Kentucky 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

SB 208 — AN ACT relating to arrest-related deaths.

Last action — to Committee on Committees (S)

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 18, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Amend KRS 72.025 to require a post-mortem examination in deaths that occur during an arrest; create a new section of KRS Chapter 72 to require coroners to notify the Kentucky State Medical Examiner of arrest-related deaths; require publication of an annual public report; amend KRS 72.020 to conform.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

6 changes Share ↗

Compared against the Kentucky Revised Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill expands the circumstances requiring a post-mortem examination by including deaths that occur during the process of arrest, while also amending related notification requirements.

  • KRS 72.025

    When the death of a human being occurs[, or] while the person is in police custody, a jail or penal institution; → while the person is in police custody, a jail or penal institution, or is in the process of being arrested or en route to being incarcerated;

    This change adds deaths occurring during arrest to the list requiring a post-mortem examination.

  • KRS 72.025

    (20) When the death of a human being occurs and the decedent is not receiving treatment by a licensed physician and there is no ascertainable medical history to indicate the cause of death.

    This change introduces a new category for post-mortem examinations, focusing on deaths with no physician treatment or discernible medical history.

  • KRS 72.020

    [subsections (1) through (12) of] → (1) to (13),

    This change updates the referenced subsections for more accurate notification requirements regarding deaths.

  • KRS 72.020

    [subsections (1) through (12)] → (1) to (13)

    This change ensures that the updated circumstances for death notifications accurately reflect the expanded list.

  • KRS 72.020

    (1) When a post-mortem examination is required under subsection (6) of Section 1 of this Act, the coroner or medical examiner shall provide notice of the death to the Office of the Kentucky State Medical Examiner.

    This addition mandates that coroners notify the state medical examiner's office for specific cases.

  • KRS 72.020

    (2) The Office of the Kentucky State Medical Examiner shall publish on its website an annual report by December 1 of each year that contains information regarding deaths of which notice was received under subsection (1) of this section.

    This requires the state medical examiner's office to compile and make public an annual report about the deaths requiring post-mortem examinations.

Action History

  1. to Committee on Committees (S)

  2. introduced in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 137 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (137)

137 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 137 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 208 do?
Amend KRS 72.025 to require a post-mortem examination in deaths that occur during an arrest; create a new section of KRS Chapter 72 to require coroners to notify the Kentucky State Medical Examiner of arrest-related deaths; require publication of an annual public report; amend KRS 72.020 to conform.
Who sponsors SB 208?
SB 208 is sponsored by Keturah J. Herron (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB 208?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 18, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 208?
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Last checked for changes about 2 months ago · updated continuously

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