[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6659250,"mediaKeyId","2472380-4b59d1e48cd485a097ba34d93036fb1c","parentId",2472380,"title","Senate committee advances bill capping counted sick and personal days for TRS retirement calculations","audioSeconds",1882,"startMs",214000,"endMs",2096000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2472380-4b59d1e48cd485a097ba34d93036fb1c&start=214&end=2096","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2472380-4b59d1e48cd485a097ba34d93036fb1c/thumbnail_214000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6659250/Kentucky/Senate-committee-advances-bill-capping-counted-sick-and-personal-days-for-TRS-retirement-calculations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659250-76ce2f2de17a3627c9f3f547140ac443/orig.mp4?Expires=1777249129&Signature=nipJ61eLYtEiHWLQRBUF27Xa8DJCCpgBI9OL0zfQuV7TNESBBddx4Ov3M8cFeBXlhith1jfy2vLnQ-MF2Q4JGr7~~yA40ZXKuzeYLvb~FC1Wm9iBbESbTj5E4PfGqdrlX8ZyeXPdtyLr-HL0HbuvlFUdzKp0WjVpWw86hstTFRPQFhZ-jgdWKsBoTLVYK-DUGSu4J~M6NxOKqMGphJrFaZlvu~Qo0ngb2TRulM-2t~A~0XLyoyc2JAq2oF7MXEgJXNizx89Jpf3Aiq5MoihPK4pQ7kJOQYncxbmsdS8GjCyxyy1SjyjfMzFz9cl1tGWeAZP~cpH6q2VU35WGVX8DVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kentucky Legislature","date","2025-03-03T17:53:29.397Z","article","The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 9, legislation that would standardize what the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) counts when calculating final compensation for retirement and require new reporting to the system.

Senator Higdon, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure would direct TRS \"to only cover up to 10 sick days and 2 personal days per year in retirement calculations,\" effective July 2026. He said schools may continue to provide additional leave but that districts would be responsible for the actuarial cost of any days counted toward retirement beyond the 12-day limit. The committee adopted the bill; the chair recorded the vote as 10 yeas and the bill passed the committee.

Higdon described the change as part of a broader effort to address TRS funding challenges. He told members the General Assembly has made \"extra $500,000,000 per year contributed beyond the statutory obligations\" to TRS since February 2016 and that projected payments for unfunded liabilities could \"surpass $2,000,000,000 annually.\" He said TRS has experienced \"an annual negative cash flow of over $900,000,000 in recent years.\" He argued the bill will standardize treatment across Kentucky's 177 local school districts and the other agencies that participate in TRS.

The measure also would codify reporting and oversight requirements for participating agencies and co-ops, prohibit rolling annual leave into sick leave for purposes of retirement calculations going forward, and add a 30-day maternity leave provision limited to maternity use only. Higdon said the bill would require TRS to report annual leave and sick-day liabilities yearly and allow school districts to make voluntary contributions to a supplemental account for Tier 4 teachers of up to $5,000 as an incentive.

During committee discussion, Senator Mills asked how districts would be billed for days above the 12-day limit; Higdon answered that after the effective date the district would be responsible for the actuarial cost for any days beyond the 12 days reported to TRS. Mills and others discussed the uncertain per-day actuarial cost; Higdon and other members referenced various illustrative figures but did not settle a definitive statewide per-day number. Higdon offered a hypothetical example of an administrator with a $350,000 salary and 260-day contract; using figures he presented, he calculated a combined lump-sum addition to final compensation of roughly $201,922 from sick and annual leave in that scenario and an estimated additional retirement benefit of about $3,200 per month. Those illustrative numbers were provided by the sponsor to show how leave payout practices can affect retirement calculations.

Senator Mays Bledsoe asked about the bill's maternity leave language and whether it would conflict with counties that already offer paid parental leave. Higdon said his draft specified \"maternity leave\" and that the language and timing (to 2030 in part of the draft) were intended to give districts time to plan; he acknowledged the language could be amended in the normal legislative process.

The committee recorded the final tally as 10 yeas; the chair said the bill \"passes 10 and should do likewise on the floor.\" The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Standing Committee on State & Local Government (3-3-25) - Reupload","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 9, which would limit the number of sick and personal days that the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) may count in retirement calculations to 10 sick days and 2 personal days per year (12 total), and add reporting requirements for participating agencies.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature KY, Kentucky","taxId",77680,"location","Kentucky","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6659255,"Senate committee passes bill requiring jailers to carry ID cards",160,100000,260000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2472380-4b59d1e48cd485a097ba34d93036fb1c&start=100&end=260","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2472380-4b59d1e48cd485a097ba34d93036fb1c/thumbnail_100000.jpg","/articles/6659255/Kentucky/Senate-committee-passes-bill-requiring-jailers-to-carry-ID-cards","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659255-8e6a42d8c8b71cdf013e60b3a1bb0cba/orig.mp4?Expires=1777249129&Signature=kxe7aLZHJdveBPwFJ9h6Z27NB3pvNYwMoyxttNxOeGhQvP71n8~yycEwQVpdTtMN68BIP4Mlc3I1QPVWMVVdQ-85CWRnWam2giStF4w8ixKcwQGVqZBXLuSUilUhs7YotMNCykSuLo6UsU025d4974gkfJndrvhqYl2E-d3yiI4q95~UQb3shkKJI~fitJ4yCmcTDW-NLOg2ku1bTJBW-xlq6f0Lwv4j~S8wUM2CpuK03KIa0ZWn3cD-uAqcycrRlaENZMQZkZDwVqf85GaO93H-NG3MR2bpS6q1z3ZQkO-mOYeRZoJUzxNMa~g2zhn9Qmy9E2dH6v7Q0Snqjd~u3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 193, which would require jailers to carry an identification card when they are outside jail facilities.

