republic-os/legislation/us/states/ky/2026rs/hb-506.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	AN ACT relating to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.	Amend KRS 15.460 to allow Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources game wardens to receive annual supplements from the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program fund; remove the requirement that a game warden's annual training stipend be paid from the game and fish fund; amend KRS 150.010 to remove the definitions for "administrative regulation," "navigable waters," and "public roadway"; add definitions for "exotic wildlife," "native wildlife," and "roadway" and amend the definition for "livestock"; amend KRS 150.021 to remove the requirement that the department pay a fee equal to 5% of the debt service for the 2-way radio system utilized by the Kentucky State Police; amend KRS 150.025 to allow the department or the commissioner, with the approval of the commission, to promulgate administrative regulations to carry out the purposes of KRS Chapter 150; amend KRS 150.027 to require the department to file a statement of consideration at the same time as it files an administrative regulation that affects property that is adjacent to department-owned or controlled lakes; amend KRS 150.061 to require the commissioner of the department to establish a salary structure for the department's Division of Law Enforcement that is adequate to meet the department's recruitment and retention goals; amend KRS 150.090 to provide that waters bordering the Commonwealth are included in the jurisdiction of game wardens; amend KRS 150.120 to provide that native and exotic wildlife that are taken, possessed, or transported in violation of the provisions of KRS Chapter 150 or the administrative regulations promulgated thereunder shall be seized; require that upon seizure, native wildlife or any hybrid thereof shall be declared contraband and disposed of as determined by the commissioner; amend KRS 150.150 to conform and to provide that the $25,000 set aside annually for hunger relief is not required to be taken from the game and fish fund; amend KRS 150.170 to change the reference from "disposal" tag to "carcass tag" for the taking of depredating wildlife; amend KRS 150.172 to allow a person to use a firearm at any time to take a mortally wounded animal instead of an injured animal; amend KRS 150.360 to allow the taking of wildlife at night instead of only coyotes and to conform; amend KRS 150.660 to allow the department to revoke a pay lake operator's license at all of his or her licensed locations for failure to comply with the laws or regulations governing pay lakes; amend KRS 150.690 to change the references from "buffalo" to "American bison"; amend KRS 150.990 double all fines for violations of KRS Chapter 150 and to establish replacement costs for certain wildlife; amend KRS 150.995 to provide that any restitution amount to be paid to the department for the illegal taking of wildlife that would exceed $10,000 shall be panel scored by 2 official scorers; allow the commissioner or a designee to seek an order from the court for payment of restitution costs in any action in which a person is found guilty for a violation of KRS Chapter 150 and for which restitution costs are owed; amend KRS 235.250 to increase the property damage threshold for the mandatory reporting requirement for boating accidents.	us/states/ky	Kentucky General Assembly	2026RS	HB 506	Kentucky HB 506 (2026RS)	bill	Administrative Regulations And Proceedings Boats And Boating Communications Crimes And Punishments Fees Fish And Wildlife Hunting And Fishing Peace Officers And Law Enforcement Public Officers And Employees State Agencies State Employees Waterways And Dams	enacted	B. Wesley C. Fugate D. Fister D. Hale J. Blanton K. Jackson M. Hart W. Lawrence	3	23	2	2026-01-28T05:00:00+00:00	2026-04-14T04:00:00+00:00	openstates	ocd-bill/8b82f3b6-2def-406f-8271-cc419951ad31	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb506.html	a6275dc89df0132ad1e1571a6f1b59c7522aad759af01b5ff078b349a052f174	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-ky

