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HB221 • 2026

AN ACT relating to severe weather emergency alerts.

AN ACT relating to severe weather emergency alerts.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
A. Tackett Laferty
Last action
2026-01-14
Official status
01/14/26: to Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection (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 severe weather emergency alerts.

AN ACT relating to severe weather emergency alerts.

What This Bill Does

  • AN ACT relating to severe weather emergency alerts.

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 Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection (H)

  2. 2026-01-07 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    introduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)

Official Summary Text

AN ACT relating to severe weather emergency alerts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 263
Page 1 of 2
XXXX 11/24/2025 9:36 AM Jacketed
AN ACT relating to severe weather emergency alerts. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 39A IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
(1) The Division of Emergency Management, in cooperation with the Department of 5
Kentucky State Police, the Transportation Cabinet, the Kentucky Broadcasters 6
Association, and the Kentucky Press Association, shall operate a system to notify 7
the public when severe weather presents an imminent threat to the safety of the 8
public. The system shall be known as the Kentucky Severe Weather Alert System. 9
(2) The system shall utilize existing resources, including but not limited to electronic 10
highway signs, the emergency broadcast system, law enforcement 11
communications systems, and local, regional, and statewide media providers. 12
(3) The division shall only issue a public alert using th e Kentucky Severe Weather 13
Alert System when, in consultation with the law enforcement agency in the 14
jurisdiction in which the severe weather is forecasted to occur, it has determined: 15
(a) That the severe weather presents an imminent threat to the safety of 16
humans, animals, or infrastructure in the affected area; 17
(b) That public notification is the most appropriate method of notifying the 18
public of the severe weather threat; 19
(c) The geographic area in which the notification shall be made; and 20
(d) That a severe weather alert has not already been made by the National 21
Weather Service or any other federal alerting authority for that geographic 22
area for the same severe weather threat. 23
(4) To initiate the public notification using the Kentucky Severe Weather Alert 24
System, the division shall alert the public and private agenci es and organizations 25
making the notification and shall provide those agencies and organizations with 26
the information that the division deems necessary. 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 263
Page 2 of 2
XXXX 11/24/2025 9:36 AM Jacketed
(5) All law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth shall cooperate with the 1
division in the provision and dissemination of information regarding any severe 2
weather. 3