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HB127 • 2026

AN ACT relating to offender reentry.

AN ACT relating to offender reentry.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
G. Brown Jr.
Last action
2026-01-14
Official status
01/14/26: to Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT relating to offender reentry.

AN ACT relating to offender reentry.

What This Bill Does

  • AN ACT relating to offender reentry.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-14 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    to Economic Development & Workforce Investment (H)

  2. 2026-01-07 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    introduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)

Official Summary Text

AN ACT relating to offender reentry.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 218
Page 1 of 3
XXXX 12/19/2025 9:10 AM Jacketed
AN ACT relating to offender reentry. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 186.417 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) (a) The Transportation Cabinet shall issue to any felony offender, if the felony 4
offender is eligible, released from: 5
1. The Kentucky Department of Corrections;[,] 6
2. A county jail or other local or regional correctional facility ;[, if and 7
when funds are available,] or 8
3. A Federal Bureau of Prisons facility located in Kentucky; 9
on home incarceration, parole, completed service of sentence, shock 10
probation, or pardon, a personal identification card or, if the felony offender is 11
eligible, an operator's license. 12
(b) An offender who wishes to obtain a personal identification card or operator's 13
license shall provide proper documentation to comply with the provisions of 14
this section. 15
(2) Proper documentation under subsection (1) of this section shall consist of: 16
(a) The offender's certificate of birth; 17
(b) A copy of the offender's resident record card and parole certificate or notice of 18
discharge; 19
(c) A photograph of the offender, printed on plastic card or paper; and 20
(d) A release letter that shall contain the offender's: 21
1. Full legal name, subject to the information available to the Kentucky 22
Department of Corrections or a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility 23
located in Kentucky; 24
2. Discharge or [/]release date; 25
3. Signature; 26
4. Social Security number; 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 218
Page 2 of 3
XXXX 12/19/2025 9:10 AM Jacketed
5. Date of birth; 1
6. Present Kentucky address where he or she resides; and 2
7. Physical description. 3
(3) The Transportation Cabinet shall issue to any felony offender, if the felony offender 4
is eligible, probated , or conditionally discharged by the court and under the 5
supervision of the Division of Probation and Parole or the United States Probation 6
Office, a personal identification card or, if the felony offender is eligible, an 7
operator's license. An offender who wishes to obtain a personal identification card 8
or operator's license shall provide proper documentation to comply with the 9
provisions of this section. 10
(4) Proper documentation under subsection (3) of this section shall consist of: 11
(a) The offender's certificate of birth; 12
(b) The offender's sentencing order; 13
(c) A photograph of the offender, printed on plastic card or paper; and 14
(d) A notarized release letter, signed by the supervising officer verifying the 15
offender's status on supervision, that shall contain the offender's: 16
1. Full legal name, subject to the information available to the Division of 17
Probation and Parole or the United States Probation Office; 18
2. Signature; 19
3. Social Security number; 20
4. Date of birth; 21
5. Present Kentucky address where he or she resides; and 22
6. Physical description. 23
(5) The offender shall present the documentation identified in subsection (2) or (4) of 24
this section to the cabinet within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the 25
release letter and shall be responsible for paying the fee for the personal 26
identification card or operator's license pursuant to KRS 186.531. 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 218
Page 3 of 3
XXXX 12/19/2025 9:10 AM Jacketed
(6) The Transportation Cabinet shall promulgate administrative regulations in 1
accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to establish procedures for current inmates in 2
state and federal prisons, who are deemed elig ible by prison officials, to be issued 3
operator's licenses to engage in work release activities or reentry initiatives. The 4
administrative regulations shall address, at a minimum: 5
(a) The information required for application, which shall include all inform ation 6
in paragraph (b) of this subsection that[which] is germane to a current inmate. 7
For purposes of this paragraph, the facility in which the inmate is housed shall 8
be considered the inmate's residence; 9
(b) Required documentation from the Department of C orrections or the Federal 10
Bureau of Prisons that the inmate meets the security criteria to be eligible for 11
work outside of the facility; 12
(c) Procedures for license issuance; and 13
(d) Restrictions on use of the license, including a requirement that the inmat e 14
shall surrender the license to prison officials when the inmate is not engaged 15
in work outside the facility. 16
(7) The cabinet shall process applications for operator's licenses and personal 17
identification cards under this section in the same manner as in KRS 186.412 and 18
186.4122. 19
(8) The Transportation Cabinet may enter into an agreement with the Kentucky 20
Department of Corrections, the United States Probation Office, or the Federal 21
Bureau of Prisons to use a mobile unit to begin the issuance process in this section. 22