---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to school transportation and declaring an emergency."
description: "Amend KRS 156.153 to permit schools to use non-school bus passenger vehicles designed for 10, instead of 9, or fewer passengers; limit statewide driver qualification, training, and drug testing requirements to drivers of non-school bus passenger vehicles along regular bus routes and permit local school boards to adopt district policies on the use of those vehicles to and from approved school activities; exclude parents transporting students to and from school pursuant to a compensation agreement from the requirements of the section; amend KRS 160.380 to conform; EMERGENCY."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2026RS"
identifier: "SB 46"
citation: "Kentucky SB 46 (2026RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Boards And Commissions", "Education", "Elementary And Secondary", "Effective Dates", "Emergency", "Teachers", "Transportation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["A. Reed", "B. Smith", "G. Elkins", "M. Deneen", "M. Nunn", "R. Girdler", "S. Madon"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 27
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-01-07T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ef9a1b4c-bb98-4c7a-a2b9-ab0c6d05717e"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb46.html"
source_hash: "2e1f8219e61d485009ee89b838b4726290c4a96cd56a1b70e762ea1f9043463e"
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 46 (2026RS) — AN ACT relating to school transportation and declaring an emergency.

Amend KRS 156.153 to permit schools to use non-school bus passenger vehicles designed for 10, instead of 9, or fewer passengers; limit statewide driver qualification, training, and drug testing requirements to drivers of non-school bus passenger vehicles along regular bus routes and permit local school boards to adopt district policies on the use of those vehicles to and from approved school activities; exclude parents transporting students to and from school pursuant to a compensation agreement from the requirements of the section; amend KRS 160.380 to conform; EMERGENCY.

## 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/sb46/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 7** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0007.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb46/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- Pass — **87–2** (pass) · upper
- FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 46 w/ HCS 1, HFA 2 — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- PASS SB 46 w scs 1 — **37–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- A. Reed — primary (person)
- B. Smith — primary (person)
- G. Elkins — primary (person)
- M. Deneen — primary (person)
- M. Nunn — primary (person)
- R. Girdler — primary (person)
- S. Madon — 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`
- **2026-01-14T05:00:00+00:00** to Education (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-15T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-16T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2026-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, January 22, 2026
- **2026-01-22T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 37-0 with Committee Substitute (1) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-01-23T05:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2026-01-23T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-09T04:00:00+00:00** to Primary and Secondary Education (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-18T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-18T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (2) filed to Committee Substitute `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 20 2026
- **2026-03-20T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 87-2 with Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (2) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** to Rules (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Rules
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (2)
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (1) and Floor Amendment (2)
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** passed 36-0 `passage`
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 7) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ef9a1b4c-bb98-4c7a-a2b9-ab0c6d05717e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).