Kentucky Senate Bill 138

---

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 4)
Status: Introduced on January 29 2026 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2026-03-13 - 2nd reading, to Rules
Pending: Senate Rules Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 507 to establish the offense of child abuse homicide as a capital offense; amend KRS 199.896 to require licensed child-care centers to maintain video surveillance of all public areas within the facility and retain video footage for 90 days; amend KRS 507.030 to increase the age of a child victim of manslaughter in the first degree from 12 or under to under 18; amend KRS 507.040 to increase the penalty of manslaughter in the second degree from a Class C to a Class B felony if the victim is under the age of 18; amend KRS 508.100 to add knowingly as a mental state of a person guilty of criminal abuse in the first degree; increase the age of a victim from under age 12 to under age 18; increase the penalty of criminal abuse in the first degree from a Class C to a Class B felony and from a Class B to a Class A felony if the victim is under the age of 18; amend KRS 508.110 to increase the age of a victim of criminal abuse in the second degree from age 12 or less to under 18; increase the penalty from a Class D to a Class C felony; amend KRS 508.120 to increase the age of a victim of criminal abuse in the third degree from age 12 or less to under 18; increase the penalty from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony; amend KRS 532.025, relating to aggravating circumstances in death penalty eligible cases, to increase the age of a victim of an intentional killing from under 12 to under 18; amend KRS 625.090 to create a rebuttable presumption that parental rights must be terminated if a parent has been convicted of a felony involving serious physical injury to any child or convicted of causing or contributing to the death of a child as a result of abuse; provide that the Act may be cited as Jayden's Law.

AN ACT relating to the protection of children.

Sen. Brandon Smith [R]

Sen. Scott Madon [R]

Sen. Matt Nunn [R]

Sen. Lindsey Tichenor [R]

Date	Chamber	Action
2026-03-13	Senate	2nd reading, to Rules
2026-03-12	Senate	reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
2026-02-11	Senate	to Judiciary (S)
2026-01-29	Senate	to Committee on Committees (S)
2026-01-29	Senate	introduced in Senate

Type	Source
Summary	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb138.html
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb138/orig_bill.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB138/SCS1.pdf
Supplement	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/note/26RS/sb138/SCS1CI.pdf
Amendment	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/SB138/SCA1.pdf
Supplement	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/note/26RS/sb138/CI.pdf