Kentucky HB 506 (2026RS) — AN ACT relating to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Amend KRS 15.460 to allow Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources game wardens to receive annual supplements from the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program fund; remove the requirement that a game warden's annual training stipend be paid from the game and fish fund; amend KRS 150.010 to remove the definitions for "administrative regulation," "navigable waters," and "public roadway"; add definitions for "exotic wildlife," "native wildlife," and "roadway" and amend the definition for "livestock"; amend KRS 150.021 to remove the requirement that the department pay a fee equal to 5% of the debt service for the 2-way radio system utilized by the Kentucky State Police; amend KRS 150.025 to allow the department or the commissioner, with the approval of the commission, to promulgate administrative regulations to carry out the purposes of KRS Chapter 150; amend KRS 150.027 to require the department to file a statement of consideration at the same time as it files an administrative regulation that affects property that is adjacent to department-owned or controlled lakes; amend KRS 150.061 to require the commissioner of the department to establish a salary structure for the department's Division of Law Enforcement that is adequate to meet the department's recruitment and retention goals; amend KRS 150.090 to provide that waters bordering the Commonwealth are included in the jurisdiction of game wardens; amend KRS 150.120 to provide that native and exotic wildlife that are taken, possessed, or transported in violation of the provisions of KRS Chapter 150 or the administrative regulations promulgated thereunder shall be seized; require that upon seizure, native wildlife or any hybrid thereof shall be declared contraband and disposed of as determined by the commissioner; amend KRS 150.150 to conform and to provide that the $25,000 set aside annually for hunger relief is not required to be taken from the game and fish fund; amend KRS 150.170 to change the reference from "disposal" tag to "carcass tag" for the taking of depredating wildlife; amend KRS 150.172 to allow a person to use a firearm at any time to take a mortally wounded animal instead of an injured animal; amend KRS 150.360 to allow the taking of wildlife at night instead of only coyotes and to conform; amend KRS 150.660 to allow the department to revoke a pay lake operator's license at all of his or her licensed locations for failure to comply with the laws or regulations governing pay lakes; amend KRS 150.690 to change the references from "buffalo" to "American bison"; amend KRS 150.990 double all fines for violations of KRS Chapter 150 and to establish replacement costs for certain wildlife; amend KRS 150.995 to provide that any restitution amount to be paid to the department for the illegal taking of wildlife that would exceed $10,000 shall be panel scored by 2 official scorers; allow the commissioner or a designee to seek an order from the court for payment of restitution costs in any action in which a person is found guilty for a violation of KRS Chapter 150 and for which restitution costs are owed; amend KRS 235.250 to increase the property damage threshold for the mandatory reporting requirement for boating accidents.

Version chain

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

1. Introduced (filed) — source
2. Acts Chapter 148 (committee substitute) — source
3. Current/Final (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• Pass — 93–0 (pass) · lower
• CONSENT PASSAGE OF HB 506 — 38–0 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• B. Wesley — primary (person)
• C. Fugate — primary (person)
• D. Fister — primary (person)
• D. Hale — primary (person)
• J. Blanton — primary (person)
• K. Jackson — primary (person)
• M. Hart — primary (person)
• W. Lawrence — primary (person)

Timeline

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

• 2026-01-28T05:00:00+00:00 introduced in House introduction
• 2026-01-28T05:00:00+00:00 to Committee on Committees (H) referral-committee
• 2026-02-04T05:00:00+00:00 to Tourism & Outdoor Recreation (H) referral-committee
• 2026-02-26T05:00:00+00:00 reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) committee-passage
• 2026-02-27T05:00:00+00:00 2nd reading, to Rules reading-2
• 2026-03-04T05:00:00+00:00 recommitted to Tourism & Outdoor Recreation (H)
• 2026-03-12T04:00:00+00:00 reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (2) committee-passage
• 2026-03-12T04:00:00+00:00 taken from Rules
• 2026-03-12T04:00:00+00:00 placed in the Orders of the Day
• 2026-03-12T04:00:00+00:00 3rd reading, passed 93-0 with Committee Substitute (2) passage, reading-3
• 2026-03-13T04:00:00+00:00 received in Senate
• 2026-03-13T04:00:00+00:00 to Committee on Committees (S) referral-committee
• 2026-03-18T04:00:00+00:00 to Natural Resources & Energy (S) referral-committee
• 2026-03-25T04:00:00+00:00 reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar committee-passage
• 2026-03-26T04:00:00+00:00 2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill reading-2
• 2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00 posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 31 2026
• 2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00 3rd reading, passed 38-0 passage, reading-3
• 2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00 received in House
• 2026-04-01T04:00:00+00:00 enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House passage
• 2026-04-01T04:00:00+00:00 enrolled, signed by President of the Senate passage
• 2026-04-01T04:00:00+00:00 delivered to Governor
• 2026-04-13T04:00:00+00:00 filed without Governor's signature with the Secretary of State
• 2026-04-14T04:00:00+00:00 became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 148) became-law

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/8b82f3b6-2def-406f-8271-cc419951ad31. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).