---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to fish and wildlife and declaring an emergency."
description: "Amend KRS 150.170 to exempt a bona fide private landowner from any fishing restrictions imposed in KRS Chapter 150 or the administrative regulations promulgated thereunder relating to creel, possession, size, or method of take; allow a private landowner to extend the same rights and privileges relating to fishing in lakes or ponds located on the landowner's property to any person in written or electronic form; allow the stocking of certain largemouth bass in private lakes and ponds without restriction; exempt a bona fide private landowner from any lake or pond stocking restrictions except with regard to prohibitions on the stocking of invasive fish."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2026RS"
identifier: "SB 39"
citation: "Kentucky SB 39 (2026RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Agriculture", "Environment And Conservation", "Fish And Wildlife", "Hunting And Fishing", "Land Use", "Property"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["C. Richardson", "D. Douglas", "G. Boswell", "G. Elkins", "J. Carpenter", "J. Higdon", "J. Howell", "L. Tichenor", "M. Deneen", "M. Nunn", "M. Wilson", "P. Wheeler", "R. Girdler", "R. Mills", "S. Meredith", "S. Rawlings", "S. West"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 34
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-01-07T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2026-04-10T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7ac760a9-038e-4366-857d-7cef34a379b9"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb39.html"
source_hash: "d8ca6dac18db0d6e8dc47ce4c183f11ce7646e2fdf6bb95fcfa8435f6d1408c9"
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 SB 39 (2026RS) — AN ACT relating to fish and wildlife and declaring an emergency.

Amend KRS 150.170 to exempt a bona fide private landowner from any fishing restrictions imposed in KRS Chapter 150 or the administrative regulations promulgated thereunder relating to creel, possession, size, or method of take; allow a private landowner to extend the same rights and privileges relating to fishing in lakes or ponds located on the landowner's property to any person in written or electronic form; allow the stocking of certain largemouth bass in private lakes and ponds without restriction; exempt a bona fide private landowner from any lake or pond stocking restrictions except with regard to prohibitions on the stocking of invasive fish.

## 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/26RS/sb39/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 93** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0093.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb39/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 39 w/ HCS 1, HFA 1, HFA 2, HFA 4, HCA 1 (T) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Pass — **90–0** (pass) · upper
- PASS SB 39 w/ SFA 6 — **29–8** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- C. Richardson — primary (person)
- D. Douglas — primary (person)
- G. Boswell — primary (person)
- G. Elkins — primary (person)
- J. Carpenter — primary (person)
- J. Higdon — primary (person)
- J. Howell — primary (person)
- L. Tichenor — primary (person)
- M. Deneen — primary (person)
- M. Nunn — primary (person)
- M. Wilson — primary (person)
- P. Wheeler — primary (person)
- R. Girdler — primary (person)
- R. Mills — primary (person)
- S. Meredith — primary (person)
- S. Rawlings — primary (person)
- S. West — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-07T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-07T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** to Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-22T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-23T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2026-01-27T05:00:00+00:00** Floor Amendments (1), (2) and (3) filed
- **2026-01-30T05:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (4) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-09T05:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (5) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-11T05:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (6) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00** taken from Rules
- **2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00** placed in the Orders of the Day
- **2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading `reading-3`
- **2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00** Floor Amendments (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) withdrawn
- **2026-02-20T05:00:00+00:00** passed 29-8 with Floor Amendment (6) `passage`
- **2026-02-23T05:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2026-02-23T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-05T05:00:00+00:00** to Natural Resources & Energy (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Natural Resources & Energy (H)
- **2026-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** 1st reading `reading-1`
- **2026-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Natural Resources & Energy (H)
- **2026-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 2nd reading, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendments (1), (2), (3) and (4) filed to Committee Substitute
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Rules
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** placed in the Orders of the Day
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 90-0 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (1), (2) and (4) and Committee Amendment (1-title) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** to Rules (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage for concurrence in House Floor Amendments (1), (2) and (4), Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (4), (2) and (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** passed 38-0 `passage`
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2026-04-10T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 93) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7ac760a9-038e-4366-857d-7cef34a379b9`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).