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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky Bill Prohibits Firing Crime-Victim Employees for Attending Legal Proceedings and Mandates Strict Employer Confidentiality
Last action · January 13, 2026: to Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)Sponsors: Lindsey Burke and 2 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky HB 29 prohibits employers from discharging, discriminating, or retaliating against employees who are crime victims and take leave to attend court or legal proceedings associated with the prosecution of the crime. Employees must provide reasonable notice or submit documentation within two business days after returning to work, and employers must maintain the strict confidentiality of all leave-related communications and records.
Crime-victim employees gain legal protection from workplace retaliation and job loss while participating in criminal justice proceedings, while employers face civil penalties ranging from $100 to $1,000 per offense, private lawsuits for actual and reputational damages, and court-ordered for violations.
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.
Crime-victim employees
Employees who are crime victims gain legal protection from discharge or retaliation when taking leave to attend legal proceedings, alongside mandatory record confidentiality.
Kentucky employers
Employers are mandated to grant leave upon proper notice, keep leave records strictly confidential, and face civil penalties and private lawsuits for violations.
Education and Labor Cabinet
The cabinet is charged with imposing civil penalties for violations of the chapter provisions.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What notice must an employee give before taking leave for a court proceeding?
Can an employer require an employee to use paid sick or vacation time for this leave?
What penalties do employers face for violating these leave rules?
What else do you want to know?
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 13, 2026HouseCommitteeto Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)
- Jan 6, 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Crime Victim Workplace Protections
The bill integrates specific anti-retaliation and confidentiality protections directly into existing wage and labor statutes enforced by the Education and Labor Cabinet.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 70)
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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