---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to immunity from criminal liability for health care providers."
description: "Create a new section of KRS Chapter 311 to define \"health care provider\" and \"health services\"; establish that health care providers are immune from criminal liability for harm arising from a health services-related act or omission other than gross negligence or wanton, willful, malicious, or intentional misconduct."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2024RS"
identifier: "HB 159"
citation: "Kentucky HB 159 (2024RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Attorney", "Commonwealth's", "Crimes and Punishments", "Emergency Medical Services", "Health and Medical Services", "Hospitals and Nursing Homes", "Nurses", "Occupations and Professions", "Optometrists", "Pharmacists", "Physicians and Practitioners"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["A. Neighbors", "D. Bentley", "D. Elliott", "D. Lewis", "J. Nemes", "K. Bratcher", "K. Moser", "P. Flannery", "R. Duvall", "R. Raymer", "W. Williams"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 22
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-01-04T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2024-03-26T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e1a41d2c-d9de-4c37-86f4-22bf630a78ff"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24RS/hb159.html"
source_hash: "46510b25db6780415619dd46bee7caad0c4337b2fb5b9ef2be6424464e1c97b0"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ky"]
---

# Kentucky HB 159 (2024RS) — AN ACT relating to immunity from criminal liability for health care providers.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 311 to define "health care provider" and "health services"; establish that health care providers are immune from criminal liability for harm arising from a health services-related act or omission other than gross negligence or wanton, willful, malicious, or intentional misconduct.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/24RS/hb159/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 12** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/24RS/documents/0012.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/24RS/hb159/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- PASS HB 159 — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Pass — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- A. Neighbors — primary (person)
- D. Bentley — primary (person)
- D. Elliott — primary (person)
- D. Lewis — primary (person)
- J. Nemes — primary (person)
- K. Bratcher — primary (person)
- K. Moser — primary (person)
- P. Flannery — primary (person)
- R. Duvall — primary (person)
- R. Raymer — primary (person)
- W. Williams — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-01-04T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in House `introduction`
- **2024-01-04T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-30T05:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-31T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-01T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2024-02-05T05:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, February 06, 2024
- **2024-02-06T05:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2024-02-08T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 94-0 with Floor Amendment (1) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-09T05:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2024-02-09T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-16T05:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (S) `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-29T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-01T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2024-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 15, 2024
- **2024-03-15T04:00:00+00:00** passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day `passage`
- **2024-03-21T04:00:00+00:00** passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day `passage`
- **2024-03-22T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 37-0 `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2024-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2024-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2024-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2024-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch.12) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e1a41d2c-d9de-4c37-86f4-22bf630a78ff`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).