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HB 795KENTUCKYSession 2026RSState Billdead

Did Not Advance

Kentucky Bill Requires Condemning Authorities to State Development Purpose and Gives Former Owners Repurchase Rights After Five Years

Original title: AN ACT relating to economic development.

Last action · March 9, 2026: to Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)Sponsor: Josh Branscum

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Kentucky House Bill 795 prohibits governmental units from ing property under specific economic development statutes unless they provide proper public notice with a specific intended use, which must be and proved in court. If the property is not developed within five years for that stated purpose, the former property owner gains the right to repurchase the land at the original acquisition price, alongside recovery of costs and reasonable attorney fees.

Why it matters

Property owners facing potential ation for economic development gain enforceable timelines and the legal right to buy back their land if development stalls, shifting financial accountability back to the condemning authority.

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.

Directly affected

Property owners

Property owners gain the legal right to repurchase condemned land if it remains undeveloped after five years and can recover court costs and attorney fees.

Directly affected

Governmental units

Governmental entities exercising eminent domain must plead and prove specific development purposes and face mandatory land buyback provisions if development timelines are missed.

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 happens if a governmental unit condemns my land for economic development but never builds anything?

If the authority fails to develop the property within five years for the specific purpose stated during ation, you have the right to repurchase the property at the price the authority originally paid.

Can I recover my legal fees if I have to go to court to buy back my condemned land?

Yes, the bill entitles the former property owner to recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees necessary to reacquire the land.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

2 actions

Mar 9, 2026HouseCommittee
to Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)
Mar 2, 2026HouseIntroduced
introduced 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.

Connected Entities

General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

OrganizationGeneral Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky“Enacting body for the legislation”Map →

Sources

Open source document

apps.legislature.ky.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance20
Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz25
Current news / social attention level

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