Important Pro-Family Bills from 2025 General Assembly Now In Effect

On June 27, bills that the 2025 General Assembly passed without emergency clauses went into effect, which was 90 days after the legislature adjourned on March 28.

This included notable pro-family legislation supported by The Family Foundation: HB 4, SB 2, parts of HB 90, HB 208, SB 181, and SB 19.

• HB 4 from Rep. Jennifer Decker bans and defunds harmful and discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at Kentucky’s public colleges and universities. The bill requires the general counsel of each institution to certify compliance with HB 4. HB 4 also bans mandatory diversity training and protects the free speech rights of students, faculty, and staff. The bill allows the Kentucky Attorney General to bring an action to enforce the provisions of HB 4. HB 4 passed the House 81-19 and the Senate 32-6.

• SB 2 from Sen. Mike Wilson bans and defunds gender “transitions” for prisoners. This legislation came about after Gov. Andy Beshear attempted to create a regulation providing a path for prisoners to receive gender “transition” hormones and/or surgeries. The regulation also admitted that the administration had been performing these interventions on prisoners for years without telling the General Assembly. SB 2 passed the House 81-15-1 and the Senate 32-6.

• The portions of HB 90 from Rep. Jason Nemes that related to Freestanding Birthing Centers did not have an emergency clause and went into effect on the 27^th. These provisions finally legalize the centers and give women another option to consider for their maternal healthcare needs. These centers will also provide lower cost options for women with low-risk pregnancies. The House overrode the governor’s veto of HB 90 79-20. The Senate overrode the governor’s veto 31-7.

• HB 208 from Rep. Josh Bray requires local school districts to adopt a policy that bans cell phones from classrooms unless the phones are used for an educational purpose. The bill also requires all schools to ban access to social media websites on school Wi-Fi. Students should be focused on learning the basics of math, reading, and writing, not on harmful social media trends. HB 208 passed the House 99-1 and the Senate 36-0.

• SB 181 from Sen. Lindsey Tichenor requires school employees and volunteers to obtain parental consent before communicating with students on unmonitored messaging services and apps. The need for this bill emerged after several instances of inappropriate communication between students and school employees emerged in recent years. SB 181 passed the House 100-0 and the Senate 37-1.

• SB 19 from Sen. Rick Girdler requires schools to implement a mandatory 1-minute moment of silence at the beginning of every school day. Students may use this time for prayer, but they are not required to do so. SB 19 also clarified the availability of religious release time for public school students. Under this policy, students may use 1 hour of school time every week to attend optional Bible classes off campus. The House overrode the governor’s veto on SB 19 76-18. The Senate overrode the governor’s veto 29-9.