter 13A. If Kentucky fails to adopt a commission rule or fix a deficient rule, compact default or… - Licensee investigations kept within member states: mixed, low. Current investigative records about a licensee are shared only with other member states. The public and nonmember states cannot see those ongoing investigative details. This increases privacy for licensees but reduces public transparency. - Resolving disputes and using federal courts: mixed, low. If a state asks, the commission must offer mediation and, when needed, binding dispute resolution. For state defaults, the commission must send a cure notice and offer training and technical help. Both the commission and member states can take compact disputes to federal court; the winner gets cost… - Respiratory compact commission and data privacy: mixed, low. The law creates an interstate commission to run the Respiratory Care Compact. The commission can adopt binding rules, manage records, hire staff, and set a budget. Member states must send standard licensure and discipline data into a shared system. States cannot upload federal criminal history reco… - Shared discipline data and privacy rules: mixed, low. Member states must quickly report discipline to the compact data system, which alerts all states. States may run joint investigations and share materials, which stay confidential unless both agree to share them. A state can mark some data as non‑public, and expunged records must be removed. Certifi… - Which rules control under these compacts: mixed, low. The compacts set which rules apply when laws clash. If a state law conflicts with the compact, the compact controls. For athletic trainers, if a court finds a conflict, the state’s scope-of-practice limits still apply in that state. Courts can cancel a commission rule that exceeds the compact. A ma… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Steve Bratcher (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Adam Moore (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Aaron Thompson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Beverly Chester-Burton (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Daniel Grossberg (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Kimberly Poore Moser (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Vanessa Grossl (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-01 | House | passed | pass | 90 | 0 | | | 2026-03-31 | Senate | passed | pass | 37 | 0 | | | 2026-03-03 | House | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 97 | 0 | | ## Actions (30) - 2026-04-06: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 33) - 2026-04-01: delivered to Governor - 2026-04-01: enrolled, signed by President of the Senate (House) - 2026-04-01: enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House (House) - 2026-04-01: passed 90-0 (House) - 2026-04-01: House concurred in Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (2) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (House) - 2026-03-31: posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (2) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2026-03-31: to Rules (H) (House) - 2026-03-31: received in House (House) - 2026-03-31: passed 37-0 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (2) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2026-03-31: floor amendment (1) withdrawn (Senate) - 2026-03-31: 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-03-27: passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day (Senate) - 2026-03-26: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 27 2026 (Senate) - 2026-03-26: floor amendment (2) filed to Committee Substitute (Senate) - 2026-03-24: floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute (Senate) - 2026-03-24: reported favorably, 2nd reading, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) as a consent bill (Senate) - 2026-03-20: returned to Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-20: 1st reading (Senate) - 2026-03-20: taken from Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-13: to Licensing & Occupations (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-04: to Committee on Committees (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-04: received in Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-03: 3rd reading, passed 97-0 with Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2026-03-02: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 03 2026 (House) - 2026-02-26: 2nd reading, to Rules (House) - 2026-02-25: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2026-01-14: to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H) (House) - 2026-01-07: to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2026-01-07: introduced in House (House) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-04-01: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb36/bill.pdf) - Introduced, 2025-10-29: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb36/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related bills - SB 197: AN ACT providing funding and establishing conditions for state government agencies and institutions, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergen… (became law) - SB 133: AN ACT relating to the fiscal reporting of local entities. (signed) - HB 869: AN ACT relating to fiscal matters and declaring an emergency. (signed) - SB 324: AN ACT relating to the entertainment industry. (signed) - SB 66: AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle. (signed) - HB 826: AN ACT relating to education. (signed) ## Sources - [Current (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb36/bill.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb36/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related - [SB 197: AN ACT providing funding and establishing conditions for state government agenc…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB197-2026RS) - [SB 133: AN ACT relating to the fiscal reporting of local entities.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB133-2026RS) - [HB 869: AN ACT relating to fiscal matters and declaring an emergency.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB869-2026RS) - [SB 324: AN ACT relating to the entertainment industry.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB324-2026RS) - [SB 66: AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB66-2026RS) - [HB 826: AN ACT relating to education.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB826-2026RS) - [Kentucky bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky/bills) - [Kentucky state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB36-2026RS (as of 2026-11-01).