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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky bill grants one-time supplemental retirement payment and appropriates $96 million
Last action · January 23, 2026: to Appropriations & Revenue (H)Sponsors: James Tipton and 47 others
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What This Bill Proposed
AN ACT relating to a supplemental payment for recipients of a monthly retirement allowance from the systems administered by the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergency.
- The Kentucky Public Pensions Authority administers retirement systems for state, state police, and county government employees in Kentucky. context
- Cost-of-living adjustments for public pension recipients in Kentucky have been limited or absent in recent years, prompting legislative proposals for supplemental payments. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Kentucky Employees Retirement System retirees
State Police Retirement System retirees
County Employees Retirement System retirees
Retirees may receive a one-time supplemental payment if the board elects to authorize it through increased employer contribution rates.
Key Facts
- Retirees of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System and State Police Retirement System retired for at least 12 months receive a one-time supplemental payment in July 2026 equal to their June 2026 monthly allowance.
- The Act appropriates $96,000,000 in fiscal year 2026-2027 from the Kentucky Permanent Pension Fund to the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority.
- Out of the appropriation, $84,000,000 is allocated to the Kentucky Employees Retirement Fund for nonhazardous service positions.
- An amount of $7,000,000 is allocated to the Kentucky Employees Retirement Fund for hazardous service positions.
Show all 8 facts
- An amount of $5,000,000 is allocated to the State Police Retirement Fund.
- The Board of Trustees of the County Employees Retirement System may elect to provide a matching one-time supplemental payment to its eligible retirees.
- If the County Employees Retirement System board provides the payment, it must fund it by increasing employer contribution rates effective July 1, 2027, for one or two years.
- An emergency is declared because retired members and beneficiaries have not received a cost-of-living adjustment since fiscal year 2011-2012.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the one-time supplemental retirement payment?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 23, 2026HouseCommitteeto Appropriations & Revenue (H)
- Jan 15, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 43 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Targeted One-Time Pension Supplement
The measure bypasses permanent cost-of-living adjustments in favor of a one-time supplemental payment funded by a $96 million appropriation and contingent local increases.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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