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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky General Assembly Restructures Postsecondary Education Governance, Debt Collection, and Tuition Waiver Rules
Last action · April 14, 2026: received in House to Rules (H) taken from Rules posted for consideration of Governor's veto veto overridden passed 80-17 received in Senate to Rules (S) posted for consideration of Governor's veto veto overridden passed 32-6 received in House enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House enrolled, signed by President of the Senate delivered to Secretary of State (Acts Ch. 171)Sponsors: Shane Baker and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System are required to establish performance evaluation processes for presidents and faculty by January 1, 2026, to take effect July 1, 2026. The legislation prohibits the Council on Postsecondary Education from approving academic programs requiring discriminatory indoctrination and mandates annual debt collection agreements between institutions and the Department of Revenue.
University administrators, board members, and student debtors face altered governance standards, evaluation mandates, and debt collection agreements beginning July 1, 2026.
- The Kentucky General Assembly enacts state laws and statutory revisions affecting higher education governance, public universities, and administrative procedures across the Commonwealth. context
- HB 379 underwent legislative consideration during the regular session, resulting in a veto override by the General Assembly in April 2026. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
public postsecondary education institutions
Universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System must comply with updated governance, board orientation, program approval, and debt collection mandates.
Council on Postsecondary Education
The council assumes modified oversight duties, administrative regulations, and reporting requirements following the repeal of advisory committees.
Department of Revenue
The department must enter into annual memoranda of agreement with public postsecondary institutions for collecting enrollment-related and liquidated debts.
university faculty and staff
Faculty members and nonteaching personnel are subject to new four-year performance and productivity evaluation processes and updated board representation rules.
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 changes are made to university board evaluations under HB 379?
How are student debts and enrollment-related debts handled between universities and the state?
What body was eliminated by the repeal provisions in the bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Became law over the governor's veto.
Procedural history
15 actions- Apr 14, 2026Housereceived in House to Rules (H) taken from Rules posted for consideration of Governor's veto veto overridden passed 80-17 received in Senate to Rules (S) posted for consideration of Governor's veto veto overridden passed 32-6 received in House enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House enrolled, signed by President of the Senate delivered to Secretary of State (Acts Ch. 171)
- Apr 6, 2026HouseVetoed
- Mar 26, 2026HouseEnrolledreceived in House enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House enrolled, signed by President of the Senate delivered to Governor
- Mar 25, 2026HouseFloor3rd reading, passed 38-0
- Mar 24, 2026Houseposted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Wednesday, March 25 2026
- Mar 20, 2026HouseFloor2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill
Show 9 earlier actions
- Mar 19, 2026Housereported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar
- Mar 18, 2026SenateCommitteeto Education (S)
- Feb 17, 2026SenateIntroducedreceived in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)
- Feb 13, 2026HouseFloor3rd reading, passed 92-0 with Committee Substitute (1)
- Feb 12, 2026Houseposted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, February 13 2026
- Feb 4, 2026HouseFloor2nd reading, to Rules
- Feb 3, 2026Housereported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
- Jan 22, 2026HouseCommitteeto Postsecondary Education (H)
- Jan 14, 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.
Mandatory Four-Year Evaluations
The legislation institutes a formal statutory requirement for periodic four-year performance and productivity evaluations for university presidents and faculty.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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