Kentucky Senate votes to extend line‑of‑duty death benefits to search‑and‑rescue volunteers

The Kentucky Senate voted to pass Senate Bill 47 on Feb. 18, 2026, a measure intended to provide line‑of‑duty death benefits for search‑and‑rescue volunteers.

Sponsor remarks explained that the bill recognizes volunteers who respond to natural disasters and emergencies across the Commonwealth, including searches in the Red River Gorge, river swift‑water rescues along the Ohio River and responses to floods and tornadoes. The senator from Harden said the volunteers are "amazingly trained" and stressed the proposal would ensure their families "have the same benefits that our firemen, our policemen, our EMTs, and our other emergency responders have available to them."

The clerk called the roll for final passage; the transcript records a unanimous recorded outcome with 36 ayes and no nays. The Senate declared Senate Bill 47 passed.

Supporters framed the bill as a parity and family‑support measure for volunteers who receive training and frequently face hazardous conditions. There was no recorded formal opposition on the floor in the captured segments.

The bill now moves forward according to the Senate's rules for enactment and any subsequent enrollment or delivery steps recorded by the clerk.