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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky House Bill 445 appropriates $256.1 million for a 2% retirement cost-of-living increase for retired state employees
Last action · January 29, 2026: to State Government (H)Sponsors: Erika Hancock and 2 others
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What This Bill Proposed
AN ACT relating to a cost-of-living increase to the retirement benefits for retired state employees, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergency.
- The General Assembly of Kentucky passes legislation affecting state-administered pension systems, including the Kentucky Employees Retirement System and the State Police Retirement System. context
- The Budget Reserve Trust Fund Account serves as Kentucky's rainy-day fund, holding surplus general revenues for legislative appropriations. 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 nonhazardous position recipients
Receive a 2% increase in their monthly retirement allowances effective July 1, 2026.
Kentucky Employees Retirement System hazardous position recipients
Receive a 2% increase in their monthly retirement allowances effective July 1, 2026.
State Police Retirement System recipients
Receive a 2% increase in their monthly retirement allowances effective July 1, 2026.
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority
Receives appropriations totaling $256,100,000 to apply to the retirement funds.
Key Facts
- Appropriates $221,400,000 from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund Account to the Kentucky Employees Retirement Fund for a 2% increase in monthly retirement allowances for nonhazardous position recipients.
- Appropriates $18,700,000 from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund Account to the Kentucky Employees Retirement Fund for a 2% increase in monthly retirement allowances for hazardous position recipients.
- Appropriates $16,000,000 from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund Account to the State Police Retirement Fund for a 2% increase in monthly retirement allowances for State Police Retirement System recipients.
- Sets the effective date for the 2% retirement allowance increases as July 1, 2026, for fiscal year 2026-2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the 2% retirement allowance increase?
Where does the funding for these increases come from?
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 29, 2026HouseCommitteeto State Government (H)
- Jan 21, 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.
Resumption of Pension Cost-of-Living Adjustments
The legislation addresses a prolonged gap in cost-of-living increases, noting that retired members have not received an adjustment since fiscal year 2011-2012.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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