The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky HB 585 repeals right-to-work provisions and labor code penalties while maintaining union dues restrictions
Last action · February 13, 2026: to Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)Sponsors: Adrielle Camuel and 6 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky House Bill 585 removes previous statutory prohibitions that banned mandatory union membership and the collection of agency fees as a condition of employment. The measure repeals criminal misdemeanor penalties and civil damages for violations of workplace freedom rules while retaining requirements for written employee authorization for union membership and payroll dues deductions.
Alters the legal framework governing labor-management relations across public and private sectors in Kentucky, changing the rules for how labor organizations collect dues and enroll members, and removing criminal penalties for workplace freedom 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.
Employees
Labor organizations
Labor organizations are subject to updated financial recordkeeping, electronic storage rules, and annual reporting mandates, while gaining the ability to negotiate agreements requiring union security arrangements.
Public employers
Public employers are affected by the removal of explicit statutory bans on making payroll deductions for labor organization charges.
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
Does HB 585 still require employees to give written consent to join a union?
What criminal and civil penalties are removed by this bill?
What financial recordkeeping rules apply to labor organizations under the measure?
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- Feb 13, 2026HouseCommitteeto Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)
- Feb 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.
Repeal of Right-to-Work Statutes
HB 585 systematically rolls back previous restrictions on union security agreements and associated criminal penalties enacted in prior legislative sessions.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy90Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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