# Kentucky SB 185: AN ACT relating to Kentucky State University and declaring an emergency. Kentucky SB 185, AN ACT relating to Kentucky State University and declaring an emergency., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Christian McDaniel (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 120)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB185-2026RS - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kentucky SB 185 - State: Kentucky - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT relating to Kentucky State University and declaring an emergency. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-11 - Last action: 2026-04-13, signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 120) - Sponsor: Christian McDaniel (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Budget And Financial Administration, Courts, Actuarial Analysis - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (165 yes, 1 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - KSU can cut staff during emergency: cost, high. During the financial emergency, the KSU president can terminate any employee, including tenured faculty, with 30 days’ notice. KSU keeps only the staff needed to support at least 1,000 in‑person students and the approved programs. Employees in closed programs are terminated but may apply for other… - Stricter KSU debt collection and holds: cost, medium. If you owe KSU more than $1,000 and it is over 60 days late, you cannot enroll or stay enrolled. Debts over $1,000 and more than 90 days late are sent to the Department of Revenue for collection. Your state and federal tax refunds can be used to pay these debts. The Department of Revenue must accep… - KSU under five-year financial oversight: cost, medium. The law declares a financial emergency at KSU for five years. KSU cannot make or sign any obligation of $20,000 or more without prior approval from the Council on Postsecondary Education. KSU may not run a budget deficit. KSU must send monthly financial reports to the Council, and the Council sends… - Ban on contracts with KSU lessees: cost, low. Any organization, or its members or officers, that entered a public‑private lease with KSU cannot do business with KSU or other Kentucky state agencies after the law takes effect. Any such contract signed or renewed after that date is void. - KSU shifts to polytechnic, trims programs: mixed, medium. KSU is now a four‑year residential polytechnic and remains Kentucky’s public HBCU, with a focus on applied, workforce‑aligned learning. The board must, by June 1, 2026, list programs to keep and programs to close or change, with teach‑out plans. Substantive accreditation changes must be sent to SAC… - Tighter KSU admissions with discretion: mixed, medium. KSU admits new undergraduates only if they have at least a 2.5 unweighted high school GPA and an ACT of 18 (or an equivalent test score). There are alternative paths for some transfers, veterans, some nonpublic-school graduates, nontraditional students with experience, and dual‑credit students. Whi… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Christian McDaniel (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Danny Carroll (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-01 | House | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 90 | 1 | | | 2026-04-01 | Senate | passed | pass | 37 | 0 | | | 2026-03-26 | Senate | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 38 | 0 | | ## Actions (39) - 2026-04-13: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 120) - 2026-04-01: delivered to Governor - 2026-04-01: enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House (Senate) - 2026-04-01: enrolled, signed by President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-04-01: passed 37-0 (Senate) - 2026-04-01: Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (1) (Senate) - 2026-04-01: posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2026-04-01: to Rules (S) (Senate) - 2026-04-01: received in Senate (Senate) - 2026-04-01: 3rd reading, passed 90-1 with Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2026-04-01: floor amendment (14) filed to Committee Substitute (House) - 2026-04-01: placed in the Orders of the Day (House) - 2026-04-01: taken from Rules (House) - 2026-04-01: reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) (House) - 2026-03-31: floor amendments (1), (2-title), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12) and (13) filed (House) - 2026-03-31: returned to Appropriations & Revenue (H) (House) - 2026-03-31: 2nd reading (House) - 2026-03-31: taken from Appropriations & Revenue (H) (House) - 2026-03-26: to Appropriations & Revenue (H) (House) - 2026-03-26: returned to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2026-03-26: 1st reading (House) - 2026-03-26: taken from Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2026-03-26: to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2026-03-26: received in House (House) - 2026-03-26: 3rd reading, passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2026-03-25: floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute (Senate) - 2026-03-25: passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day (Senate) - 2026-03-25: placed in the Orders of the Day (Senate) - 2026-03-25: taken from Rules (Senate) - 2026-03-25: reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2026-03-20: returned to Appropriations & Revenue (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-20: 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-03-20: taken from Appropriations & Revenue (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-19: returned to Appropriations & Revenue (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-19: 1st reading (Senate) - 2026-03-19: taken from Appropriations & Revenue (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-19: to Appropriations & Revenue (S) (Senate) - 2026-02-11: to Committee on Committees (S) (Senate) - 2026-02-11: introduced in Senate (Senate) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-04-01: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb185/bill.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-02-11: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb185/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/sb185/bill.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb185/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-SB185-2026RS (as of 2026-11-01).