The bill, discussed briefly by committee leadership because sponsor Sen. Girdler was absent, was described as straightforward and low-cost. Chair Nimas told the committee the fiscal-impact note included in members' packets was \"pretty much 0.\" The committee adopted the measure on a 9-0 vote.

Committee members offered no substantive debate on the bill during the meeting. The chair said the card would be carried in a wallet and serve as identification when jailers need to be outside the jail. Voting senators recorded as supporting the bill during the roll call included Rocky Adams, Chambers Armstrong, Elkins, Herron, Maiden, Mays Bledsoe, McDaniel, Mills, Rawlings and Tishner; the committee recorded the final tally as 9 yeas, 0 nays, 0 abstentions.

The chair said the bill \"passes 9 0 0, and we expect it through the same on the senate floor.\" The measure now moves to the full Senate for consideration.","The Senate State and Local Government Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 193, which would require jailers to carry an identification card when outside jail facilities; the measure carries no projected fiscal impact, committee members said.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6659247,"Committee adopts substitute and advances bill to create Office of Government Efficiency within Auditor's office",0,2094000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2472380-4b59d1e48cd485a097ba34d93036fb1c&start=2094&end=2094","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2472380-4b59d1e48cd485a097ba34d93036fb1c/thumbnail_2094000.jpg","/articles/6659247/Kentucky/Committee-adopts-substitute-and-advances-bill-to-create-Office-of-Government-Efficiency-within-Auditors-office","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659247-4515a80d71c7fa20e82dca5fedcd39a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1777249129&Signature=EFddRqAI8GtRnjp9sKSHLf2xIeyTD~CEh6t1y-1QxI4ag6Ovimw070u1nVeScAGycGuCEPxFHNXDqtkMcJmttyG1p8Yf3NnSNayAyueTucpAsZznEoFDxGv4~GVYG~g9ozfE3YCieO7rGCBnE09Lj8i7bNftjau5-F00DaFPfhIKFacVYvxsQBv-uhSoE~MJWyVjWc4eQ0JAxhQ6F1IP36TWIlNLL7V6K7kaSIBrQ~faTdNUkygNuS7HbjiKEdVrobbD~TTq-9ZxH0PJGEqnS7~ijYvHXt4VXOQ3DQaRFyK-jgqIP98C7ieARKUrBzTHzojy4HZVFhHoBbRA6ZokHg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted to adopt a committee substitute and advance Senate Bill 257, which would create an Office of Government Efficiency inside the Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts to conduct performance audits, fiscal and operational reviews, and recommend efficiency practices across state government.

Senator Lindsey Tichenor, sponsor of SB 257, and Kentucky State Auditor Allison Ball outlined the proposal. Ball said the authority to perform performance audits already exists in the auditor's office but has been used intermittently; SB 257 would institutionalize and expand that function. Ball described performance audits as governed by auditing standards and said the office would work with the existing Special Exams unit, which she described as a \"small office\" doing targeted work now.

The committee adopted a substitute to provide initial funding authority from the auditor's restricted funds for fiscal year 2025-26 and discussed how additional staffing would be phased in. Ball told the committee the measure would not request appropriations this year; instead it would permit the office to expend more of the restricted funds the auditor's office already generates from audit work. Ball estimated a minimal initial staff and suggested the office might duplicate the current Special Exams staffing of three full-time and three part-time positions to start but said final staffing needs will be clearer after implementation.

Sen. Herron asked about overlap with existing legislative investigatory committees that have subpoena power; Ball and others responded that the auditor's authority to perform audits already exists and that SB 257 would make performance auditing a continuous office responsibility rather than an ad hoc activity. Members asked about fiscal impact, the number of positions needed, and how specific audits would be selected; Ball said audits would be driven in part by requests and the auditor's judgment and that the office expects to seek appropriations in the next budget cycle if needed.

During final action the committee recorded nine yays and one pass; the chair said the bill \"passes\" and is expected to follow the same path on the Senate floor.

The bill establishes auditing and reporting duties for the new office and would give the auditor authority to hire additional staff, to expend restricted funds as authorized, and to seek appropriations and federal grants to support performance-audit work.","The committee adopted a substitute and passed Senate Bill 257 to authorize an Office of Government Efficiency inside the Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts to perform performance audits and recommend efficiency measures; committee recorded 9 yeas and 1 pass.","actionData","errors"]

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Senate committee advances bill capping counted sick and personal days for TRS retirement calculations

Senate committee passes bill requiring jailers to carry ID cards

Committee adopts substitute and advances bill to create Office of Government Efficiency within Auditor's office