# Kentucky SB 85: AN ACT relating to designating a special needs trust to receive state-administered retirement benefits. Kentucky SB 85, AN ACT relating to designating a special needs trust to receive state-administered retirement benefits., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Robin L. Webb (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-04-03 (signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 18)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB85-2026RS - 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 85 - State: Kentucky - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT relating to designating a special needs trust to receive state-administered retirement benefits. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-13 - Last action: 2026-04-03, signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 18) - Sponsor: Robin L. Webb (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Judges And Court Commissioners, Public Officers And Employees, Retirement And Pensions, State Agencies, Teachers, Actuarial Analysis - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (126 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Pensions can pay to special needs trusts: benefit, medium. The law lets you name a special needs trust to get your public pension and death benefits. Plans can send monthly checks to the trust when the retiree, survivor, spouse, or dependent is the trust’s sole beneficiary. Judicial members may also split a death benefit between a spouse and children or a… - Special needs trusts get survivor choices: benefit, medium. If a member dies before their first pension check and had a beneficiary on file, a person or a special needs trust can pick the same survivor options. Choices include a lifetime benefit, a Social Security adjustment option, 60‑ or 120‑month certain payments, or a lump‑sum of equal value. This appli… - Broader gainful work rule for disability: cost, medium. The law treats seasonal, volunteer, part‑time, and on‑call work as gainful employment. This can change disability decisions and may reduce or stop disability payments for members who do this work. - Newer judicial members lose survivor rules: cost, medium. If you joined the Judicial Retirement Plan on or after January 1, 2014, the earlier survivor‑child sections do not apply to you. Those survivor‑child benefits are only for members who started before 2014. - Limits for non‑special needs trusts: cost, low. If your beneficiaries are multiple people or a trust that is not a special needs trust, they can choose only fixed 60‑ or 120‑month payouts. The plan uses the member’s age to set the amounts. Special needs trusts are not limited by this rule. - Some post‑2008 contributions not refundable: cost, low. If you started on or after September 1, 2008, employee money placed in a 401(h) health account is not counted in your “accumulated contributions.” That can lower the amount you or your heirs can get back as a refund. - Survivor checks continue for children: mixed, medium. If no spouse survives, the spouse’s monthly check keeps going to the children. It continues until no child is under age 21, or for disabled children, until the last disabled child dies. For these benefits, “disabled” means Social Security has found the person entitled to total disability benefits. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Robin L. Webb (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Danny Carroll (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-27 | House | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 90 | 0 | | | 2026-02-18 | Senate | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 36 | 0 | | ## Actions (19) - 2026-04-03: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 18) - 2026-03-27: delivered to Governor - 2026-03-27: enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House (Senate) - 2026-03-27: enrolled, signed by President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-27: received in Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-27: 3rd reading, passed 90-0 (House) - 2026-03-26: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 27 2026 (House) - 2026-03-20: 2nd reading, to Rules (House) - 2026-03-19: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar (House) - 2026-03-16: to State Government (H) (House) - 2026-02-19: to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2026-02-19: received in House (House) - 2026-02-18: 3rd reading, passed 36-0 (Senate) - 2026-02-13: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Wednesday, February 18 2026 (Senate) - 2026-02-05: 2nd reading, to Rules (Senate) - 2026-02-04: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar (Senate) - 2026-02-02: to State & Local Government (S) (Senate) - 2026-01-13: to Committee on Committees (S) (Senate) - 2026-01-13: introduced in Senate (Senate) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-02-18: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb85/bill.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-02-18: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb85/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 66: AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle. (signed) - HB 826: AN ACT relating to education. (signed) - HB 727: AN ACT relating to education and declaring an emergency. (signed) ## Sources - [Current (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb85/bill.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb85/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 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) - [HB 727: AN ACT relating to education and declaring an emergency.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB727-2026RS) - [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-SB85-2026RS (as of 2026-11-01).