# Kentucky HB 6: AN ACT relating to child care and declaring an emergency. Kentucky HB 6, AN ACT relating to child care and declaring an emergency., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Samara Heavrin (Republican); status became law, last action 2026-04-14 (became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 146)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB6-2026RS - 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 6 - State: Kentucky - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT relating to child care and declaring an emergency. - Status: became law - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-02-02 - Last action: 2026-04-14, became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 146) - Sponsor: Samara Heavrin (Republican) - Cosponsors: 26 - Subjects: Business Entities And Organizations, Children And Minors, Economic Development, Local Government, Reports Mandated, State Agencies, Witnesses - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (203 yes, 22 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 16 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Child-care workers get income ignored for aid: benefit, high. The Cabinet may exclude all earned and unearned income when deciding Child Care Assistance Program eligibility for people who meet non-income rules and work in, or own and operate, specified licensed or certified child-care settings. This applies only if funds are available and federal law allows.… - Easier path to open microcenters: benefit, medium. The cabinet must make the microcenter application quick and efficient, with a cost‑effective fee. When reviewing eligible applications, it gives priority to centers in opportunity zones or rural areas, those serving nontraditional work hours, and those tied to employers, schools, or faith groups. - Monthly public database of child care: benefit, medium. Starting December 1, 2026, the state publishes a monthly, searchable database of licensed and certified child-care, Head Start, DoD child care, and state-funded preschool. It shows provider name, address, license type, capacity, staffing, half- or full-day, and enrollment by age if available, or es… - Communities can earn child care certification: benefit, medium. The cabinet runs a Certified Child Care Community program. To get certified, local governments must form a child‑care task force, make a plan, and fix local rule barriers. The cabinet starts taking applications on or after January 1, 2028, and must decide within 30 days. Governments can apply toget… - Therapists allowed at child-care sites: benefit, low. If your child has an IFSP or IEP and you give written notice describing the services, the child-care provider must allow the diagnostician, therapist, or interventionist on site. The law does not require local school staff to deliver services at the site. - License relief for short programs: benefit, low. Preschool programs that run no more than 20 hours a week are fully exempt if each child attends 10 hours or less a week. If a child attends 11–15 hours a week, the program must tell the cabinet in writing and do staff background and TB checks; other licensing rules do not apply. Out‑of‑school progr… - Faster Certified Child Care Community applications: benefit, low. Local applicants no longer need area development district approval before applying for Certified Child Care Community status. They can apply directly to the state cabinet, speeding the process. - No corporal punishment in child care: benefit, low. Licensed centers and certified family child-care homes may not use corporal physical discipline, such as spanking, shaking, or paddling. Quick contact to prevent immediate danger is still allowed. - Income-based employer child care match: mixed, high. The Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership uses an income-based state match on employer child-care help. At or below 100% of the state median income, the state matches up to 100% of the employer amount; the match drops by 10 points every 20% of income up to 180%; above 180% the match is 50%. A… - New microcenters, but tight caps and rules: mixed, medium. The law creates child-care microcenters (4–24 children, more than 3 hours a day) with safety and training standards. The Cabinet must issue rules by July 1, 2027. Applications open no earlier than July 1, 2027, and the Cabinet must decide within 90 days. Only experienced providers (3+ years license… - More training rules for child‑care staff: mixed, medium. New staff and owners who provide care must finish six hours of orientation within three months. All must complete six hours of child development training each year. They must also take 1.5 hours on abusive head trauma once every five years. Each year from July 1 to June 30, licensed providers need… - Cost-based rates for child-care subsidies: mixed, medium. The Cabinet must seek federal approval to use a cost model to set child-care payment rates starting with the FFY 2028–2030 plan. The model looks at provider type, hours, ages served, location, quality level, staff pay and benefits, facility costs, training, and supplies. The Cabinet must consult th… - New enforcement rules for child-care centers: mixed, low. When reviewing alleged violations, the Cabinet must weigh factors like self-reporting and corrective actions. During a six‑month probation, it will not issue violations unless directions were knowingly ignored or there is an immediate threat. Centers get five business days to provide requested docu… - Stronger safety checks and center support: mixed, low. Directors and staff who supervise or have direct contact with children must get a criminal record check. Probationary hires may start work, but the check must be requested no later than their first day. The cabinet conducts all inspections without advance notice. Centers on a six‑month preliminary… - Flexible microcenter operations and variances: mixed, low. Microcenters do not have to provide meals or transportation. Playgrounds are optional, but active play plans are required. Capacity in mixed-age care is set by the youngest child. Providers can request one site-specific variance per year if it does not harm child health or safety, and only one vari… - Update and guardrails for quality ratings: mixed, low. By October 1, 2026, the Cabinet must set quality standards for certified family homes and Type II centers. By October 1, 2026, the Cabinet must file a plan to modernize the quality rating system, with final recommendations due December 1, 2027. The Cabinet cannot change the rating program unless th… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Samara Heavrin (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Amy Neighbors (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Beverly Chester-Burton (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Daniel Grossberg (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: David Meade (Republican), House - Cosponsor: David W. Osborne (Republican), House - Cosponsor: DJ Johnson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: George Brown Jr. (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Josh Branscum (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jason Nemes (Republican), House - Cosponsor: J.T. Payne (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Kevin Jackson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Kimberly Poore Moser (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Mike Clines (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Michael Sarge Pollock (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Ryan Bivens (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Robert Duvall (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Steve Bratcher (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Stephanie Dietz (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Scott Lewis (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Shawn McPherson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Susan Witten (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Tony Hampton (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Vanessa Grossl (Republican), House - Cosponsor: William Lawrence (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Walker Thomas (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Wade Williams (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-31 | Senate | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 36 | 1 | | | 2026-03-31 | House | passed | pass | 83 | 10 | | | 2026-02-17 | House | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 84 | 11 | | ## Actions (27) - 2026-04-14: became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 146) - 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) - 2026-03-31: passed 83-10 (House) - 2026-03-31: House concurred in Floor Amendments (1) and (2) (House) - 2026-03-31: posted for passage for concurrence in Senate floor amendments (1) and (2) (Senate) - 2026-03-31: to Rules (H) (House) - 2026-03-31: received in House (House) - 2026-03-31: 3rd reading, passed 36-1 with Floor Amendments (1) and (2) (Senate) - 2026-03-27: passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day (Senate) - 2026-03-26: floor amendment (2) filed (Senate) - 2026-03-26: passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day (Senate) - 2026-03-24: floor amendment (1) filed (Senate) - 2026-03-24: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 26 2026 (Senate) - 2026-03-11: 2nd reading, to Rules (Senate) - 2026-03-10: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-06: to Families & Children (S) (Senate) - 2026-02-18: to Committee on Committees (S) (Senate) - 2026-02-18: received in Senate (Senate) - 2026-02-17: 3rd reading, passed 84-11 with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (House) - 2026-02-13: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, February 17 2026 (House) - 2026-02-13: 2nd reading, to Rules (House) - 2026-02-12: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (House) - 2026-02-09: to Families & Children (H) (House) - 2026-02-02: to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2026-02-02: introduced in House (House) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-03-31: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb6/bill.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-02-02: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb6/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/hb6/bill.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb6/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-HB6-2026RS (as of 2026-11-01).