Kentucky Senate Bill 17 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 8-0)
Status: Passed on March 16 2017 - 100% progression
Action: 2017-03-16 - signed by Governor (Acts, ch. 15)
Text: Latest bill text (Draft #2) [PDF]

Amend KRS 158.183 to permit students to voluntarily express religious or political viewpoints in school assignments free from discrimination; require local boards of education to ensure that the selection of student speakers is made in a viewpoint-neutral manner, the student's prepared remarks are not altered before delivery without student's consent, religious and political organizations are allowed equal access to public forums on the same basis as nonreligious and nonpolitical organizations, and no recognized religious or political student organization is discriminated against in the ordering of its internal affairs; allow students to display religious messages on items of clothing, access public school facilities during noninstructional time as a religious student organization, use school media to announce student religious meetings, and meet as a religious student group during noninstructional time and before and after school to the same extent as students undertaking such actions in a nonreligious manner; permit public schools to sponsor artistic or theatrical programs that advance students' knowledge of society's cultural and religious heritage; create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to allow a teacher to teach about religion with the use of the Bible or other scripture without providing religious instruction, and to teach about religious holidays in a secular manner; amend KRS 158.186 to require annual notification to local school boards, school-based decision making councils, and certified employees of statutes pertaining to religious freedom and expression in schools; create a new section of KRS Chapter 164 to require public postsecondary education institution governing boards to ensure that students are permitted to voluntarily express religious or political viewpoints in assignments free from discrimination, the selection of student speakers is made in a viewpoint-neutral manner, the student's prepared remarks are not altered before delivery without the student's consent, religious and political organizations are allowed equal access to public forums on the same basis as nonreligious and nonpolitical organizations, no recognized religious or political student organization is discriminated against in the ordering of its internal affairs, and there are no restrictions on speech that occurs outdoors on campus and is protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, except for restrictions that are reasonable, justified without reference to speech content, narrowly tailored to serve governmental interest, and limited to provide alternative options for the communication of the information.

AN ACT relating to the expression of religious or political viewpoints in public schools and public postsecondary institutions.

Sen. Albert Robinson [R]	Sen. Danny Carroll [R]	Sen. C.B. Embry [R]	Sen. Rick Girdler [R]
Sen. Dan Seum [R]	Sen. Damon Thayer [R]	Sen. Mike Wilson [R]	Sen. George Wise [R]

Date	Chamber	Action
2017-03-16	Senate	signed by Governor (Acts, ch. 15)
2017-03-06	Senate	delivered to Governor
2017-03-06	Senate	enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
2017-03-06	Senate	enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
2017-03-06	Senate	received in Senate
2017-03-06	House	3rd reading, passed 81-8
2017-03-02	House	posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 3, 2017
2017-03-01	House	2nd reading, to Rules
2017-02-28	House	reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
2017-02-27	House	posted in committee
2017-02-21	House	to Education (H)
2017-02-10	House	received in House
2017-02-10	Senate	3rd reading, passed 31-3 with Committee Substitute and floor amendment (1)
2017-02-09	Senate	floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute
2017-02-09	Senate	posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, February 10, 2017
2017-02-09	Senate	reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute
2017-01-07	Senate	to Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection (S)
2017-01-04	Senate	returned to Committee on Committees (S)
2017-01-04	Senate	2nd reading
2017-01-04	Senate	taken from Committee on Committees (S)
2017-01-03	Senate	returned to Committee on Committees (S)
2017-01-03	Senate	1st reading
2017-01-03	Senate	taken from Committee on Committees (S)
2017-01-03	Senate	introduced in Senate

Type	Source
Summary	http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/17RS/SB17.htm
Text	http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/17RS/SB17/bill.pdf
Amendment	http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/17RS/SB17/SCS1.pdf
Amendment	http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/17RS/SB17/SFA1.pdf
Supplement	http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/17RS/SB17/vote_history.pdf