Gov. Beshear Signs Legislation To Protect Children, Support Survivors of Sexual Assault and Rape

House Bills 4, 134, 521, 778

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 10, 2026) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear signed House Bills 4, 134, 521 and 778 to better protect children across the commonwealth and to provide more support to survivors of sexual assault and rape.

"We have a sacred duty to protect our fellow Kentuckians - especially our children - and today I am proud to sign legislation that will help us do that," said Gov. Beshear. "From strengthening Kentucky's stalking laws and our state's response to sexual assault to ensuring that grooming is seen as a criminal offense and creating protections for those in foster care, we're working together to make our commonwealth a safer place for all our people."

House Bill 4 establishes the offence of grooming to better protect Kentucky children and hold offenders accountable.

House Bill 134 formalizes the role of a statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE, coordinator to strengthen the state's response to sexual assault cases and better support survivors.

House Bill 521 enhances Kentucky's stalking laws by broadening the scope covered under the law to include social media and more.

House Bill 778 increases child welfare protections in foster care, adoption procedures and more to prohibit placements from being made if someone is on the sex offender registry.

Other 2026 Bill Signings
On Thursday, Gov. Beshear signed several bills to increase safety across the commonwealth including House Bill 5, which provides the framework to create Kentucky's first reentry campus; House Bill 7, which increases safety for students on school buses; and Senate Bill 102, which supports retired Kentucky State Police.

Earlier this week, Gov. Beshear signed legislation supporting different areas of health care including House Bill 393, House Bill 510 and Senate Bill 97, as well as legislation aimed at lowering mortgage and utility costs with Senate Bill 57 and Senate Bill 157. The Governor also signed House Bill 307 to create a proactive admissions program to streamline the application process for students seeking postsecondary and House Bill 642 to increase the amount a retired teacher can earn during reemployment.

On Good Friday, Gov. Beshear signed several bills to better support Kentuckians with special needs and their families: Senate Bill 69, Senate Bill 85 and House Bill 562. On April 2, the Governor signed "Logan's Law" into law with the father of Logan Tipton by his side. The legislation will strengthen Kentucky's sentencing and parole laws to increase safety.

In March, Gov. Beshear signed several bills to support education and safety for Kentuckians. These pieces of legislation included Senate Bill 2, directing school districts to not increase administrator pay greater than the percentage pay increase provided to classroom teachers; Senate Bill 5 encouraging schools to purchase locally grown food; Senate Bill 46, which makes changes to student transportation for increased safety; and House Bill 657, which protects consumers by requiring national and state background checks for specialty providers.

He also signed Senate Bill 145 related to regulations for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and signed Senate Bill 11 into law, establishing a residential safe room rebate program and fund to protect eligible Kentuckians from severe weather.

In February, Gov. Beshear signed Senate Bill 172, which helped lower the cost of utilities for Kentucky families.

The Governor also stood with Kentucky public schools in March and vetoed House Bill 1. Click here for the full veto message.