republic-os/legislation/us/states/ky/2026rs/sb-195.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to participants in the legal system."
description: "Amend KRS 367.220 to require written notice from a consumer to a prospective defendant 60 days before initiating a civil action; require giving of notice to toll the statute of limitations; make failure to give notice result in dismissal of a filed claim without prejudice; amend KRS 189.125 to declare failure to wear a safety restraint or wear a restraint properly to be admissible as it may relate to fault only upon a showing that the failure was a substantial factor in any injury claimed; amend KRS 304.12-230 to limit the committing of unfair claims settlement practices to insurers; prohibit that a claim from being brought by a third-party claimant; require any assignment of a claim against an insurer to be void; create a new section of Subtitle 40 of KRS Chapter 304 to establish limitations on information and testimony regarding professional liability insurance in a civil action; amend KRS 364.130 to define terms; establish liability protections for a utility that removes timber of a property owner when done with permission or in good faith and establish damages for violations; create new sections of KRS Chapter 411 to define terms; require acceptance of a project by a contracting entity to create a rebuttable presumption of compliance with specifications and not to give rise to a finding of liability except under specified circumstances; establish requirements for the initiating pleading against a contracting entity or contractor and allow failure to comply to result in a dismissal of the action; establish requirements for a claim against a contractor by a noncontractual third party; create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to establish prelitigation notice of a potential claim for medical malpractice or health care liability claims; establish method of providing required notice and the effect of compliance on the applicable statute of limitations; amend KRS 411.167 to require a written medical opinion before commencement of an action under the statute; establish an award of costs and fees upon a finding of noncompliance; amend KRS 411.182 to prohibit a claimant who is more than 50% responsible for the injury or damages claimed from being entitled to recovery; establish evidentiary basis for award of medical expenses; establish apportionment provisions for a nonparty or party entitled to immunity; amend KRS 413.140 to establish notice requirement prior to initiating cause of action for personal injury; amend KRS 422.317 to set costs associated with request for medical records; amend KRS 304.45-110 to conform; repeal KRS 304.12-220, relating to the definition of \"person.\""
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2026RS"
identifier: "SB 195"
citation: "Kentucky SB 195 (2026RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Civil Actions", "Civil Procedure", "Consumer Protection", "Highways", "Streets", "And Bridges", "Insurance", "Physicians", "Property", "Rules Of Evidence"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["C. Richardson", "D. Douglas", "G. Elkins", "G. Williams", "R. Girdler", "S. Meredith"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 36
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-02-12T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2026-04-12T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4e8fc60e-f3e1-473d-b35e-75d7029ab09c"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb195.html"
source_hash: "1aae61785009aa010c1b4fc880195fd1911edf0b8d6847271d80703363e3e218"
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 195 (2026RS) — AN ACT relating to participants in the legal system.

Amend KRS 367.220 to require written notice from a consumer to a prospective defendant 60 days before initiating a civil action; require giving of notice to toll the statute of limitations; make failure to give notice result in dismissal of a filed claim without prejudice; amend KRS 189.125 to declare failure to wear a safety restraint or wear a restraint properly to be admissible as it may relate to fault only upon a showing that the failure was a substantial factor in any injury claimed; amend KRS 304.12-230 to limit the committing of unfair claims settlement practices to insurers; prohibit that a claim from being brought by a third-party claimant; require any assignment of a claim against an insurer to be void; create a new section of Subtitle 40 of KRS Chapter 304 to establish limitations on information and testimony regarding professional liability insurance in a civil action; amend KRS 364.130 to define terms; establish liability protections for a utility that removes timber of a property owner when done with permission or in good faith and establish damages for violations; create new sections of KRS Chapter 411 to define terms; require acceptance of a project by a contracting entity to create a rebuttable presumption of compliance with specifications and not to give rise to a finding of liability except under specified circumstances; establish requirements for the initiating pleading against a contracting entity or contractor and allow failure to comply to result in a dismissal of the action; establish requirements for a claim against a contractor by a noncontractual third party; create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to establish prelitigation notice of a potential claim for medical malpractice or health care liability claims; establish method of providing required notice and the effect of compliance on the applicable statute of limitations; amend KRS 411.167 to require a written medical opinion before commencement of an action under the statute; establish an award of costs and fees upon a finding of noncompliance; amend KRS 411.182 to prohibit a claimant who is more than 50% responsible for the injury or damages claimed from being entitled to recovery; establish evidentiary basis for award of medical expenses; establish apportionment provisions for a nonparty or party entitled to immunity; amend KRS 413.140 to establish notice requirement prior to initiating cause of action for personal injury; amend KRS 422.317 to set costs associated with request for medical records; amend KRS 304.45-110 to conform; repeal KRS 304.12-220, relating to the definition of "person."

## 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/sb195/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 97** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0097.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb195/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- Pass — **66–25** (pass) · upper
- PASS SB 195 w/ SCS 1 — **31–5** (pass) · upper
- FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 195 w/ HCS 1, HFA 1, HFA 3, HFA 2 (T) — **29–9** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- C. Richardson — primary (person)
- D. Douglas — primary (person)
- G. Elkins — primary (person)
- G. Williams — primary (person)
- R. Girdler — primary (person)
- S. Meredith — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-02-12T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-02-12T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Judiciary (S)
- **2026-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** 1st reading `reading-1`
- **2026-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Judiciary (S)
- **2026-03-17T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Judiciary (S)
- **2026-03-17T04:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading `reading-2`
- **2026-03-17T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Judiciary (S)
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Rules
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** placed in the Orders of the Day
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 31-5 with Committee Substitute (1) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-20T04:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Judiciary (H)
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** 1st reading `reading-1`
- **2026-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Judiciary (H)
- **2026-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 2nd reading, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendments (1) and (3) filed to Committee Substitute , floor amendment (2-title) filed to bill `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Rules
- **2026-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** placed in the Orders of the Day
- **2026-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 66-25 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (1) and (3) and Floor Amendment (2-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`
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Rules
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (1) and (3) and Floor Amendment (2-title)
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** passed over and retained for concurrence in House Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (1) and (3) and Floor Amendment (2-title) `passage`
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (3) and (1) and Floor Amendment (2-title)
- **2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00** passed 29-9 `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** filed without Governor's signature with the Secretary of State
- **2026-04-12T04:00:00+00:00** became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 97) `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4e8fc60e-f3e1-473d-b35e-75d7029ab09c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).